Saplings and pottiputki planters in hand, the kids get ready for planting

It’s quite a thing to see 32 city kids pile off a bus to be met by 22 country kids, several teachers and parents in tow, to head off towards the far blue yonder (farm transport described as the BEST thing about the day by one student) to plant 6,000 trees in four hours.

But with the wisdom of someone who’s done this before, farmer Gary Lang remains incredibly calm as he watches the kids race off - saplings and pottiputkis in hand (one brandished Schwartznegger-style) - to get started.

With more eagerness than skill they begin planting the first section of more than 3,000 trees in a fashion that will make the trees, as Gary says, “look natural”.

The city kids (Calista Primary) and country kids (Wickepin Primary) have come together on this farming property just outside Wickepin to plant Oil Mallee trees in the Lake Toolibin catchment area, one of the last freshwater lakes in the wheatbelt region of Western Australia.

It’s something of an annual ritual that came about five years ago when HIsmelt, seeking to foster a metro-rural relationship, offered local Calista Primary kids the chance to plant trees in the country.

What began as a partnership between HIsmelt and Calista Primary, with HIsmelt sponsoring the kids to travel down to Lake Toolibin, has come to involve Wickepin Primary, the local shire, which provides the accommodation, and local farmers who provide the land and the trees.

The kids planted 6,000 Oil Mallee saplings in four hours to reduce salinity around Lake Toolibin

The partnership gives kids from the city and country the chance to bond while getting their hands dirty

“These tree planting days are a great chance for kids from both schools to come together and bond over a fun, hands-on activity,” says Jenny Fisher, HIsmelt’s Community Relations Specialist. 

“The tree planting caught their attention for the first hour and then the creek and mud was irresistible, particularly to the boys – all good fun and a great opportunity for all the kids to get out in the fresh air and get active.”

“They have an absolute ball, but it’s also a great learning medium in disguise. The Calista kids get a real insight into country life and the issues faced there, such as salinity, while the Wickepin kids monitor the trees’ progress and report back to Calista regularly.”

“As you work with the plants you can smell the eucalyptus from the leaves, while the trees planted last year give you confidence that these will survive, and the survival rate is about 80 per cent which is great considering the low maintenance involved.”

The Oil Mallees tackle wheatbelt salinity problems by drawing in surplus water without negatively impacting on other farming enterprises. Over the past five years the total number of trees planted has exceeded 35,000.

And if somehow that figure doesn’t impress, remember these are Year 4 kids planting saplings every metre for up to 2 kilometres at a stretch, planting about 100 plants each, a huge accomplishment at any age.

“Farmers totally underestimated what kids could do – we planted 4,500 Oil Mallee trees in the first year!” says James Mumme, who came out of retirement from Calista Primary School to supervise this year’s trip.

*A pottiputki planter consists of a hollow tube with a duck-bill end that is driven into the ground and levered open to create a hole suitable for the seedling. The seedling is then dropped down the tube into the hole and pressed into place with foot pressure.