On Sunday, November 10, the East Gippsland Community Seedbank was officially opened by Federal MP, Darren Chester, and what a fantastic day it was.
Fifty-five members of the community, including local Landcare members and volunteer seed collectors gathered to celebrate the completion of stage one of the building of the seedbank.
This seedbank idea germinated following problems that Landcare volunteers had in obtaining local indigenous seed following the Black Summer Bushfires, and has been the passion project of incoming East Gippsland Landcare Network (EGLN) president, Vicki Leris.
“To revegetate our uniquely beautiful area, it is ideal to use local provenance seed – but if none of this is safely and securely stored, then we can’t get it in the event of an environmental disaster,” Vicki said.
“Without a seedbank, we were at risk of losing some of East Gippsland’s rare and threatened plant species.”
As Mr Chester mentioned on the day, “Our volunteers across Gippsland do a sensational job to provide services and facilities that wouldn’t exist without their contribution,” and this is definitely the case with the seedbank.
As the volunteer project manager, Vicki’s determination has overcome a number of challenges along the way.
From finding an available and ideal site, to navigating planning and building permits, to the latest hurdles of getting electricity connected, there is no doubt that this site would not be up and running without Vicki’s drive.
At the opening Vicki also thanked the Gippsland Community Foundation, the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife and the State Government through the Tiny Towns fund, who have all supported various elements of the build.
The site has undergone a complete transformation from the former disused tennis courts, with works including a new concrete slab, septic and toilet installation (which utilises an environmentally sustainable worm composting system) and a new driveway, as well as the shed itself.
The seedbank features a coolroom (in which to store collected seed at a stable temperature), and a seed cleaning machine, as well as storage bays and a workshop/office area that will eventually be able to be used for community workshops.
Seed is currently stored from across the region from Bairnsdale and surrounds, to the High County areas of Gelantipy and across to Orbost.
Seed collection training will be available in future for local groups and individuals who are interested in learning more about collecting and storing their own local seed for the benefit of their community.
The seed is stored free of charge at the seedbank and can also be accessed freely by local groups for revegetation purposes. Keep an eye out for further information.
Mr Chester was assisted in the ribbon cutting by the youngest attendee on the day, 10-year-old Dusty, who is already an old-hand at tree planting.
This was a great way to acknowledge the fact that environmental recovery and protection is for the future of all within the community.
