TREE CHEER
Warragul Rotary Club has raised more than $250,000 from Christmas tree sales since 1985. Ready to harvest this year’s fundraising crop are Rotarians Ian Holdsworth, Vaughan Fox, club president Peter Dell and Roger Colls.
Warragul Rotary Club’s Christmas trees may be only sold at the end of each year, but the sales have delivered more than a quarter of a million dollars worth of Christmas cheer to community organisations.
Christmas trees sales is the major fundraiser for Warragul Rotary, with about 1200 trees sold each year.
Since 1985, Warragul Rotary has sold more than 175,000, allowing more than $250,000 to be injected into a range of community projects in Warragul, Gippsland and overseas.
Three quarters of the annual sales are to West Gippslanders but about 300 trees each year are sold to Chadstone/East Malvern Rotary and Friends of Ermera at Berwick who use is as a fundraiser for a project in East Timor.
The club grows Christmas trees at two plantations in Landsborough Rd and land adjacent to the Gulwarra Heights cemetery. The trees take three and a half years to grow.
The major retail outlet for Christmas trees in Warragul is Warragul BP (in Brandy Creek Road) which sell the trees for the club at no charge to the club as a community service.
Last year the club donated $47,500. Local projects to benefit included Warragul Swimming Club for new timing equipment; Warragul Regional College to support students with their World Challenge community project in Peru; Mawarra Centre; and the local scout and girl guide groups.
Some of the Gippsland and Australian projects to benefit include: Centenary House at Traralgon which provides short term accommodation for Gippsland patients receiving cancer treatment at the Latrobe Regional Hospital and Western Australian Pinjarra bush fire appeal.
International projects to benefit are Rotary International Polio Plus project to eliminate polio from the world, the Bor Orphanage and Education project in South Sudan and the Fiji Cyclone Winston appeal.
Warragul Regional College students helped Rotarians with the annual Christmas tree harvest this year.
The student involvement with Rotary is a part of their fundraising activities to support their community project when they travel to Nepal next year.
Supported by WRC teachers Kate Boyer and Tegan O’Dea, 16 year 10, 11 and 12 students will be travelling to Nepal in December 2017 as a part of the World Challenge program run each year by the college.
Students participating in the World Challenge program spend 12 months fund raising as well as planning and preparing for their trip.
The program allows students to embark on a journey of self-discovery.
Students will spend part of their four weeks in Nepal working in a local community on a specific aid project.
Working with Warragul Rotary gives students an opportunity to both raise funds for their community project in Nepal as well as an appreciation of community service in their own town.