Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I was invited to visit Mirboo North Secondary College, a proud school nestled in the steep majestic hills of South Gippsland. Today the paddocks provide a rich contrast to the red soil set against the deep green of the rolling landscape—breathtaking!

I was invited by Principal Karen Lanyon and Mr Allen Riseley to attend one of their 'tubing days'. You might well ask: what is a tubing day? Under the watch of teacher Mr Allen Riseley, the students take part in an environmental horticultural program that not only encourages learning but also provides a practical grounding in land management, water conservation and horticulture. Mr Riseley's years nine and 10 grow native trees from seed. The trees are then potted up and eventually sold to water catchment authorities, Landcare groups and local landowners. This has led to a partnership that has meant that this unique program actually pays for itself. The students can proudly claim to have grown from seed and planted over 10,000 trees since the program's inception several years ago. I congratulate Mr Riseley on his creative initiative and the value that he has added to the school curriculum.

To Principal Karen Lanyon and the staff of Mirboo North Secondary College: I congratulate you on a school that, with its gardens interwoven around the classrooms, is as calm and beautiful as the surrounding hills in which it is nestled. Mirboo North Secondary College, you should be so proud—you are a golden thread in the great tapestry that is my electorate of McMillan. Mirboo North Secondary College rocks!