Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sunday was National Tree Day and my daughter and I had the pleasure of joining the Belgrave community at the Belgrave Food Garden to plant over 600 native trees with over 60 volunteers. The weather was shining, which is rare in Melbourne at this time of year. There was great weather and great company, and it was great to see the community come out nice and early to make a difference and support our environment. I have to thank Ellie and the team from the Belgrave Food Garden. The garden came about during COVID and it's going from strength to strength. It has been wonderful to be there and support them through this journey. I also thank the amazing Belgrave locals who came out to help. To the Belgrave Rotary Club, thank you for feeding everyone at lunchtime—the sausages were wonderful and greatly appreciated. I had the opportunity to visit the Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery last week and understand the work they do as a volunteer organisation, and they provided the plants on the day, so thanks to them. Thanks to Con and the staff from Mater Christi College, who came and volunteered their time. They have a great sense of community and they actively support the community. It was wonderful to see those students out on a Sunday morning planting trees and engaging. All in all, it was a wonderful day to plant trees and to make a tangible difference to the environment in the Dandenong Ranges and across Casey.