Primary school children help mulch RSA trees at Ferry Reserve

Eager workers fill the buckets not needing much supervision by the adults.

Nearly 100 primary children from Kumeroa, Ballance and Papatawa schools joined adults comprising parents, Woodville RSA members, service club personnel and Horizon Regional Council representatives to mulch trees at Ferry Reserve on Friday, December 4.

They were there to ensure the trees planted by the Woodville RSA to commemorate soldiers who died in World Wars I and II survived the summer dryness.

Children carrying buckets of mulch to the trees on the Ferry Reserve RSA plantation.

RSA members Ian Daily and Bryan James have been determined to mark the sacrifices of locals in war with trees, each one planted to represent one who did not return.

Initially 81 rata were planted in 2017 to represent those from Woodville lost in World War I and this year it was decided to plant 26 mature totara to represent those lost in World War II 75 years after the war ended.

Mature specimens were chosen so they had a better chance of survival and were planted mostly by Lions club and other volunteers on September 2 after Covid restrictions were lifted.

On Friday the adults and children toiled very hard and deserved the morning tea break and the barbecue lunch provided.

To make it more meaningful each child was given a tree number to mulch with the number corresponding to a soldier from World War II whose entire war experience could be researched in the Woodville Library using information Bryan and Ian had uncovered.

They wanted the children to have some connection to these men because then they might continue to care for the trees in the future "after they had gone".