Students cultivate a connection to Country

Gippsland Water and Kurnai College teamed up earlier this week to plant lomandra grass plants at Moondarra reservoir’s new gathering place. 

The partnership began last year when Kurnai College Morwell students were provided with lomandra seedlings, which they fostered into full-grown plants. 

Gippsland Water acting managing director Nic Moss said the initiative had a positive impact on both the students and the environment. 

“It’s helped to strengthen the First Nations students’ connection to Country while providing them with a valuable, hands-on learning opportunity outside of a classroom,” Mr Moss said. 

“It’s also enhanced a recreational community space and helped maintain biodiversity at the reservoir.” 

Gippsland Water supplied the seedlings to the school last year and students planted most of them at the Morwell campus. 

“The students spent the last year nurturing the growing seedlings into grasses, until they were ready to be planted,” Mr Moss said. 

Gippsland Water staff, including school-based apprentice and Kurnai College student Xavier, were all donning gardening gloves and working together to make a tangible difference in a community space.  

Lomandra grasses are native to the Moondarra area and play a crucial role in supporting local ecosystems, including waterways, providing habitats for insects and protecting soil, benefiting birds, frogs and other animals. 

To find out more about Gippsland Water’s biodiversity management and healthy country initiatives visit, www.gippswater.com.au/caretakers.