Olympic LANDCARE 2000
Join the Team, Sign Up for Your 'Gold Tree Icon' Name
Plate in National Olympic Landcare Week Aug 5-12
Young Parramatta Olympians Brad McGee, Simon Ishac, David Giles and
Adrian Grogan are being honoured by our Heritage River landcare project
who are one of 500 Olympic Landcare Groups helping to ensure a 'green'
Olympic Games. They join hundreds of Australian Olympians who have
inspired bushcare groups right across Australia to plant over 2 million
native trees in the lead-up to the Sydney Games in August.
Millions of newly sprouting trees are to begin their role as habitat
for native animals. The young trees are also to help in the critical fight
against land and water degradation. The trees are a response to Parramatta's
local environmental problems or dieback and inappropriate development and
are to have a lasting benefit for the community.
But the young trees also have another role: being our local community's
way of honouring these Olympians who are the inspiration for the local
bushcare volunteers. Their efforts to achieve their own personal best as
an Olympian are now recognised, with a long-term green legacy, through
this unique world-first project.
During National Landcare Week (Aug 5-11) Olympic Landcare 2000 is seeing
500 degraded area around the Torch path planted with 2 million trees in
a massive week of action, each in the name of Olympians such as Cathy Freeman,
Robert de Castella, Shane Gould,, Ron Clarke, Daniel Kowalski, Nova Peris-Kneebone
and many others.
Simon Cook from the Heritage River Project said, "We are helping to
take the Olympic Games beyond Sydney, and have dedicated the sites at Parramatta
and Old Toongabbie to these Olympians to honour their contribution to sport
in Australia".
"The Olympics is a chance for all Australians to show the rest of the
world what we can achieve not only in the sporting arena, but also in the
ecological arena as well".
"Australia has severe salinity, erosion, pollution, habitat-loss and
water quality problems, in urban, rural and coastal areas, that replanting
indigenous trees can help tackle".
"We are hoping everyone in the Parramatta community can join in the
Olympic spirit by planting a native tree where they live, go to school
or work in the district", Mr Cook said.
Olympic gold medallist, Duncan Armstrong is urging all Australians to
support the important work started by Olympic Landcare.
"As an athlete I know how vital it is to train and compete
in a healthy environment. Olympic Landcare volunteers will plant much needed
native trees in degraded areas. All Aussies can leave a living legacy by
planting in their community, and can dedicate the trees they have planted
to their favourite Olympian to wish them success at our Games".
Parramatta's residents and workers are invited to support the local
Landcare and Paralypians by booking a Gold Tree Icon Name-Plate at the
project site as sculptures create the literally 'green and gold' tree artwork.
Individual, Family, School-class and Local Businesses' Name Plates are
available to order and installation begins soon in Olympic Landcare Week.
For Parramatta and Old Toongabbie's special Landcare Events the Spirit
of the Olympics brings new environmentally-friendly meanings to the idea
of sport being just beating the opponents.
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