georgia - our youngest young environmental achiever

I was delighted to be able to present the Ken McIntosh Young Environmental Achiever of the Year award to Dandenong Ranges local, Georgia Grimmer, as part of the Australia Day Awards.


Georgia’s passion for the environment at such a
young age is inspiring, our future’s looking bright
 with future leaders like Georgia.
Congratulations Georgia!

Georgia, our youngest ever recipient at 10 years old, is a student at The Patch Primary and for the past five years has been committed to improving the school’s wildlife habitat. Georgia led a team of Year 4 students in restoring a very neglected fern gully on the school’s boundary.

She’s taken the lead in weed removal and control, indigenous plantings and rebuilding wildlife habitat.

It has not been an individual effort, Georgia has brought many other students on the journey to improve the local environment and mobilised them with her knowledge, enthusiasm, pride and energy.

What strikes me about Georgia is her ability to inspire and involve people of all ages and backgrounds and already she demonstrates leadership skills, an inclusive approach and a desire to make a difference. 

Georgia’s passion for the environment at such a young age is inspiring, our future’s looking bright with future leaders like Georgia. Congratulations Georgia!

Congratulations to all our Australia Day award recipients:

Citizen of the Year – Tanya de Visser
Young Citizen of the Year – Lily Belle Hellicar
Community Group of the Year – Healesville Interchurch Community Care
Environmental Achiever of the Year – David and Jean Edwards
Ken McIntosh Young Environmental Achiever of the Year – Georgia Grimmer
Mayor’s Lifetime Achievement – Phyllis Dixon
Ian de la Rue Award for Community Leadership – Norman Orr
Certificates of Recognition – Judy Thornburn and Michael Halligan

The Ken McIntosh Young Environmental Achiever of the Year award honours the contribution of Ken McIntosh, who was a driving force in environmental and conservation issues in the Yarra Ranges.

patch has a plan

I was delighted to attend the assembly of The Patch Primary School last week to present them with the Shire of Yarra Ranges HabitAT award for 2013. 


From left to right: Brayden, Michelle - Teacher, James,
Cr Samantha Dunn, Anthony - Yarra Ranges, Georgia,
Debra - Principal and Caellan. The students at The Patch
are very proud of their achievements and they should be.
The works and planning for future works is impressive
and our future's looking bright with these young leaders.

The Patch took out the category for best HabitAT Plan in the Shire, for the work done completed by students planning short and long term actions to ensure the future protection and enhancement of the natural environment in their school grounds.

It's been a whole of school effort with every grade participating in some way, but the Grade 3 and 4's undertook the detailed work of developing the plan. The plan includes the development of wildlife corridors in the school grounds and the enhancement and expansion of a variety of ecologically diverse zones, including a fern gully, wetlands, open indigenous plantings, mountain ash gully, bird & butterfly attracting zones and additional productive gardens.

It's an impressive effort from the whole school community, and teacher Michelle Rayner has been a driving force behind the Learning for Sustainability program at The Patch.

The Shire awards 3 schools a year for either a HabitAT Census, Plan and Action award. The Patch Primary took out the HabitAT Census Award in 2012. The awards are part of the Shire's Learning for Sustainability program which aims to help schools gain a stronger understanding of their ecological footprint , how they use resources, but most of all how students, staff and members of the broader school community can make a difference working towards a more sustainable future. 

Congratulations to all at The Patch Primary, you really are an exemplary model of sustainability and rightly proud of your achievements.

samantha in the press

Driven Away

Mail Newspapers
by Jesse Graham
29 Oct 2013

Seeds plant habitat awareness
Mail Newspapers
by Rebecca Bills
29 Oct 2013

State kicks in $650,000 for soccer hub
Mail Newspapers
by Rebecca Bills
29 Oct 2013

tecoma primary school splashes the town

All the grade six students participated in the ribbon
cutting.

How wonderful to be able to officially launch the Tecoma Mural, completed by the Grade Sixes at Tecoma Primary School.

The moment of the ribbon cutting there was excitement
all round including art teacher Helen Macinnes
and myself.

It was a grand occasion, shared by the whole school and parents, carers and grandparents too. In a mass ribbon cutting I was joined by all the students of Grade Six and Tecoma Primary School art teacher, Helen Macinnes to cut the ribbon to officially open the mural.

The mural spanning 18 metres has been installed on the DVD Destination wall in Tecoma, a hot spot for tagging in the town.

Comparing ribbons after the official cutting.

I was pleased to be able to provide ward funding to see the project come to fruition. The children started on the project late last year and have been working away on painting the mural, made up of numerous panels, for the first two terms of this year.


The design was their idea and  features the view from the earth to the galaxy. If you look hard you might even find the tardis!

The grade sixes were rightly proud of their achievements.

With the guidance of art teacher, Helen Macinnes, the children have painted a wonderful mural to not only spruce up a blank wall in Tecoma but to act as a deterrent to tagging as well.

Helen Macinnes, art teacher, Cr Samantha Dunn and
Tecoma Primary School Principal, Rohan Thompson
give their thanks to the Year 6 students.

I congratulate school principal Rohan Thompson for allowing the project to proceed, art teacher Helen Macinnes for doing such a great job with all the Grade Six students and last but not least give my great thanks to all the students in Grade Six at Tecoma Primary School - you've done a fantastic job and should be very proud of your achievements.

The children were keen to point out which 'bits'
were theirs.

Teachers Trevor and Sylvia join with their grade six students and Cr Samantha Dunn
to officially launch the Tecoma Primary School mural.

Students were keen to discuss their role in the mural,
with Helen Macinnes and Cr Samantha Dunn.

The mural is enormous, this is some of the detail.

Some more detail from the mural, it's well worth a
close look, there's so many wonderful things tucked
away, waiting for discovery.

Grade Six teacher, Trevor Wilson and art teacher
Helen Macinnes with Cr Samantha Dunn joined
by two of the grade six students.

A wonderful addition to the township of Tecoma and a great way to spruce
up an enormous blank wall.

samantha in the press - tecoma

Colour their world
Yarra Ranges Weekly
31 July 2012

the patch primary has the winning formula

Congratulations to Patch Primary School teacher, Michelle Rayner. Michelle has been awarded a Victorian Science and Mathematics Education Excellence Award 2011 by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

The award recognises and celebrates outstanding partnerships that support Science and Maths education in government schools. The award is an acknowledge of the effort Michelle goes to engage with community groups, the University of Melbourne's School of Land and Environment and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

Michelle's energy, passion and vision has guided the school and it's students in the development of their eco-garden, environmental education centre and school wetlands.

The partnerships Michelle has fostered reveal to the students the many and varied applications for Science and Maths well beyond the classroom. Her work also supports greater engagement and achievement of the students in Science and Maths.

Well done Michelle and the students of The Patch Primary School.