ST MARY'S CATHOLIC COLLEGE

Ms JODIE HARRISON(Charlestown)My congratulations to the staff and students of St Mary's Catholic College at Gateshead who have been involved in the Landcare program, working to beautify the school and improve the local environment. St Mary's has been a Landcare school for fifteen years. The school became involved in Lake Macquarie Landcare when teacher Maryanne Murray decided to start regenerating a watercourse that ran by the school. It was regarded as a drain thenit is now known as Kennedy Creek. Teacher Katrina Piper leads the initiative, which includes a student environmental group. They run Landcare days where the group works to improve the urban bushland area, removing weeds and caring for native plants. According toTheNewcastleHerald, which profiled the group as a Hunter Hero, the Landcare group has also led to other environmental initiatives at the school, including a Return and Earn program, compost bins, paper recycling, the introduction of stingless bees to the school playground, a frog garden, an Aboriginal bush tucker garden, installation of water tanks, water testing, a sustainable cafe which stocks reusable cups and containers and various types of recycling.

A Community Recognition Statement is an opportunity for an MP to give a short speech praising the work of an individual or group in the local community. If you have any ideas about people I can recognise with a Community Recognition Statement, please email and let me know!