14
Nelson Weekly
News
TUESDAY 9 September 2014
Locally Owned and Operated
Students celebrate 60 years of forest planting
Stoke School's, from left, Rose Graham, Ethan Musika, Nic Hall and principal Pete Mitchener plant a tree at the Coronation Forest 60th anniversary last Friday. Photo: Simon Bloomberg.
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A dynasty of tree-planters were special guests at the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Coronation Forest, held in the forest near the top of the Spooners. The forest was opened on June 8, 1954, when primary school children from around the Nelson region each planted a tree to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The tree-planting became an annual event and last Friday about 70 people, including families who have been involved in the tree planting for three generations, attended the anniversary celebrations. "I planted my first tree here in 1958 when I was at Wakefield School," Stanley Brook's Geraldine Carleton says. "I remember it clearly because it snowed - it was freezing." "My daughter also planted a tree here when she was at school and now it's my grandsons' turn. My father, Ray Mansbridge, was a woodsman at Golden Downs for five years as well, so we have a long association with the forest." Geraldine's daughter Karen Carleton, also of Stanley Brook, planted a tree in the forest when she was at Tapawera Area School about 30 years ago. This week Geraldine's grandsons, Kahu Heta and Jack Hicks, continued the family tradition by planting their first trees in the forest. Pupils from nine schools attended last week's anniversary and Stoke School principal Pete Mitchener
Simon Bloomberg Reporter
simon@waimeaweekly.co.nz
says visiting Coronation Forest is a good experience for the children because it gives them an insight into the forestry industry. "It makes the children realise the importance of forestry to Nelson - it's such a big part of our history and economy," Pete says. "It also ties in with our topic on manaakitanga, where we learned about looking after resources and the environment." Nelson Forests Andrew Karalus says Coronation Forest was the "brainchild" of Arnold Cork, a senior agricultural advisor to the Nelson Education Board. Andrew estimates that 40,000 children have planted trees in the forest over the last 60 years with about 350 visiting the forest this week. The anniversary also featured a presentation to long-serving forestry workers, John Ward and Don Cooper, and prizes for an school essay competition won by Mahana School's Bradley Gale. Musician Roger Lusby also performed a song he was commissioned to write for the 60th anniversary. New Zealand under-20 football star, Emily Jensen, was a guest speaker at the anniversary, which was also attended by representatives of Ngati Toa who are the new owners of Coronation Forest following the Te Tau Ihu treaty settlement.
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