Pembroke Non Teaching Staff Professional Development Day

The property, located a short drive from Goolwa on the banks of the Finniss River, is spread over a stunning 17 hectares and has been a treasured destination for Pembroke School camps for over 30 years.

Over the course of the day, staff were briefed on the historical use of the land, previous work to revegetate the property, and the current revegetation program. Then, led by our Buildings and Grounds team, staff had the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the program, with a goal of planting almost 3,000 plants!

The revegetation program has been carefully curated by Peter Sulicich, Buildings and Grounds Manager, and Gary Stone, Old Watulunga Coordinator, over the past 12 months. The native plants, including canopy layer trees, mid-story bushes, and prostate ground cover, will provide important habitats for birds and other animals.

Each tree was watered and carefully protected with a reusable and recyclable tree guard to prevent early destruction by kangaroos and rabbits in the area. Importantly, a water management plan will be in place throughout the winter and spring, ensuring that the plants establish quickly.

As they grow, the plants will form sheltered areas perfect for our students to learn to pitch a tent and camp overnight, while also reducing traffic noise and wind throughout the property.

A key part of the Outdoor Education program at Pembroke focusses on sustainability and the environment, and we expect our students will enjoy seeing the new vegetation grow as they visit Old Watulunga on their Year 7, Year 8 and Year 10 camps. Staff are keen to revisit the site also to see the fruits of their labour!

Having achieved their goal of planting almost 3,000 trees, our non teaching staff enjoyed the opportunity to get out of the city for a day, and for some, a visit to the Old Watulunga property for the first time.

Our non teaching staff cover a broad range of services at the School including finance, learning support, IT, maintenance, student admissions, library and communications and it was wonderful to see them planting trees with colleagues, especially those who would not normally have the chance to work together.

We will certainly remember this year’s professional development day as a special one – one where we had the opportunity to come together, learn from each other, and make a considerable and enduring contribution to a wonderful and important School site.

Gabbi Agnew
Marketing and Communications Coordinator