Roger Jones is “chuffed” by his community which has rallied to support his edible walkway venture with donations following vandalism to the trees.
So far, he has had about 40 donations that will be used to add more plants and shrubs along the Railway Reserve in Hope, which is part of Tasman’s Great Taste Trail.
“I’m quite chuffed at the way the community has responded,” he says.
“The amount of people who stop on the walkway and say they haven’t got the money on them but they’ll give me some, and quite a few have given me $50 notes.
“One couple who cycle along here want to donate a seat because they thought it would be nice to have a seat where they could stop in the shade of the trees.”
Roger began planting the walkway last year because he wanted to beautify the area and give something to the neighbourhood.
With the help from a couple of friends, more than 100 trees and nearly 200 shrubs have been planted that are a mix of both edible and aesthetic plantings.
But the trees have twice been attacked by people driving quad bikes over sections of plantings and that has riled not only Roger, but also the community which he says are now providing more eyes to watch over the young trees.
He is now building a file on the offenders because many in the community have come to him with information and even photographs.
He is hopeful that information will eventually help the police identify the culprits.
“One woman was confronted by them when she told them they shouldn’t be on the track on quad bikes,” he says.
“They were two young ones who went up to her and (verbally) abused her. It’s a small community and people know each other. Quite a few people think they know who is responsible.”
Roger was devastated when trees were smashed by quad bikes riding over them at speed, so to get the positive community response has been hugely appreciated and makes the project worthwhile for him, though he admits he never realised how a simple planting project would pan out.
“I’m starting to wonder what I’ve started. So many people have said ‘don’t stop what you’ve started’.”
He wants the community to get involved because it is a project for the community, and while some cannot help physically, donations will enable volunteers to continue planting alongside the popular path.
“It started from nothing and we’re getting somewhere now. It’s about creating something for the community.”
Instead of replacing the damaged trees, he has taken advice from the nursery that supplied the four-year-old trees and cut them back to their base in the hope they will grow again from the established root system.
Many of the trees also have stronger posts since the quad bike attack, driven into the ground voluntarily by contracting company Chambers and Jackett which joined the community effort.
