Dunstan High School pupils mucked in on Friday in a show of good citizenship.

More than 230 Year 9 and 10 pupils got stuck in volunteering, planting, weeding, mulching and more in Central parks and reserves.

Groups of pupils assisted Keep Alexandra Clyde Beautiful, Haehaeata Natural Heritage Trust and the Clyde and District Lions Club providing extra muscle at various Central locations including the Half Mile Reserve, Lookout Reserve, Rail Trail and Clyde community garden site.

Dunstan High School pupils with a load of collected pinecones to be removed from Half Mile Reserve, for their efforts they earned an ice block on the way back to school. PHOTO: Supplied/Frances Anderson

Haehaeata Natural Heritage Trust project coordinator Rach Baxter gave the students a briefing before the working bee. PHOTO: Supplied/Frances Anderson

Keep Alexandra Clyde Beautiful (KACB) volunteer Jo Wilson took charge of three pupils assisting them with spreading mulch around the bases of trees alongside on the rail trail.

Pictured are (from left) Zane Samuel (14), KACB volunteer Jo Wilson, Johnny O’Neill-Cooney (13) and Charlie Tait (14) PHOTO: The Central App 

Johnny quickly became an expert on the wheelbarrow, carting two loads of bark mulch per tree.

Nearby in Alexandra, at Lookout Reserve, trees and plants protected by rabbit cages were mulched and weeded by pupils, DHS outdoor education teacher Luke Hardinge and KACB volunteers Bev Thomson and Sue Mort. 

Quinn is helped by Sue, who has volunteered for KACB for the past 14 years at Lookout Reserve. 

Having the strength of the pupils was a great way to get lots done and make fast progress delivering the mulch to the bottom of the cages, Bev said.

Some of the natives in the reserve from the first plantings of the group are about 13 years old and doing well. Visitors can spot more native birds and lizards from the added biodiversity.

Pictured are (from left) Young, Bev, Tom, Quinn and Luke doing mahi (work) on a hot sunny Friday afternoon when the temperature climbed to 21’C with light winds.

Zane and Johnny loading up with mulch. 

Volunteer South regional lead Neha Gosalia who worked with DHS and community groups on the volunteering afternoon, said volunteering in the community was rewarding.

“[This year’s] International Volunteer Day theme is ‘something for everyone’.

“We have a wide range of roles, anything can be volunteering and everyone has something that they can contribute.”

The Central App will publish an update about the ‘Have a go with Chat GPT session’ held in collaboration with Central Otago REAP and led by four year nine and ten DHS pupils next week.

Read more: DHS students volunteering today

Read more: Whooping cough epidemic - what to look for

PHOTOS: The Central App 

Have a story to share?

Contact [email protected]