Tree Renewal Program
Posted on: 29 November
Hi Members
Neil Tonkin, a prominent member of our club for almost 45 years, has made a very generous offer to the club for two initiatives.
The first of these is a Tree Renewal Program which will not only address the loss of mature gum trees from parts of the course, but will add to the beauty of the course by planting a mixture of natives and colourful trees suitable to the seasons, to attract the renewed attention of all players and enhance the environment.
Neil and his family, which includes an arborist, have a keen interest in, and knowledge of trees and are well experienced in this area.
In recent weeks, Neil, together with landscaper Matt Dean and club officials, undertook a tour of the course to discuss the project and determine how it could be implemented. A report is being prepared to inform the work to be done.
In the meantime, it is proposed to seek support from members who are interested to do so. Neil has offered $5,000 to kick start the initiative, and the project is seeking an additional $5,000 to provide a starting pool of $10,000. There is no upper or lower limit of support. It is up to members to decide.
Ideally, the program would continue into the future as a foundation, with a quarantined budget to work with and hopefully, ongoing support from the interested membership.
It is an entirely worthwhile program, and we thank Neil for his foresight and generosity which will be acknowledged appropriately as the program takes shape.
For those who wish to support this wonderful initiative, a facility has been created with the Australian Sports Foundation. Donations can be made via the following link and are tax deductible.
https://asf.org.au/donate/gisborne-golf-club/tree-renewal-program
Secondly, Neil has offered to finance an Art Project comprising ten watercolour paintings with a total value of $5,000, depicting various views of our golf course, with the help of Matt Laing’s aerial photography. These works are painted by well-known artist Harvey Neale, whose works include prominent golf clubs such as Victoria Golf Club, Royal Sydney Golf Club, Flinders Golf Club, and Kingston Heath.
Some of these paintings have already been created and delivered to the club; and areas to display them are being considered.
Again, thanks to Neil for his extraordinary kindness and largesse on these two significant projects.
Thankyou also to Roberta Henry who is coordinating and looking after these 2 projects.
Best Regards
Brett Campbell
General Manager