Rotary club plants trees of hope for future generations

The Rotary Club of Chatsworth recently embarked on a tree planting ceremony in Westcliff, where 100 trees, which differed in variety, found a new home, carrying the hope of a generational fight against global warming.

The club has been planting trees as part of its environmental and Arbour Day project for the past 21 years, with the first event yielding a reasonable 40 trees.

Since then, however, the Rotarians have kept busy with their environmental endeavours, planting an average of 100 trees a year.

President of the Rotary Club of Chatsworth, Tina Pillay, echoed the sentiments of all those present, advising that together with the Department of Parks and Recreation and other partner organisations, the club hopes to mobilise the community to clean-up and preserve the environment and natural surroundings.

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“We have planted 100 trees here in the vacant land next to Spoorlyn Road. For this, we have invited two groups of children from Cavendish Primary School and Summit Primary School, who made an appearance with posters of trees and useful facts, telling us of their importance to the world. The world has become consumed with various socials ills at the cost of destroying planet Earth. This has to now become everyone’s priority and responsibility,” explained Pillay.

She further said that the resounding success of the project can be attributed to the sterling partnership between the Rotary Club of Chatsworth and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

“Chief horticulturist, Lindiwe Sibiya, and her dedicated team were on site for the tree planting ceremony. Sibiya was also the guest speaker, enlightening all in attendance about the importance of preserving and protecting our natural environment, sharing her insight on the various trees, which were planted on the day,” added Pillay.

In addition, Rotary district governor for the 9370 area, Maddy Webber, made a first-time appearance at the ceremony, highlighting the importance of the tree planting to the environment.

“For the new year, we have added the environment to our area of focus and Chatsworth is one of the first clubs to do an official tree planting for this theme, which is admirable. The importance of trees cannot be underestimated. These will be planted and nurtured for someone else in the near future to make use of. We are planting trees, not for today, but for tomorrow,” said Webber.

President Pillay also expressed her heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the following sponsors and donors, including, the Department of Parks and Recreation, Lindiwe Sibiya, Kogie Govender and the dedicated team for their ongoing their support, generosity, and assistance in making this project such a great success, Vijay Maharaj and the Rising Sun editorial team, Hassan Ismail of Ismail’s Timber and Hardware, Bab’s Hiring and Catering, Vipaul Patel of the Arena Park BP, Pershan’s Florist, and the pupils as well as the teachers of Cavendish and Summit Primary Schools.

If you are interested in joining or supporting the Rotary Club of Chatsworth, forward your contact details to [email protected]