More than 20 families from the ‘Luminous Youth’ community gathered last Sunday for a festive tree planting event along Wilsons Creek, as part of ‘Balundaa,’ a year-long riparian restoration and community education project.
Balundaa is a project supported through the ‘Caring for Catchments program,’ funded by the Australian government’s Emergency Response Fund, and administered by the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s Northern Rivers Recovery and Resilience Program. The project is being delivered by North Coast Regional Landcare Network.
This was the second major community event for the Balundaa project. The first, held in April 2025, was an inspiring day of talks and workshops with Wilsons Creek Primary School, featuring Widjabul elder, Uncle Laurie Gilbert, and local ecologists Aviva Reed and Wren McLean.
Featuring a mix of ecological action and cultural planning, the day included a mycelium enlivening dance, ecological storytelling, a fire circle and a shared riverside picnic dinner.
‘It’s been a great success,’ said Valley Lipcer, ‘Balundaa’ project manager.
‘Two hundred trees and grasses were planted along the riverbank.’
‘The creek here was smashed in the 2022 floods and suffered a huge weed infestation. We spent the year doing the primary works of ridding the weeds, and now we’re replanting.’
‘We mirrored native species that exist along the creek: lamandras, to hold down the mat along the riverbank, Creek lilly-pillies, palms, creek sandpaper fig, and watergums,’ Ms Lipcer said.
Paul Crebar – co-founder of ‘The Luminous Youth’ program, said, ‘This day has been about enhancing culture again and revitalising our relationship to the landscape through song, dance and story.’
‘The Luminous Youth consists of about 45 different home-schooled families, whose children come to weekly programs.’
‘We gather eight times a year as a community to do projects like this – reforestation and cultural days as well with fire, story and song,’ Mr Crebar added.
Pancho Symes is an Echo intern
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