At the Hunter Multicultural Communities Centre we support the Waratah-Mayfield Community Garden (both of which are not for profit). The Garden is an important feature of the local communities and provides an invaluable service in the form of education and ecological awareness, as well as supplying the community with fresh jams, along with honey and eggs from our chickens and eggs.

We would be interested in obtaining a Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) to aid in the conservation of this critically endangered, ancient species. The Wollemi pine has been around since the Cretaceous period, and is now limited to a population of under 200 adults, making them incredibly rare but also incredibly important to our understanding of evolution and the Australian ecology.

We believe obtaining, planting, and cultivating a Wollemi pine will be an important addition to both our Garden (which is already home to a diverse range of native Australian flora) and the conservation efforts for the species, which was threatened last summer by the devastating fires.

We'd like to get a tree that is already sprouted and established (via http://www.wollemipine.com/order.php) because it would be hardier and more likely to survive the transport and planting process, but the price of what we're interested in is a total of $400.00 + shipping.

However, we believe this initial investment price will be offset by the long term benefits of helping preserve this ancient species as well as offering an important educational tool for the local community.