Greater greenery for all

Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM, along with Greater Bank Regional Manager, Greg Creagan, launched the Wollongong planting program today at Hooka Point in Berkeley.

Cr Bradbery and Mr Creagan were joined by Greater Bank employees and volunteer scouts who planted the first of the 1,500 trees earmarked for the site.

Over the coming weeks and months, the program will also see plantings undertaken at Guest Park in Fairy Meadow, Figtree Oval and at Mountbatten Park in Corrimal. A mix of canopy and understorey species have been selected that are native to the region.

Launching the planting project, Cr Bradbery welcomed the collaboration between Council and the Greater Bank.

“Wollongong City Council is focussed on making our city greener across its parks, open spaces and streets through our Urban Greening Strategy,’’ Cr Bradbery said.

“We work closely with many enthusiastic people in our community to get trees, shrubs and plants into the ground so that we can all enjoy the environmental benefits that they offer.

“I welcome the Greater Bank’s commitment to support a better, greener, environment for all with the addition of a further 5,000 native trees and shrubs at sites across the city.’’

Also speaking at the launch was Greater Bank Regional Manager, Greg Creagan, who said the tree planting projects are symbolic of the role Greater Bank has played in growing together with its communities over the past 75 years.

“As we reach our 75th year of operation, we're proudly celebrating the role we have played in helping the communities we call home grow greater,” Mr Creagan said.

“Since opening our first branch here in the Illawarra in 1973, this region has become incredibly important to our operations and today it is our second biggest market outside of our traditional base of Newcastle and the Hunter” Mr Creagan said.

“It’s important for us, that in celebrating the milestone, we contribute to a cause that is important to our customers. The need to protect and nurture the environment was a consistent message delivered by customers across our areas of operation, which is why we’ve committed to planting 75,000 trees throughout regional NSW.

“The trees will not only provide these communities with an ongoing legacy to mark this milestone, but as they grow, they will provide an enduring symbol of our commitment to social responsibility and sustained support of local communities,” Mr Morgan said.

“We have been working closely with Wollongong City Council select these sites and provided valuable direction as to the types and species of plants to ensure they complement and support the local habitats,” Mr Morgan said.