Last Tuesday, our Year 10 Outdoor Education class went up the Grampians to remove Old Man’s Beard and Climbing Asparagus. We received all our equipment from Mitre 10 who kindly donated hundreds of dollars worth of gear. This included gloves, face masks, secateurs and poison paste.

After walking half way up the Grampians, we split into three groups, each with five students. Each group received three or four pairs of secateurs and a bottle of paste. We then set off bush bashing down the hill cutting the Old Man's Beard and pasting poison on it. We also ripped out Climbing Asparagus as we went.

We also brought a mini BBQ up the hill which we cooked sausages and hot chocolates on. Thanks to Andy who helped drive us out and spent the day helping us.

Quotes:

“It was great because I got I got to go outside for a day” - Taylor

“It was a lovely day, the sun was shining it was quite nice” - Nelson

“The students got stuck in and made a positive impact on the environment in a short space of time. A great day all round!” - Mr Teece

Old Man’s Beard is a climbing vine that spreads over the top of trees, suffocating them. Old Man’s Beard gets its name from it’s fluffy white seeds. Climbing Asparagus is also a climbing weed that creates a thick blanket on the trees and floor, stopping new plants from growing and suffocating already grown plants.

Article written by Jasmin Patel, Shinaye Toms and Nelson McCombe