Typefi’s head office is based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, an area of extraordinary natural beauty and environmental significance.
Our stunning beaches, rivers, mangroves, mountains, rainforests, and eucalypt woodlands support an estimated 2600 plant species and 850 animal species, making our region one of the most biodiverse areas in south-east Queensland.
Typefi’s Australian team members all feel pretty lucky to live and work where we do, so when we started thinking about ways that we can give back to our community and enjoy a bit of team-building, a bush regeneration project was an obvious choice.
On a rather warm and humid morning in late March, we met Megan Jericho, Community Nature Conservation Officer with the Sunshine Coast Council, at a Council reserve alongside Eudlo Creek in Maroochydore.
Over the past century or so, the reserve has been used variously as cattle grazing land and as a dumping ground for fill from large construction projects. While the area is slowly regenerating naturally, it was our mission to give it a helping hand by planting 125 new native trees and grasses that will eventually out-compete introduced weeds and provide enhanced habitat for wildlife.
After a short but thorough introduction to successful tree-planting, we enthusiastically embarked on several hours of digging holes, planting seedlings, laying weed mats, and watering.
By the time we finished we were hot, messy and tired, but we were also pretty darn proud of ourselves and each other.
‘Typefi Grove’ (not its official name!) is now populated with a range of new native plants, including Swamp Mahoganies, Cheese Trees, Macarangas, Sandpaper Figs, Celery Woods, Tuckeroos, Black Wattles, and Lomandra grasses. Some of these species can grow up to 30 metres tall, so we are really looking forward to watching the site regenerate over the coming years!
Ben Hauser, VP Engineering, said it was invigorating to leave the confines of the office and venture into the great outdoors.
“A bit of hard, physical labour done together brought the team closer,” he said. “We finished feeling tired, dirty and sore, but satisfied with a job well done.”
We spent the final half-hour of our session collecting litter from along the creek and adjacent mangroves. Sadly, there was more rubbish than Megan had expected, but it felt good to leave the area in a better state than when we found it.
Our team took part in this project through Sunshine Coast Council’s Corporate Bushcare and Tree Planting Volunteering program. Over the past 18 years, corporate volunteer teams have planted over 22,000 trees, removed environmental weeds and helped local bush care groups restore numerous sites across the Sunshine Coast.
The Community Nature Conservation Program team can tailor projects to suit any organisation’s needs, ranging from regular smaller group involvement to larger one-off corporate days.
If you’re a Sunshine Coast company looking for an outdoor experience that inspires individual development, encourages team building and gives back to the environment, we encourage you to get in touch with Council and learn how you can get involved!