The Rotary Centenary Circle of Trees

The Rotary Club of Unley, SA, marked Rotary’s centenary with an innovative horticultural project to be enjoyed by Adelaideans for decades to come.

The ‘Circle of Trees’ was organised by the club’s Environment Committee to celebrate 100 years of Rotary in Australia and New Zealand.

The idea for the garden came about while on a trip to Calperum, a station in the Riverland that has been acquired by Landcare Trust Inc., for rehabilitation and environmental training of students.

To flesh out the concept, club members held meetings with the City of Adelaide staff, and after coming to an agreement a good partnership was formed. Council helped and supported the club to enable them to present the wonderful Park 25 to the residents of and visitors to Adelaide.

“The garden is a great example of how Rotary clubs form partnerships to achieve the best outcomes for their communities.”

The Rotary Club of Unley provided a picnic table, along with the cement path from the barbecue, five Eucalypt trees and a park bench, surrounded by 400 colourful plants. The plants were ably planted by Unley Rotarians, the Adelaide University Rotaract Club, the Rotary Club of Adelaide, and members of the Young Friends of Unley. This was a wonderful collaboration, which the club hopes will be the start of many.

Staff from the City of Adelaide have installed permanent irrigation, and mulched and planted the trees. Rotarians arranged for a stone and plaques, which depot staff placed in their final positions. While Rotary’s part is half of the circle, the rest comes together to form a full circle, being Park 25.

District 9510 Governor Jeff Neale and the Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Sandy Verschoor, jointly unveiled the plaque on June 19, 2022. Ken Haines, president-elect of the Rotary Club of Unley, gave a vote of thanks, and invited everybody to enjoy a light afternoon tea.

This project was seen as a commemoration of 100 years of Rotary Down Under, while promoting Rotary to the community and collaborating with local government and other groups. The garden is a great example of how Rotary clubs form partnerships to achieve the best outcomes for their communities.