Tara Murray
Victoria University is helping revive native wildflowers in Melbourne’s west by planting more than 2000 seedlings at its St Albans Campus – one for every year 12 student accepted into its early-entry VU Guaranteed program.
Launched in 2018, the program allows year 11 and 12 students at more than 130 partner schools in Melbourne’s west and regional Victoria to obtain a guaranteed place at VU or VU Polytechnic before they complete their final year 12 exams.
This project brings together VU’s Future Students team with the Iramoo Grassland Centre and Nursery and VU’s Moondani Balluk
centre for Indigenous staff and students.
A seed library, also part of the project, will assist Iramoo Nursery to propagate and preserve these native wildflower species.
Student Isabelle Day said for her and many other students, the project feels personal.
“Being able to see your university encapsulate a shared vision for change in our climate condition and promote a better future for my generation of students and the world is inspiring.”
VU programs manager Emily Bodey said the project celebrates VU’s commitment to planetary health and caring for country while acknowledging the contribution VU Guaranteed students make the wider VU community.
“We are excited to continue to collaborate with our partner schools and their students through the VU Guaranteed program, while supporting the preservation and growth of our native grasslands,” she said.
