About us

"to really feel a forest canopy, we must use different senses and often the most useful one is

the sense of imagination. " Joan Maloof

The backstory

During January/February 2020, environmental sculptor and garden designer Evette Sunset worked on site at Fabrik, in preparation for the exhibition “Solastalgia”. An installation composed of several trailer loads of organic materials was built, much of it collected from nearby burnt properties. She was privy to the stories, emotions and issues circulating through the adjacent Bushfire Recovery Centre. Of great concern to her was the fear of nature and of trees being expressed by many people, and the lack of specialized knowledge available to them about suitable replanting strategies and fire retardant plants. Evette met with Kim Jordan, member of the Lobethal Community Association and a collaboration emerged.

With 30 years experience in landscape design and having played a key role in the establishment of the Bassett Street Reserve, Evette has been instrumental in creating the vision for the Mill Road Corner Community Pocket Forest.

The Project Team

Planting of stage 1 occurred in July 2020 under the guidance of Evette. Early in 2021, a project team was formed to implement stage 2.

Kim, Deb and Candice have interpreted Evette's preliminary plans for the second stage plantings and amended where necessary to accommodate the walking path.

The project team have been supported by a small group regular volunteers and other community members who have volunteered casually to help out with specific tasks. Over the 4 years to date, 45 members of the local community have been involved.

The backstory

During January/February 2020, environmental sculptor and garden designer Evette Sunset worked on site at Fabrik, in preparation for the exhibition “Solastalgia”. An installation composed of several trailer loads of organic materials was built, much of it collected from nearby burnt properties. She was privy to the stories, emotions and issues circulating through the adjacent Bushfire Recovery Centre. Of great concern to her was the fear of nature and of trees being expressed by many people, and the lack of specialized knowledge available to them about suitable replanting strategies and fire retardant plants. Evette met with Kim Jordan, member of the Lobethal Community Association and a collaboration emerged.

With 30 years experience in landscape design and having played a key role in the establishment of the Bassett Street Reserve, Evette has been instrumental in creating the vision for the Mill Road Corner Community Pocket Forest.

The Project Team

Planting of stage 1 occurred in July 2020 under the guidance of Evette. Early in 2021, a project team was formed to implement stage 2.

Kim, Deb and Candice have interpreted Evette's preliminary plans for the second stage plantings and amended where necessary to accommodate the walking path.

The project team have been supported by a small group regular volunteers and other community members who have volunteered casually to help out with specific tasks. Over the 4 years to date, 45 members of the local community have been involved.