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St Patricks College students who worked on the Sassafras Creek Conservation Project. Back row: David Hayward (teacher), Evan Milne, Thomas Crack, Cormac Smith, Hallie Triffitt, Chris McMonagle (Parks and Wildlife), William Hinds. Front row: Trilelle Vimpany-Tubb, Lucy Waud, Alex Johns, Jackson Howard, Deb Hunter (speleologist).

Crossing the creek: Alex Johns, Ella Roles (teacher), Evan Milne, Trilelle Vimpany-Tubb, Jackson Howard.

Removing non-native laurelberry trees: William Hinds, Evan Milne and Jackson Howard

Students check out a deep erosion gully carved out in a single 2016 flooding event.

Sharon Webb

LAST YEAR nine students at St Patrick’s College, Launceston, joined the Sassafras Creek Conservation Project near Mole Creek as part of a brand new vocational education course developed by teacher David Hayward.

‘It’s for Year 11 students who want to go into the police, fire brigade, Parks and Wildlife, ambulance and conservation. To my knowledge nothing like it exists in Australia’, he said

‘Students learn bushwalking, navigation and survival skills. They get exposure to people doing land conservation work and understand what it’s like to work as a park ranger.’

This year the course, Vocational Skills in Emergency Responses, Survival and Wilderness Conservation, will continue with 18 students cleaning up this valley damaged by grazing, flooding and bushfires. They will be removing weeds, old fencing and non-native trees, as well as planting native poa grass to hold together eroded soil.

David said the students enjoyed the hands-on aspect of the course.

‘After learning about it in the classroom they were willing to give it a go. In the classroom we went through how to use tools and workplace health and safety. We talked about the uniqueness and importance of the World Heritage area.

‘The last time we went out there it rained the whole day but it didn’t stop the students getting stuck in’, David said.

‘We ended up with a double axle trailer and a ute tray full of weeds. Pretty impressive for young adults.’

Local karst landscape expert and speleologist Deb Hunter describes this as a cultural landscape and the two St Patrick’s students with Aboriginal backgrounds were especially interested.

‘You don’t keep talking at kids’, she said. ‘You feed them a couple of facts and get on with something practical. Later you can see how far they’re thinking.’

One of the students, Will Hinds from Hagley, said the course was his ‘favourite class ever’.

‘I went out to Mole Creek twice, once an overnighter to clear out laurel berry, while another team planted poa to stop the degradation. I’m a woodcutter so I was helpful.

‘The second trip we checked on the poa and removed a few hundred metres of fencing.

‘I was originally looking for a military career but now it’s the police force. I think this course will help with that and anyway, I like the outdoors and I don’t want to see the area not looked after.’