Jake Keller was a passionate educator and Foundation Member of the National Arboretum Canberra. The Jake Keller Scholarship links his two passions, the National Arboretum Canberra and education. Each year the Jake Keller Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding CIT horticultural student offering financial assistance as well as a work experience placement at the National Arboretum.
Tracey Johns, the 2021 recipient of the Jake Keller Scholarship, worked under the guidance of our horticulture team for five days throughout November 2022 to complete the practical component of the scholarship.
Tracey’s project was to develop a plan for and to establish an ephemeral pond “The Billabong”, giving her the opportunity to implement her horticultural knowledge and skills.
Due to wet conditions from the recent rains, Tracey’s project was spread over three visits: an initial day of planning then 2 blocks of 2 days to complete the concept.
The first part of the project involved Tracey and Horticultural Manager Owen measuring the levels for the pond and selecting native plant species. The second step involved five tonnes of river rock being distributed down the slope under the pre-existing Acacias via a hand-crafted plywood chute however, even with the chute there was a lot of hard work involved in the distribution to the level points previously marked out by Tracey.
The final step of the project was for Tracey and the horticultural team to plant out and mulch. The ephemeral pond is designed to collect water during downpours and will mitigate erosion as well providing habitat for native frogs and insects. The Billabong can be found adjacent to the Dairy Farmers Hill walking track on the south-western slopes with magnificent views over the snow gum forest and the Brindabella ranges.
The successful implementation of this ambitious project is a great example of the intent of the Scholarship. The 2022 recipient of the Jake Keller scholarship will be announced mid-December 2022.