Before the Wallis Reserve

My Rakino

Hard to imagine the time frames between the images is less than twenty years.

The land is DOC and comprises seven odd acres.

I’m not sure why Linley and I started planting. The Mackenzie clans’ efforts and enthusiasm would have been a factor as they had begun to plant another DOC Reserve abutting Woody Bay Road. Their building platform is visible in one of the photographs.

For what ever reason we decided it would be wise to get formal approval to plant and which I was able to refer to at a later date when challenged as to our intentions.

We began by mowing and planting the area that had been cleared. Tracks were created so that in time a bush walk would be possible.

Thousands of plants were brought over on Warren Sinclair’s boat; either purchased or grown from seedlings at our home in the city. Our friend Brian brought over two thousand in his fully ladened Mercedes long wheel base van one year.

Later on, with the advent of the Council Environmental Initiative Fund we successfully applied for funding and reached an agreement that DOC would transport the plants to Rakino. It was quite a logistical task to load and then get those plants from the wharf to site. We enlisted the assistance of Council and DOC staff to assist with transportation and planting. It was an out of sight out of mind effort as far as the Rakino community was concerned. Council and DOC realized that we were serious and got to know Rakino and its critical location in the Gulf Island chain. That support was invaluable.

One year we returned a few weeks after a mammoth planting session to find that some kind soul had pulled out every single plant. We have our suspicions as to whom the perpetrator/s were.

With planting of this land, which we named as the Wallis Reserve (Wallis is our daughter and first came to Rakino when she was less than two weeks old) approaching an end we turned our attention to the walk way to West Bay.

That is another story for another day.

Councils support was then sought to establish the Rakino Native Plant Nursery which meant we could mitigate biosecurity, biodiversity and transportation considerations. Income generated from sales could then be reinvested back into the regeneration of Rakino’s badly neglected flora and fauna.

The subsequent buy in and transformation of Rakino as depicted by planting and birdlife is a legacy that not everyone has the privilege of being involved with.

Mention must be made of the MacKenzie and Thomas family’s involvement.

Kevin Wragge