GLENCORE'S Mangoola open cut coal mine recently completed the latest in a series of working bees at the Wanaruah Local Aboriginal Land Council headquarters in Muswellbrook.
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The project, undertaken by the site's apprentice team, aimed to improve the grounds outside the offices in Maitland Street.
Over the course of a day, the youngsters finished a challenging list of works that included:
* Gravelling to driveway and establishing a rear gravel carpark;
* Re-mulching all garden from last year out the front;
* Weed spraying the grounds, scarifying and seeding;
* Moving the shipping container to a more appropriate position;
* Building of a burn pit and seating area;
* Trimming of trees and removal of tonnes of green waste;
* Establishment of a rosemary herb garden and community vegetable patch; and
* Building of a "reflection" garden on the eastern side of the building.
In total, the Mangoola apprentices handled six cubic metres of river gravel, eight cubic metres of mulch, eight cubic metres of soil and took five trailer loads of green waste to the tip.
All completed with shovels and wheel barrows, so it was a rewarding day's work for the trainees.
Mangoola has previously assisted the Wanaruah Local Aboriginal Land Council with upgrades to the kitchen - and has plans to renovate the building's toilet facilities by the end of this year.
"We've found that providing in-kind support for not-for-profit groups is sometimes the best investment we can make," the company's environment and community manager, Nathan Lane, said.
"The work we completed this week probably represented $5000 in terms of materials, but the labour component would have run out to at least $20,000.
"Our apprentices are always happy to lend a helping hand, which is not surprising given that the majority of them are from the local community."