Whitehorse News - July 2022

The courtyards at Forest Hill Police Station (FHPS) have undergone a much-needed refresh, courtesy of the hardworking Year 12 VCAL students at Emmaus College.

The project kicked off early last year, when Bunnings Warehouse in Vermont South recommended the school’s Year 12 VCAL (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) program to FHPS to make over their rundown and overgrown courtyards.

“FHPS has always promptly assisted Bunnings in Vermont South, especially over the past two years of COVID,” said Scott Eddington, the VCAL Coordinator at Emmaus College.

“Bunnings management wanted to acknowledge them by renovating their courtyards and, being very aware of the integrity of our VCAL program, recommended consulting us. Before long, 12VCAL took over the project.”

“The first courtyard was very overgrown and messy, covered in rosemary bushes. This was converted to a beautiful space with a stream water feature. The second courtyard, which was heavily overgrown and an eyesore, was converted to a sophisticated, neat and tidy formal space.”

The project took three months to execute, with students at the helm of planning, organisation, communication and construction.

The planning stage saw students brainstorming ideas and meeting with officers and other suppliers to figure out what could be achieved.

From here, students made 3D models of their ideas and presented two designs for each of the courtyards. The police were invited to choose from these.

The students researched and liaised with local suppliers for donations, materials and inspiration for the courtyards.

“We were fortunate enough to receive support from Eastern Suburbs Garden Supply, Plantmart Wantirna, Bunnings Warehouse Vermont South and BinGO Industries. They were very helpful and

generous,” said Scott.

With supplies gathered and plans finalised, the students commenced a three-day blitz to build the new courtyards. On day one, the team cleared the existing shrubs and plants, digging an area for the stream in the first courtyard and flattening the ground in the second one, preparing it for the weed mat.

The second day was when the gardens really starting coming to life, with students installing the pump for the water feature, laying out the stones and mulch, placing down pavers and planting shrubs. On the third day, students received the final deliveries and finalised the last parts of the project. In spite of the cold weather and rain, the project was completed without a hitch and the team successfully delivered a beautiful new space for the police station to enjoy.

“It was tiring and a lot of hard work, but it was worth it,” said Nathaniel, one of the students who worked on the project.

“Being able to work with my peers on such a large-scale project was extremely enjoyable,” said another student Liam.

“It was heaps of fun,” said Scott. “Students got so much out of the real-life experience of engaging with organisations to build such a lovely recreation space for the FHPS members.”