The Young Citizen of the Year award was given to Jarvis Lewis-James.
Mr Lewis-James is a dedicated environmental volunteer, who has supported a community nursery in Mooroolbark.
He volunteers at Candlebark Community Nursery every day it is open.
His presence shone when the nursery faced financial difficulties last year as Mr Lewis-James was one of the first volunteers to collaborate with leaders and the new management committee to get the nursery back on track.
“It was early last year when the previous propagator left because we couldn’t afford to keep paying someone all the time, we were possibly a month or two away from having to close,” he said.
“I eventually ended up stepping in and taking over a lot of the propagation, planning and management stuff in regards to growing the plants.
“But I’m doing it on a volunteer basis.”
The award winner is taking a Diploma of Conservation and Ecosystem Management at Box Hill Institute Lilydale Campus.
Mr Lewis-James said he got into protecting the local environment a couple of years ago.
“I started volunteering at Southern Dandenong Community Nursery in Belgrave, and that really opened my eyes up to all of it,” he said.
After he became passionate about planting and the local environment, Mr Lewis-James started exploring the Yarra Ranges to locate, record and identify rare and threatened plant species, so that they can be propagated at the nursery to prevent future species extinction.
He has been heavily involved in opportunities for local plant reintroduction, including with the Banksia cunninhamii, Banksia marginata and Correa reflexa var reflexa.
The award recipient also participated in bushland planting days with Yarra Ranges Council, helping to conserve and revegetate sensitive areas, including sections of the Warburton Rail Trail.
“Through my course (at Box Hill Institute Lilydale Campus), we did some planting with the council because it lined up well with the unit we were doing,” he said.
“We were on the Warburton Rail Trail in Mount Evelyn, doing some plantings there with the Yarra Ranges Council.
“A few of them ended up being planted with the original seeds that I collected, which was really cool.”
Mr Lewis-James’ work to protect native species, support his local nursery and improve the local environment has made him a clear and fantastic recipient of the Young Citizen of the Year award.
