Students probe lost landmark- Gaia, Aramaya, Taya, Alice, Emily, Annelise, Jasmine and Satya have been researching and designing a new sculpture for the community gardens. 63340

By Mara Pattison-Sowden
STUDENTS from Warburton have played a central role in researching and designing a permanent piece of artwork in the community gardens.
For the last six months students have been researching the history of the Ring of Trees that existed on the edge of Warburton Primary School many years ago.
A community garden has since sprung up in its place, and will co-exist with a public art work created to illustrate the history of the Warburton Community Gardens site.
Nearly 100 children have taken part in the project, researching, drawing and sculpting the history and future of Warburton’s Ring of Trees.
Community garden co-ordinator Astrid Huwald said before the primary school was built, there was a guesthouse with a lawn tennis court that had cypress macrocarpa planted around its edges.
“No one would have imagined that these trees would have grown into such entwined giants,” she said.
“They were not single trees, but an entity, a ring.”
“It was a magic place where generations of children acted out fairy stories, and stood in awe of this natural Gothic cathedral-like space…dark, yet protected.”
The history squad, a group of students from Warburton Primary School, interviewed community members in the main street of Warburton to find out their memories.
A design group of children then drew what they would like to see, and also made clay sculptures of their designs.
The students recently displayed an exhibition of their artistic creations at the Upper Yarra Arts Centre in the final stage of the Ring of Trees history art project.
They all had a chance to talk about their sculptures to parents and community members who have worked on the project, on the final night of the exhibition on Tuesday 22 March.
Warburton artist Rosey Hallewas will create the final art work, which is being developed and reviewed within the community.
The project has been funded by the Yarra Ranges Council under the auspices of the Upper Yarra Community House.