The Guildford Association Inc in collaboration with the National Trust of Australia (WA) invited students to participate in a Poetry and Art Competition held to mark the Year of the Sugar Gums 2009.
2009 marked the 10th anniversary of a City of Swan agreement with the Guildford community to preserve historic Guildford’s iconic sugar gums.
These trees are the best surviving remnant of plantings made across WA in 1897 for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Year. They have engendered a strong community spirit that has seen successful campaigns over the years to protect them.
The Poetry and Art Competition celebrated and increased students’ awareness of the trees’ heritage, community and landscape significance.
For further enquiries, phone 9279 7057 or 9279 2113.

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View winners and winning entry

Integrated Curriculum Approach
These significant Sugar Gums lend themselves to an integrated curriculum approach. Teachers can explore the sugar gums theme in such areas as:
Science – classification of trees, their use in a man-made environment and role as habitat for indigenous reptiles, birds, mammals, insects;
Society & Environment – students can consider the suitability of such street plantings in terms of climate change, shade, habitat and appearance, design shade plantings for their school, compare their germination methods with the Indian-imported techniques used in sugar gums plantings; 
English – explore different forms of poetry and concepts of rhythm, rhyme, stanzas;
Art – use creative opportunities offered by the rich colours of the bark, magnificent height, sturdy trunks and strong foliage and contrasts with surrounding landscape.