As part of the recent SCU Fusion Festival 2007 celebrations, international students from the Lismore campus helped open the International Forest. The Forest grows in the grounds of Magellan College and is a joint initiative of the International Office, The Office of Regional Engagement, Friends of the Koala and the Grounds maintenance staff.

Mr Thomas George MP and Vice Chancellor Professor Paul Clark

In its third round of planting, the International Forest serves a variety of purposes; planting a tree in this forest is a way for international students to make an enduring contribution to the amenity of their campus that will be enjoyed by all; it is a symbolic gesture by an individual towards the regeneration of the natural environment and, at a more practical level, it provides a much needed food resource for the nearby Koala Care Centre.

Mr Thomas George MP, in opening the Forest, and who generously donated thirty-five eucalypt trees and the plaque that records the occasion, told of his pride in his own Lebanese heritage and his antecedents who were among the early international immigrants to the Northern Rivers region of NSW.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Clark thanked Mr George for his generosity and for his remarks in opening the Forest. Professor Clark and Mr George joined the students in the work of planting out the remaining trees.

The "Workers"

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