They say that a society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit. It’s a great saying, so we thought we would test it out. Every month Tough Guy Book Club sets a challenge to all members – a way of pushing guys out of their comfort zone, trying something different, and adding a page to their story. This month we told them to plant a tree somewhere you aren’t allowed to. Once done, they had to grab a photo and put it in our Pool Hall Facebook group with the tag #GuerillaGarden25.
Yes, it was hard – the clue is in the name; challenge! Yes, it was harder for those in built up areas – NYC chapter was wished the best of luck! And yes, it feels weird being out in public, at night, wielding a shovel! But seeing some of the results over the month showed us that the Goons were up to the challenge.
Of course there were some commonsense ground rules, we don’t want anyone planting a weed in a national park or something stupid like that, and if you got yourself arrested, or killed, you were strictly disqualified. But apart from that we wanted to see some creative defiance enriching public spaces.
There were many types of plants (grevilleas, camellias, local grasses, callistemons, frangipanis, rosemary, gums) in a range of different locations (Playgrounds, parks, neglected spaces, underpasses, traffic islands). Plants were chosen to support finches, butterflies, and all kinds of wildlife, or some to remember lost pets. Places were chosen because of their barren or neglected state before our goons turned up, or were in familiar surrounds – on a regular jog, or where their kids regularly play so an eye can be kept on them.
At night, under the cover of darkness was a trusty method of deployment, with more than a few balaclavas making digging at night look even more sinister than it probably needed to. Otherwise, high-vis provided the perfect urban camouflage for daytime sorties – who is going to question that? Some just did their best while no one was looking.
We have run this challenge a couple of times before at TGBC, and it was bloody good to see the progress of previous plantings, with Goons proudly showing off the survivors of the past. Updates included a potted plant in the smoker’s pit of the Lismore chapter pub, and a tree in the carpark of the Mayfield chapter that is now three metres tall. Some were disappointed to see that their last attempt didn’t make it, mostly because of council mowers or clearance activities, undeterred they came back this year to replant and install some don’t fuck with me barriers – that should do the trick.
It's great to see the so many trees being planted across a range of environments. Come back and check on them men, give them a drink, watch them grow, and imagine the next generation sitting in their shade to read a book.
By Desmond Doyle
