Hornsby Park will look a little different from now on, thanks to visitors who have long since headed home. Over 30 September and 1 October, delegates from the Round Square International Conference 2026 spent part of their time in Sydney’s north planting 800 native plants near the Quarry Loop.
Barker College hosted the conference, which brought together more than 1,000 students and teachers from more than 150 schools worldwide. The planting was part of the service program, and it came with plenty of learning. Delegates took in Indigenous storytelling and found out how a former quarry became the public park it is now.
That history is why Hornsby Park often appears among Australia’s most significant quarry-to-park transformations. It also fit neatly with the conference theme, “Visions of the Future from an Ancient Land”, and with the event’s focus on leadership, service, environmental stewardship and cultural connection.
The plants are part of Hornsby Shire Council’s wider restoration work, and the people behind it were glad of the help. Mayor Warren Waddell thanked the students, teachers and Barker College for their enthusiasm and hard work. He said the trees and plants would serve as a lasting reminder of the connections made over those two days, and of the responsibility we all share in caring for the environment.
Phillip Heath AM, Head of Barker College, said seeing young people from around the world work together for this one park captured the spirit of Round Square. He hopes they take home an understanding that looking after our shared future starts with respecting and serving the places and communities nearest to us.
Round Square is a network of more than 270 schools committed to experiential learning, with internationalism, democracy, environmentalism, adventure, leadership and service at its core. This conference also marks its 60th anniversary. What the delegates leave behind will keep working long after the conference ends, creating habitat, healing the landscape and improving water quality for those who visit next.
More about the park is at https://hornsbypark.com.au
