Community & Business
8 April, 2026
Trail champion honoured
COMMUNITY champion Peter Tuck has been honoured with a plaque for his dedicated efforts to enhance the Atherton Tablelands Rail Trail (ATRT), where he and his group have planted more than 4000 trees in the past five years.
The Tablelands Tracks, Trails, and Trees group, or the T4s, was created by Peter in 2020 with the aim of both planting and maintaining trees on the ATRT to create a corridor which would provide shade and rest areas for users of the trail.
The efforts of the group can be described as nothing short of a success, with more than 4000 trees being planted along the trail from Mareeba to Herberton.
“I’m very surprised, it’s fantastic. And this (pointing to the quote on the plaque), ‘One generation plants trees for the next generation to enjoy the shade’, that’s so good – I’m very happy with it,” Peter said at the recent unveiling of the plaque.
For Peter, the rail trail is “just something special”.
“The rail trail works because people come here, but what really works is there’s trees, and it looks pretty good,” he said.
“I’ve always loved trees. I think it’s the salvation of the world, because everything’s going to crap to be honest, so it’s nice to have trees – most of which probably predate us.”
The T4s, under Peter’s guidance, regularly meet on Thursday mornings to maintain the trail through weeding, mulching, and planting.
“We’re so happy to have this group of people, they just do their own thing and we don’t stay for long – it’s two hours on a Thursday,” he said.
“I’ve been very lucky. We (Peter and his wife, Trixie) moved here 40 years ago, and we’re so happy to have been able to live in Australia. It’s been a wonderful journey.”
In addition to his work with the T4s, Mr Tuck has also been heavily involved in many other community organisations including the Yungaburra Landcare Group, Trees for the Evelyn and Atherton Tablelands (TREAT), and the Tablelands Outdoor Recreation Association (TORA).
Peter’s newly-installed plaque stands proudly at the Grove Street trail head in Atherton.
