Get to Know Us! Part 2
Volunteer. A kind of jack-of-all-trades at the foundation, but some call him the organization’s Superman. He transports the equipment needed for planting with a van, prepares shovels and post drivers if necessary, and builds fences. He is happy to be among younger people and to belong to a community that he hopes will have an impact on the future.
– We agreed to be on a first-name basis, so: how and why did you join the foundation’s work, and who told you about the 10 Million Trees?
I was friends with Franci’s father (Franciska Hervai, chief coordinator – ed.), he founded and led the circle of Christian intellectuals in the 22nd district. I’m a native of Budapest, and since ’82, a resident of the 22nd district. We often went on organized hikes, it was a nice community, that’s where the acquaintance comes from.
My love for nature grew stronger during these hikes, and also because of the garden, as we live in a family house, one must have some affinity for gardening.
My original profession is an electrical instrument technician, but I’ve been tinkering all my life. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that I became the jack-of-all-trades at 10 Million Trees.
My involvement with the foundation started at Iván’s (Iván András Bojár, the foundation’s leader – ed.) farm during the first national meeting. I went to the Balaton Uplands a week earlier and helped with the preparations: there was masonry work to be done, and electricity needed to be set up in the barn.
– How would you describe yourself?
Let’s say I’m a helper.
I try to attend as many plantings as possible, which also requires transportation, for example, the watering equipment. When they bought the van, we had to build the tanks on it and connect the pumps.
I go watering several times a week, and I also do repairs and make tools on the side. For example, we bought pointed shovels, but it was quite an expensive investment, so when they asked, ‘Dénes, couldn’t you make a few?’, I got to work.
Six are already done, but I’ve got the bug, so I bought more materials, there’ll be plenty to do in winter… When needed, I also help with packing, recently I loaded 200 bagged saplings and manure. Of course, they always tell me to take it easy, they’re worried if I can keep up.
– At this point, I have to ask: how old are you?
At 75, I’m probably the oldest member at 10 Million Trees. I hide it well (laughs). I think I owe a lot to my genetic heritage, my dad also gardened while he lived, and I have two sisters, one of whom is twenty years older than me. So, I hope I can keep doing this for a long time.
– From the way you talk, it’s clear that alongside daily work and family, you’ve always needed to belong somewhere. What does this community give you?
It means a lot! Firstly, because I’m with young people, and I really love having them around and that they still talk to me.
Secondly, I’ve always served the public with my work, and I’m still doing that. I’m a social being, I’ve always been a social person, which my wife doesn’t really join in anymore, but I really need it. I feel that others are kind to me, and it feels good. Why shouldn’t I be this selfish?
The 10 Million Trees community has opened new horizons in my life. I meet people I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise, and we also do something meaningful. Tree planting is a purposeful act, a story pointing to the future. Perhaps the grandchildren will appreciate it someday…
– Do your family and children appreciate what you do?
They are more worried that I might overexert myself. I have two sons, a daughter, and for now, just one grandchild. The ball is in their court, but my determination hasn’t moved them yet.
My older son sometimes helps with packing, and maybe the younger one will join me someday. He’s involved in a green circle at university, has thoughts about sustainability, and became a vegetarian a few years ago, so I hope he’ll get involved sooner or later.
– You’ve certainly exceeded the expectation that a person should plant at least one tree in their lifetime…
Yes, I can say that, even though it’s not my main activity, because I prefer to leave the digging to others now. But I’ve tried a lot in our home garden as well.
I’ve planted three peach trees before, but unfortunately, they dried out. I hope the latest one I received from the foundation will survive. The problem is that you have to dig the soil with a pickaxe because our ground is very rocky, so the roots can’t go deep enough. Several of my trees have died because of this, even though I had many peach trees, including a rose peach with an almond branch that took root. I’ve planted sour cherry and walnut trees, and fortunately, they are thriving.
I also tried out the first pile driver I made for the foundation in my own garden. Wherever I go, I collect pipes and discarded materials that are worthless to others. They piled up at our place, and I got scolded for it, but now it came in handy. I used fifty kilos of scrap metal for the pile drivers.
– You speak very modestly about the activities you do with the 10 Million Trees. Are you proud of yourself for still taking part in hard work at your age?
In the past, they used to say: a pioneer helps wherever they can. I still feel this way. I can’t sit idly by; it’s important to do something useful, and it feels good to have that acknowledged. Today, for example, I repaired my neighbor’s kitchen appliance. Her hand is ill, and this machine is essential for her, and I managed to weld it with great difficulty. It felt good to see her joy.
– Your tree planting and foundation work point even further. But is all this so natural for you?
This is how I was raised. Of course, it’s not just about helping but also about repairing. I’ve been doing this for nearly seven decades, though I was forced to do it earlier. Now, however, environmental preservation compels me.
I’m outraged by the mania for overconsumption, how much material and energy is wasted. Such excessive waste is a crime. I always prefer to repair used, broken things. I do it as long as I can. It’s a knack: recreating things.
– Do you have a favorite tree?
I did. In Balatonakarattya, there was the 400-year-old Rákóczi elm. At fifteen, my cousin and I rested under it when we cycled around the lake. Unfortunately, it dried out at the end of the sixties.
But I really love the willow tree, which also holds a childhood memory. I spent the winter break in Almádi with a relative, and it was beautiful how the branches hung over the frozen water. I often vacationed around there, and the willow row along the shore is my favorite.
– You lead a very active life. How long do you think you’ll feel like going out to plant?
As long as I can. I do have some joint problems, and lately, I’ve noticed that I’d like to take a nap after lunch. However, that’s impossible during a planting session. Obviously, I can’t do that there, but for now, the momentum keeps me going!
Source – Vulkán Literary Magazine: https://vulkanfolyoirat.hu/nichs-andrea-nagymihaly-denes/
Read the other parts of our Get to Know Us! series:
Franciska Hervai – Chief Coordinator
Dr. Réka Aszalós – Forest Ecologist
