Get to Know Us! Part 2

Volunteer. A jack-of-all-trades at the foundation, but some call him the organization’s Superman. He transports the equipment needed for planting with a small truck, prepares shovels and post drivers if necessary, and builds fences. He enjoys being among younger people and belonging to a community that he hopes will have an impact on the future.

– We agreed to use first names, so: how and why did you join the foundation’s work, and who told you about the 10 Million Trees?

I was good friends with Franci’s father (Hervai Franciska, chief coordinator – ed.), who founded and led the circle of Christian intellectuals in the 22nd district. By the way, I am a native Pest resident and have lived in the 22nd district since ’82. We often went on organized hikes; it was a great community, and that’s how I got to know them. 

My love for nature grew during those hikes, and also because we live in a family house, so one must have some affinity for gardening. 

My original profession is actually an electrical technician, but I have always been involved in drilling and carving throughout my life. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that I became the jack-of-all-trades at 10 Million Trees. 

My foundation activities started at the first national meeting at Iván’s (Bojár Iván András, the head of the foundation – ed.) farm. A week earlier, I went to the Balaton Highlands and helped with the preparations: we had to build walls and get electricity running in the barn.
 

– How would you describe yourself?

I am a helper – let’s put it that way.

I try to attend as many planting events as possible, which also requires transportation, for example, for watering tools. When they bought the small truck, we had to build the tanks on it and connect the pumps. 

I go watering several times a week, and I also handle repairs and occasionally make tools. For example, we bought pointed shovels, but it was quite an expensive investment, so when they asked, ‘Dénes, could you make a few?’, I got started. 

I’ve already finished six, but I got ambitious, so I bought more materials; I’ll have plenty to do in the winter… When needed, I also help with packing; last time I loaded 200 bags of seedlings and some manure. Of course, they always tell me to take care of myself; they worry if I can keep up.

– At this point, I have to ask: how old are you?

At 75 years old, I am probably the oldest member of 10 Million Trees. I disguise myself well (laughs). I think I owe a lot to my genetic heritage; my father also gardened while he lived, and I have two sisters, one of whom is twenty years older than me. So, I hope I can continue doing this for a long time.

– From the way you speak, it’s clear that alongside daily work and family, you have always needed to belong somewhere. What does this community give you?

It means a lot! On one hand, because I am with young people, and I really love having them around and that they still talk to me. 

On the other hand, I have always served the community with my work, and I am still doing that now. I am a social being; I have always been a sociable person, which my wife doesn’t really engage in, but I have a great need for it. I feel that others treat me warmly, and that feels good. Why shouldn’t I be this selfish?

The community of 10 Million Trees has given a new perspective to my life. I meet people I would not have encountered otherwise, and we are also doing something meaningful together. Tree planting is a purposeful act, a story that looks to the future. Perhaps it will be recognized by my grandchildren someday…

– Does your family, your children recognize what you are doing?

They are more concerned that I might overexert myself. I have two sons, a daughter, and so far only one grandchild. The ball is in their court, but my determination hasn’t yet moved them. 

My older son sometimes helps with packing, and maybe my younger one will come with me someday. He is part of a green circle at university, has thoughts related to sustainability, and became a vegetarian a few years ago, so I hope he will get involved sooner or later.

– You have definitely exceeded the expectation that a person should plant at least one tree in their lifetime…

Yes, I can say that, even if it is not my main activity, because I prefer to leave the digging to others now. But I have tried a lot in our home garden. 

I planted three peach trees earlier, but unfortunately, they dried up. I hope the most recent one I received from the foundation will survive. The problem is that I have to dig the soil with a pickaxe because our soil is very stony, so the roots cannot go deep enough. Several of my trees have perished because of this, even though I had many peach trees, including one with a sprouting almond branch. I planted sour cherry trees and walnuts, and fortunately, these are alive. 

I also tested the first post 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 have piled up at my place, and I got scolded for it, but at least it came in handy now. I used fifty kilograms of scrap metal from them for the post drivers.

– You speak very modestly about the work you do with 10 Million Trees. Are you proud of yourself for taking part in hard work at your age?

In the past, it was said: the pioneer helps wherever they can. I still feel that way today. I cannot sit idly by; it is important for me to do something useful, and it feels good when this is acknowledged. For example, today I repaired my neighbor’s kitchen mixer. She has a hand injury, and this machine is a matter of life and death for her, and I managed to weld it after much effort. It felt good to see her joy.

– Tree planting and your work with the foundation point even further ahead. But is all of this so natural for you?

This is how I grew up. Of course, not only helping is important, but also repairing. I have been doing this for nearly seven decades, although I was previously forced into it. Now, however, it is the need to protect the environment that drives me to do this. 

I am outraged by the mania of overconsumption, how much material and energy is wasted. Such a level of waste is a sin. I always prefer to repair used, broken things. I do it as long as I can. It is a sense: to recreate things.

– Do you have a favorite tree?

I had one. The 400-year-old Rákóczi sycamore in Balatonakarattya. When I was fifteen, my cousin and I rested at its base while we cycled around the lake. Unfortunately, it dried up in the late sixties. 

But I really love willows; there is a childhood memory associated with them as well. I spent the winter break at a relative’s place in Almádi, and it was beautiful how the branches hanging over the shore dipped into the frozen water. I often vacationed in that area, and the row of willows along the shore there is my favorite.

– You lead a very active life. What do you think, how long will you feel like going out to plant?

As long as I can. I do have some joint issues, and lately, I’ve noticed that I would like to take a nap after lunch. However, that’s impossible during a planting session. I obviously can’t do that there, but for now, I’m driven by momentum!

Source – Vulkan Literary Journal: https://vulkanfolyoirat.hu/nichs-andrea-nagymihaly-denes/

Read the other parts of our Get to Know Us! series as well: 

Franciska Hervai – Chief Coordinator
Dr. Réka Aszalós – Forest Ecologist