Mosman Community Gardeners
Annual General Meeting November 2012
President's Report: Tina Jackson
2012
has been a year of huge growth and success for Mosman Community Gardeners
(MCG). Our gardens more than doubled in size, our membership and partnerships grew
and our sponsorship and financial support increased. We received a Keep
Australia Beautiful Award and significantly raised the profile of community
gardening in Mosman. We have shown what a dedicated community group with limited
financial resources can achieve with vision and determination.
Highlights
of 2012
Transformation of a wasteland into an oasis
 |
| Before |
Around
this time last year Ausgrid gave us permission to build a garden on their land
at Mackie Lane, with the support of Mosman Council. In just four months our
enthusiastic team of volunteers turned a deserted weed infested industrial site
into an oasis, growing mostly edible plants using the principles
of sustainable gardening.
We built raised beds on the concrete slabs left
behind from the old workshops using recycled and donated materials.
 |
| After |
No edible plants have direct contact with the original soil in case of soil contamination, and higher beds have been built for the elderly and people with mobility issues. Our gardens are chemical free and our imported garden bed soil is enriched with composted kitchen scraps and recycled green waste compost. Seed stock is collected for future planting and to be shared. A practical example of temporary urban farming, the Mackie Lane Community Garden is an exemplar for how other disused city sites can be
put to productive use for the benefit of the community.
The Mayor of Mosman officially opened the garden in
February 2012 and many local residents joined us for the celebration. Since
then an unexpected outcome has been the constant stream of visitors and high
level of community engagement. Children come for educational visits from local
schools; residents from the adjacent retirement home take an active interest in
the garden's progress and are encouraged to help themselves to the mixed herb
pots along the fence. People who have lived in the neighbourhood for over a
decade report meeting their neighbours for the first time.
Recognition of our achievements
In recognition of our achievements, Mosman
Community Gardeners was honoured to receive the inaugural 2012 Keep Australia
Beautiful Award for Sustainable Gardens for Mackie Lane, against some
formidable competition. A further endorsement of our enterprise was the recent
agreement by Ausgrid and Mosman Council to double the size of the Mackie Lane
garden by moving the fence adjoining the vacant land.
Middle
Head expansion
Our partnership with the NSW National Parks and
Wildlife Service (NPWS) at Middle Head continues, and with their support, we have
expanded the gardens and planted a bush tucker garden. MCG
members generously volunteered their time to assist NPWS with events at the
Soldiers’ Institute, preparing delicious food with produce from the garden.
Our partnerships grew and
strengthened
Mosman
Council again awarded us a community grant and Council staff have individually joined
MCG. We received generous in-kind support from Bunnings and Honeysuckle Nursery
and very welcome financial sponsorship from Bendigo Bank. Kimbriki kindly
supplied recycled materials free of charge and we received
ongoing financial assistance from Mosman Council to purchase soil, manure and
mulch. We are grateful to Ausgrid and the National Parks and Wildlife Service for
allowing us to garden on their land and for their ongoing support.
We
assisted Mosman Home Gardeners with the Big Lunch for the third year in a row. Other
community partners included the Mosman Climate Challenge Group who kindly gave
us a donation, Cancer Council North Shore Relay for Life, the Men’s Shed and the
Mosman Daily, which promoted the garden throughout the year and helped us raise
awareness in the community.
Education and outreach
Our gardens point the way to living sustainably
in an urban environment showing planting tips, waste
minimisation, composting and water usage techniques that can be used by people
in their own homes. This year we held demonstrations on
topics such as worm farms and composting and will expand our offerings next
year. MCG members helped set up a community garden at Neutral Bay Uniting
Church, build vegetable gardens Beauty Point Public School, assisted NPWS with
corporate volunteer days and forged links with the Carriageworks Kitchen Garden
Project. We also continue to encourage gardening on nature strips. Not long ago
there were very few verge gardens in the suburb, now there are many inspiring examples.
We promote this and other progress on our website and via our regular email
updates to a growing support base.
We also have a lot of fun. During the Mackie Lane
construction phase, for example, there was much eating and drinking as well as
hard work! Our gardens are welcoming places where people can learn how to
cultivate edible plants, as well as to share food and connect with neighbours
and friends.
Team effort
MCG
members have shared their vast array of skills, from gardening and gardening
design to building and construction, communications, publicity and marketing,
proposal writing, cooking, management and accounting. Many have visited other
gardens and attended conferences and talks for inspiration, and helped spread
the word to friends and potential supporters.
I
thank our wonderful volunteers and MCG office bearers for generously giving
their time and expertise throughout the year.
Outlook for 2013
Our
future is bright; we have a great volunteer team, a large new space to garden
and growing support for the cause from the community. With two successful
gardens and an expanding outreach and education program, Mosman Community
Gardeners is well on the way to fulfilling its vision of fostering community
and home food gardening throughout the suburb. Growing
vegetables, once seen as part of an alternative lifestyle, is becoming
mainstream once again.
Tina Jackson
21 November 2012
