Whitsunday community garden launched

 Four organisations, comprising Get Set for Work, Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA), Quota International of Whitsunday and TAFE, have come together to establish a community garden, located at the Cannonvale campus of TAFE.

 Get Set for Work Co-ordinator Kerrie McCallum-Coles said an important focus of the project was helping the youth of the region, with six people from Get Set for Work and seven from the National Green Jobs Core currently taking part.

 “With this particular group of people we’re trying to give them some work ethics, life experience, basic employability skills, and we’re also exposing them to local businesses and employment organisations in the region that might hopefully lead to future job opportunities,” she said.

 “We’re targeting people who need a chance to show they can do something. It’s the teamwork that’s going to be one of the biggest things they’ll get out of this. Also we’re going to be beautifying the grounds of the TAFE and in particular the restaurant,” she said.

 Horticulture teacher Penny Taylor said her students would be able to maintain the garden, learning along the way.

 “For both horticulture and hospitality students this garden is going to be an educational tool,” she said.

 Stakeholders in the community garden project met last Wednesday to pour over the new plans for a green space, which will CVA Regional Manager Caitlin Davies says will be user-friendly, easy to maintain and “adaptable according to the materials that we receive through donations”.

 Ms Davies said the design now before the team incorporated bird and herb gardens along with native and bush tucker plants.

 “We’ve got grand plans but it really depends on what we get – what local businesses feel they can donate to support the youth of the region,” she said.

 Ms Davies said materials such as mulch, soil, compost, pavers or river pebbles and plants were particularly welcome.

 “We welcome any donations and we’re aiming to use as many recyclable materials as possible to make this even more ‘earth’ friendly,” she said.

 Sienna Duffy, who will be participating in the program through Get Set for Work said she was very much looking forward to making the garden grow.

 “I love that it’s outdoors – it’s a moveable project, and hopefully something that will help me get a job or traineeship from” she said.

 The group will work on the garden throughout November, meeting every Tuesday for five weeks.