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.

Get Set for Work in the Whitsundays

 A one-week work experience stint with Whitsunday Gold Coffee was so successful for 16-year-old Conan Walker, he was asked to return for more.

 The Year 10 student from Proserpine State High School was placed with Whitsunday Gold Coffee through the organisation ‘Get Set for Work’, whose co-ordinator is also Quota of Whitsunday president Kerrie McCallum-Coles. Ms McCallum-Coles says ‘get set for work’, which is funded by the Queensland government’s “skilling Queenslanders for work” initiative, is about helping young people who are “disengaged” and possibly won’t finish Year 12.

 “The key is finding the right mentor for them,” she said, adding that Whitsunday Gold Coffee had been particularly supportive in this role.

 Sales and Marketing Manager for Whitsunday Gold Coffee Ali Simpson said having Conan at the company and participating in the program had been an “honour”.

 “It’s a privilege to be a support to young people. To help them get back on track is our role, we believe.” 

 Ms Simpson also said the older generations could sometimes be a little harsh in judgement of today’s youth.

 “It’s funny how we’ve all forgotten what we were like between 15 and 18! We all have selective memory,” she said.

 Conan Walker said he had benefited greatly from his time at Whitsunday Gold Coffee.

 “I’ve learned a lot of new stuff. It’s been really good. I didn’t know much about Whitsunday Gold Coffee before this, but it’s such a beautiful place,” he said.

 Get set for work is seeking more local businesses to help make this program a success. For more information contact Kerrie McCallum-Coles on 0419 796 773.