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Debra Anne Drive, Bateau Bay September 16th, 2011
Yesterday 11 Central Coast students began building an extension to the recently completed community garden, based on ideas from the local community that will soon include a children’s bike track. The students are enrolled in a Certificate II in Conservation and Land Management as part of an ingenious community park and garden partnership project for the Killarney Vale, Bateau Bay, Tumbi Umbi (KBT) area.
Since its inception early this year, the KBT Project has assisted 44 long term unemployed men and women, mainly from within the KBT neighbourhood, to gain employability skills through hands-on training courses. It has also provided the community with a valuable shared recreation resource and is an exemplary model of sustainable urban farming.
Over the three courses, participants have achieved a Certificate II, or a Statement of Attainment in Conservation and Land Management with additional skills in traditional Aboriginal land management and plant identification. “Building this garden has brought the community together,” says Wendy Walkerton, a Bateau Bay resident and graduate of the first course.The garden, nestled in a large residential block on Deborah Anne Drive, was officially opened to the community last week at a festive ceremony. Graduates from the second course also received their awards.For some, completion of the 13-week course just wasn’t enough. Proud graduate Chris Foster continued to volunteer after he finished and was offered employment as an Assistant Supervisor onsite one day a week.Ten participants from the first two courses also found employment at the conclusion of their course.
Trainer Ian Sutton of Equilibrium, working with Tuggerah Lakes Community College says the park was designed as a food forest.“It will have the capacity to feed about 30 households,” he said.
This self sustainable food forest has an upper canopy of deciduous fruit trees, a middle canopy of miniature fruit trees, a lower canopy of herbs and veggies and a top garden of edible bush tucker foods and medicines. All built by hand, the community garden was created on top of a decimated wasteland located at the center of the housing commission area, and no fertilisers or chemicals were used in the process. The site’s design also aims to conserve water. It is self-irrigating through an underground system that disperses rainwater run-off around the garden, filtering sand and silt via sandstone sediment traps.
The KBT Project is the product of a successful partnership between Break Thru People Solutions, Job Find Centre, Housing NSW, Salvation Army Employment Plus, Samaritans, The Entrance Lions Club, Tuggerah Lakes Community College, Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College, the KBT Community Nursery and youthconnections.com.au.
The KBT Garden Project was also supported through the generosity of many local businesses, which provided equipment and building supplies for the project. Sincere thanks to Grants Road Sand, Australian Native Landscapes, Ourimbah Landscape Supplies, Lee Rowan’s GardenWorld and Pat Mcgrath Tree Services. Bunnings Warehouse West Gosford/Tuggerah and Erina North, The Wildflower Place – Erina Heights, Erina Hire and Landscapeland.
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