Manly Vale Community Garden opened today
Central pavilion, Manly Vale community garden, 4 Innes Rd, Manly Vale
Raised bed gardens, Manly Vale community garden
I went to the opening of the Manly Vale community garden today, about 45 minutes drive from Chippendale over the Harbour Bridge.
When I spoke there I described some of the stories from our road gardening here in Chippendale. From the feedback I received it’s clear folks find a lot of useful information and take heart from our road gardens here.
I reckon the Manly Vale community garden is one of the best designs I’ve seen; stylish, inviting, clear layout for the garden plots which the community may garden in and a central pavilion for shade, talking and keeping eye contact with the whole site, plus beaut play equipment for kids. There’s a mix of uses and the whole place yells, “Look at me, you’ll like what you see.”
Well done the councillors, council staff, community and folks who’ve lobbied for and built it, and the community which were there in the hundreds to enjoy the first community garden in Warringah Council’s area.
Planting the grapevine; L to R: Mayor Michael Regan, Cr Virginia Laugesen (and the main mover for the garden), David Sawyer (Community Garden co-ordinator), Jenny Brown (asst. co-ordinator), and behind the pole, watering, Anne-Marie McArdle, grapevine in hand with Michael Mobbs
The Garden is spectacular and thrilling for the community. Just moving back to area, I’m dying to get involved & participate. It’s such a wonderful step in the right direction for sustainable suburb.
Problem I’ve noticed is the Hippies Squatting out on the footpath, combi vans standing by. I’ve been told by a neighbour to the Gardens, the Council or Rangers have been notified & no action has taken place. Is it too hard or too much paperwork to move them on??
Squatters gave me an uneasy & unwelcoming feeling to the Garden so built for us all to come & enjoy.
Perhaps the Community Garden co-ordinators would have more luck with Council action, than a random resident.
Would appreciate any help.
Kind regards, Julia Brown
(of Gordon St, Manlyvale)
Congratulations to everyone involved! Looks like It’s got all the elements of a well planned garden – sheltered area – for rest, socialising, eating and relaxing; on-site water; beautiful curved beds maximising access, space and orientation; compost zone; areas for kids etc. Being aesthetically pleasing and creating an inviting atmosphere really helps to generate ongoing participation. Hope to visit soon.
Michael
Hey Michael,
Great to get your newsletters and this post especially! as I am twixt and between Whale Beach and Chippendale and am a great fan of what you are all doing! So I am delighted to learn of the Mona Vale community gardens. I am most likely re-locating from Chippendale to W.Beach at the end of the year – as my commitments at UTS is achanging – so its good to learn of this community effort and to see the seeds germinate and spread.
My apologies for not following through on either coming to the Friday morning Chippo working bees – or organising a local screening of Wasteland: http://www.wastelandmovie.com/!!!! Teaching and finishing doctorate are taking all my time right now.
But the idea for a screening is still on my back burner! The filmmaker did email me back and was pleased at the plan of linking the film to a community based program . She is going to send me the DVD . And I must remind her!
cheers Jeni
PS My doctorate film: ISLAND HOME COUNTRY screens on ABC 1 QLD, TAS, VIC, WA Sunday Afternoon September 26th 4.30pm ABC iView 26 Sept-10 Oct (other states TBC): http://www.jenithornley.com
In press: Jeni Thornley writes about filmmaking process and Aboriginal protocols in ‘Passionate Histories:
Myth, Memory and Indigenous Australia’, (eds) F. Peters Little, A. Curthoys, J. Docker, Aboriginal History,
ANU ePress: http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4935157
cheers Jeni Thornley