Pittwater Life September 2018 Issue

Special Feature
Newport Community Garden
The following Saturday I visit
Newport Community Garden at
Woolcott Reserve off Gladstone
Street. The council-owned block, explains
the community garden treasurer
Karen Bond, could have been sold off
and become another block of units, but
the neighbours signed a petition for it to
become a community garden instead.
A year after it was established, there
was talk of turning it into self-managed
allotments, and that’s when Karen,
Valerie Long and Camila Cantoli became
involved.
“We said we need it to be a community,”
explains 32-year-old Argentinianborn
Camila (top left), who is garden
secretary. “We wanted people to work
together, rather than each of us having
our own plot.”
Newport Community Garden has now
been going for three years and has 12
members, five of whom are working in
the garden when I visit. On the second
Sunday of each month all members are
asked to come along, to undertake big
projects, such as plantings, or building
more beds.
All the beds are covered in white netting,
under which are growing an abundance
of green vegetables including kale,
broccoli and coriander. Valerie Long, the
president, and Karen, both in their mid-
50s, are prepping the beds to get the PH
levels right for the upcoming planting,
while a kookaburra watches them with a
beady eye.
“None of us really knew a lot about
gardening,” admits Karen (above right),
her hands deep in the soil, “so we’re all
learning together.” She tells me that native
bees are pollinating their crops and
explains they have plans for an orchard,
and have already planted lemons and
limes as well as a finger lime. Next to go
in will be pomegranate and guava trees.
Bunnings donated some beds and
tools, and the garden also received two
grants from the then Pittwater Council:
one for $2,500 to build the garden shed,
and the second grant of $17,000 for more
garden beds, soil, netting, and an irrigation
system.
“The council has been so supportive,”
explains Camila, “and the garden
couldn’t have been established so quickly
if it wasn’t for the help we’ve had.”
Maree Nutt and Garrick Transell are
both turning the compost.
“Turning the compost is my favourite
job,” says Maree. “I run a small charity
and I’m managing people all day. I love
coming to the garden because here I’m a
worker bee.”
Garrick has lived on the corner of
Woolcott Street for eight years; he only
found the community garden several
months ago because he saw a baby
alpaca being walked on a lead up the
street. Intrigued, he followed the longnecked
woolly mammal, befriended it
and its owners, and also discovered the
garden.
Although less established than Avalon
Community Garden, Newport is steadily
increasing its reach and membership. A
few elderly people are starting to come
and sit in the space, and a group of
mothers are keen to do some gardening
with their kids. A growing number of the
local community bring their compost
here every week, and the garden also
gets coffee grounds from Zubi Bar.
“We have a lot of fun, and the membership
is growing organically, in a happy
and relaxed way,” says Camila.
Whether it’s pursuing a passion for
sustainability, growing food or being
with like-minded people, “once you start
coming to the garden,” she says, “you
want to come more and more.”
Newport Community Garden is $30
per annum and a $20 set-up fee for the
first year. For further info email newportcommunitygardenau@gmail.com
or
visit facebook.com/newportcg
30 SEPTEMBER 2018
The Local Voice Since 1991