Growing togetherness

Community Gardens Australia volunteer Nicole Ingram and Nourish Fresh IGA Brookton Owner and Metcash State Board Member Gavin Pepper. Photo credit: Owen Raymond.

Founded in 1996 and growing to almost 800 locations Australia-wide, Community Gardens Australia is a network of local green thumbs putting their hands together to cultivate a sense of connectedness in the roots of their own communities.

In support of Community Gardens Australia’s (CGA) transformative gardening, IGA has donated $25,000 through its Community Chest to keep the good work going.

A not-for-profit charity which exists to provide resources to advocate, support and network for the community gardening sector in Australia, CGA provides a website directory of community gardens around the country, numerous resources on how you can start a garden and more.

It also advocates and assists local governments to develop better policies and procedures around community gardening activities, as these have a massive impact on both the mental and physical health of Australian communities.

“Community gardens provides people with a nice and safe space to come together,” CGA Chairperson Naomi Lacey said. “To offer that connection to nature in the company of others is a really powerful thing.

“Getting your hands in the soil, in the company of other people and growing your own food – the impacts on people’s health and wellbeing are astounding.”

“They also have a really high impact in our regional areas, where people are a bit more spread out and disconnected from their neighbours.”

CGA has big plans when it comes to putting IGA’s kindness into practical and life-changing use.

“It’s been an incredibly generous donation from the IGA Community Chest and we’re really stoked to be receiving this donation, because it’s going to enable us to continue on with the work we are just starting to do now,” Ms Lacey said.

One of these is an educational program to empower community garden leaders, so they can strengthen the activities in their local community gardens.

“We’re also going to be looking at doing some cultural awareness training for some of our volunteers with a new program called Growing on Country,”

Ms Lacey said. “It’s about incorporating Indigenous wisdom and First Nations knowledge into our gardening practices and teaching people about how we can better work to have more collaborative and respectful conversations and engagement with our First Nations peoples as community gardeners.”

Another initiative IGA’s donation will go towards is CGA’s galah sessions held on the last Saturday of each month.

These are relaxed and casual online sessions, unlike a webinar, to provide educational experience in every state and territory around the country.

Part of the donation will also benefit the Western Australia Community Gardens Gathering on Saturday November 30.

“It’s an opportunity for all the community gardeners around WA to come and enjoy an amazing day that’s going to be hosted by Costa Georgiadis from Gardening Australia,” Ms Lacey said. “It’s going to be a day of learning, networking and amazing food opportunities held at Piney Lakes Environmental Education Centre with the community garden next door.”

As it appeared in the 2024 October 12 edition of The West Australian’s Icons of IGA liftout.