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Dear What a busy and fruitful month October has been! A wonderful working bee was held at Eleebana PS, and a site for the Warners Bay Community Garden has been decided by Council! The Oct Market Stall was a great success, and the WBCG steering committee have been working with Council and the Dept Community Services to move both the garden and the grant forward. Some WBCG members have also recently completed training for bee-keeping, and have been busy catching their swarms! I am sure they already have some adventure tales to tell - perhaps in next months Newsletter! November & December are busy months for WBCG, and we hope you can join us for a picnic / BBQ lunch on 7th November (to celebrate now having a site for the garden!), at the Vegeblitz on 13th Nov, or perhaps at the Markets on 14th Nov - or all of the above! Note the 19th of December down in your diaries for the WBCG Christmas Party! We'd love your help preparing the next submission to Council too - details in this newsletter! For those getting busy in the garden at home, 'Gardening Australia' have a handy online monthly planting guide, with tips on when to harvest, what to look out for, and some handy hints for each plant. Click here to take a look: Planting GuideWe hope you enjoy the newsletter and look forward to seeing you soon! PS Please send through reports and pics for the newsletter to Shelley.
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Council Update
This is an exciting time for the WBCG group! On 11th October Lake Macquarie City Councillors voted unanimously to nominate Bunya Park, Cherry Rd Eleebana, as the site for the proposed garden.
We now have a site for the garden. This is a fantastic achievement, and testament to the resilience and endurance of our community. It is almost 2 years since the Warners Bay Community Garden group came together. It has been a very long journey, but certainly a rewarding one along the way.
We are all going to be busy building our garden very soon. Funding for the project is available to us from the Community Services grant secured earlier this year. We have been invited by Council to lodge a Development Application (DA) for the proposed garden, for the Bunya Park site. The DA process will involve sitting down with both Council and opponents of the garden to discuss the project in a cordial and constructive manner. Once the DA is approved by Council, we will be able to build our garden.
The first meeting with Council staff to discuss the DA process (a pre pre DA meeting!) took place this Wednesday 3rd November at 9am. If you would like to help in preparing the DA, please contact Ben (click here).
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Eleebana PS Working Bee Success!
Report by Eleebana PS Environmental Teacher
Yesterday (17th Oct 2010) our school vegetable garden was visited by a makeover team from the Warners Bay Community Garden group. The team was made up of 20 plus volunteers, both adults and children, and included Meghan Robinson (5H), Tom Dennis (5M), Sonia Robinson and Michelle Stocker (both parents of Eleebana students).
Work undertaken included construction of 2 new gardens, extending existing gardens, emptying compost bins, adding a sprinkler system and rejuvenating worm farms.
Many thanks to the Warners Bay Community Garden group for their kind donation of time and materials.
The vegetable garden is currently being cared for by students in Year 4 as part of the school's Environment Scope and Sequence. I'm sure these students will appreciate the extra space to plant more vegetables. Many thanks also to
Michelle Stocker for her work with these students and for organising the working bee yesterday.
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Thank you Environmental Teacher, Eleebana Public School.
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| Get together on 7th November!
Our next group meeting falls on Sunday 7th November, and will start with a family picnic / BBQ lunch outside in the Lions Club Park from 12pm -2pm, to celebrate finally having a site confirmed for the garden!
Please BYO picnic or BBQ food, the Lions have an electric frying pan, oven and stove top available if you'd like to cook up a storm.
Tea/coffee will be available as usual, however no alcohol is allowed at the Lions Club Hall.
WBCG members will host a newspaper pot making activity for children/adults outside in the park during lunch.
Trish has applied for fine, sunny weather for the day. Fingers crossed! We would love to see you there to celebrate with us!
The normal montly meeting will take place from 2pm-ish inside the Lions Club Hall to discuss the DA, wrapping up by 4pm.
Hope to see you there!
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Where:
Warners Bay Lions Club Hall & Park
Sweet Street, Warners Bay (cnr King St)
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When:
Sunday November 7th 2010
Lunch 12pm-2pm
Meeting 2pm-ish - 4pm |
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Compost team needed!
WBCG urgently needs a compost team! Volunteers are needed to help with the management and maintenance of the garden's organic compost, made up of donated and collected grass clippings, dried seagrass wrack, paper and vegie scraps. A well managed and maintained compost system does not smell! :-) the key is regular turning, and ensuring a good mix of materials.  If you have a spare half an hour or so each week, or a couple of times a month, we'd love you to join the compost team! The team will mix and turn the compost to keep it aerated and working, and looking nice and tidy.Volunteers are also needed to regularly collect vegie scraps from Eat @ Pippi's, and to collect and rinse dried seagrass wrack from the foreshore. A new compost system is in planning (to be built on a members property), so that compost supplies will be ready for the future garden. It would be great to have this up and running before the end of the year! Ultimately, it is proposed a compost system will be on-site at the garden, at which time the system on a members property will likely be decommissioned. Please contact Trish to join the compost team ( click here) Ph 4947 1821. The compost system is essential for the continued sustainability and operation of the garden! |
Vegeblitz Saturday 13th November!
The next backyard Vegeblitz will be on 13th November 2010! Please check out the forum for time and location closer to the date, or contact Maree (click here) or Phone: 4943 0305 M: 0410 405 815 for more details! All welcome to attend, great idea to bring a hat, sunscreen and some gardening gloves!
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Market Stall 14th November!
Why not join in the Market for an hour or two behind the seedling counter, or help to setup or pack down the stall? You'd be made very welcome! If you would like to be involved with this month's stall please contact Trish (ph 49471821). Trish needs to know that we have enough volunteers committed at least 2 weeks before the stall so please let her know if you can assist!
Our seedling growers will have their home grown organic seedlings for $1 each (or 6 for $5) ready for planting. Seedlings are grown in recycled newspaper pots ready to pop straight into the garden, eliminating transplant shock. To join in the seedling growers group (all materials provided!), please contact Trish (ph 49471821).Why not stop by and snap up a homemade organic garden spray, or a recipe to make your own at home? Also for sale are 2L bottles of 'Worm Wee' from WBCG members' organic worm farms - a wonderful liquid fertiliser for your garden! $2 a for 2L - bargain! All funds raised from the market stall go toward Warners Bay Community Garden activities such as seedling growing, materials and garden building!
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Concept Plans!
 Concept plans for the proposed garden are available on the WBCG website (click here). Many thanks to all who have been involved in preparing the plans and to those who have provided feedback and suggestions so far.
If you would like to suggest any improvements to the plans or to comment on any aspect of the design and staging prior to the DA lodgement, please contact Ben (click here).
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| WBCG Raffle!
Tickets will soon be on sale for an end of year raffle, with all proceeds going to the Warners Bay Community Garden!
Tickets can be purchased at the WBCG November Meeting and November Market stall (see details in this newsletter!) or by contacting Trish on 49471821. If your family, friends or work colleagues would like to buy some tickets from you, you can also pick up a booklet of tickets from Trish.
The raffle will be drawn at the WBCG Christmas Party on 19th December, and winners names will be posted on the WBCG website.
First Prize: 1 Queen Size Quilt (handmade) valued at $800
Other Prizes: Gift Pack of Herbalife Products valued at $69
Gift Voucher from Eat at PIPPIS valued at $50
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Christmas Party 19th December!
 This year the WBCG Christmas Party will be held at EAT @ Pippi's, Speers Point, we hope you can join us for festivities! Check out their menu: EAT @ Pippi's.
When: Sunday 19th December
Time: 12 midday for lunch
Where: corner of The Esplanade & Main Road, Speers Point
Cost: Lunch and drinks at your cost :-)
RSVP: Friday 10th December 2010
The WBCG Raffle will be drawn at the Christmas Party! Please RSVP to Trish so we can make sure we book enough seats at the restaurant! All welcome - we hope to see you there! |
| Get involved!
Wonderful ways to meet other people and learn more about gardening, seed raising and composting, and support the group's activities include:
- Seedling growing (all materials supplied by WBCG)
- Market stall volunteering (just 1-2 hours a month!)
- Joining the compost team
- Collecting milk bottles and icecream containers for the market stall
- Saving and drying seeds
- Making newspaper pots for the seedling growers
- Taking part in Vegieblitzes
- Coming to monhtly meetings for a cuppa and a chat.
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1st Vegeblitz - look at it now!
Report by MareeDuring the 1st vegeblitz back in middle of Winter (10/7/10), my friends from the Warners Bay Community Garden helped me plant out my vege garden so I thought I'd post a few pics to give you an idea of how much it's come alive! Brianna, the Water Dragon's happy - and heavily pregnant at the moment. See if you can see her lying on the warm garden wall edging (last pic!). Thankyou so much Warners Bay Community Garden! Kind regards, Maree McCarthy Before:   Now:   
If you'd like to have a Vegeblitz at your place - just email Maree (click here) or Phone: 4943 0305 M: 0410 405 815
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Local 'Open Gardens' in November
Australia's Open garden Scheme is a self-funding, not-for-profit organisation that promotes the knowledge and pleasure of gardens and gardening to all Australians. ABC Radio has been a proud supporter of the Scheme since its inception in 1987. From local Saturday morning gardening talkback to 'Gardening Australia' on ABC Television, the ABC supports and recognises gardening as one of Australia's most popular pastimes. Each year more than 250,000 people visit around 600 private gardens which open for the Scheme. The entry fees charged fund the Scheme's operation. Funds surplus to operating costs are returned to the community in the form of grants for garden-related projects.Australia's Open Garden Scheme in association with ABC Radio offers these grants to community organisations for the creation or improvement of a garden for a public or community outdoor space. As part of Australia's Open garden Scheme, two local gardens will be open between 10am to 4.30 pm, on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th November. Admission is $6.00 at each garden.
"Alltrees" is the home of Chris and Susanne Riding, located at 144 Croudace Street, New Lambton. It is an artistic garden designed to complement an older style Art Deco house. From the formality of the front garden, follow pathways to terraced garden at the rear of the house with its mass plantings of clivias, camellias, cannas and agapanthus. Other features of the garden include a lush portwine magnolia hedge under-planted with red azaleas, mass plantings of agapanthus, wisteria, grevilleas, and convolvulus. This garden is an eclectic mix of plants, very pleasing to the eye and a fitting complement to the style of the house. "Mulchalot" is the home of Geoff and Bronwyn Tyler, located at 15 Chillcott Ave Mount Hutton. Set on 2 acres which slope away from the road to a backdrop of bushland, creating a lush green, peaceful enclosure. Large deciduous trees are the highlight of this garden: Claret Ash, Chinese Tallow-woods, Cape Chestnut, Red Cedars and Plane trees. A former horse paddock now has extensive lawn and screening borders of natives, red flowering gums, grevilleas and westringias, attracting many birds, including, rosellas and king parrots, encouraged by feeders and bird boxes.
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Sincerely,
The Operating Committee
Warners Bay Community Garden Inc. |
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Diary Dates
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November 7th
WBCG Monthly Meeting and end of year get together! Family Picnic / BBQ from 12pm, Lions Club Park and Hall Sweet St Warners Bay November 13thVegeblitz! Check out the forum for details closer to the date! November 14th
WBCG Market Stall at Lions Club Markets, John St Warners Bay 8am-1pm November 13th & 14th10am-4:30pm each day, open garden at 144 Croudace St new Lambton and 15 Chillcott St Mount Hutton, $6 admission pp at each garden December 5th
WBCG Monthly Meeting 2pm, Lions Club Park and Hall Sweet St Warners Bay December 12thWBCG Market Stall at Lions Club Markets, John St Warners Bay 8am-1pm December 19thWBCG Christmas Party, 12pm at EAT @ Pippi's, please RSVP to Trish by 10th December
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