In June 2019 SAGE received $17,990 from the Illawarra Mutual Bank (IMB) Community Foundation to run Veggies for all 2018. We were very lucky to have SAGE's first intern, biodynamic farmer Kyle Levier run six workshops in July and August 2018. These were held in venues across the Eurobodalla.
Sites included the Tuross Head Community Garden, the Narooma Men's Shed, Bateman's Bay Men's Shed and of course the SAGE Garden in Moruya. Kathryn Maxwell and Robert Cove ran a seventh workshop at the Tuross Head Men's Shed.
At a cost of $15 workshop we had over 200 workshop participants. They Learnt: The basics on how to successfully grow veggies and herbs, particularly in raised veggie garden beds
Received handouts on good local suppliers, a planting guide and composting guide
Were given seedlings to get started; and
Provided with a good feed and a cup of tea/coffee
The veggie install team of Robert Cove and Kathryn Maxwell then swung into gear to organise installs of 96 veggie beds in Centrelink recipients homes during the rest of 2018. This year the team provided four options of types of veggie beds to enable a better fit for people's needs and space requirements. Kathryn was able to marshall an amazing team of volunteers which included:
Annette Greer,,Anne Thompson, Terry McGee, Geoff Scott, Dana Rote
Steve Smith , Steve Ryder, Ken Parker, Anne Parker, Greg Campbell
Leo Demchy, Wayne Brockman, Andrew Baker, Julie Klugman
Jenny Peters, Robert Newberry, Daniel, Wendy Jones , Sarah O'Riley
On each install we go out to Bodalla to collect the wonderful veggie mix from D & A Excavators. We then would go out to people's houses, set up the veggie bed frame, wheelbarrow the soil to the bed, cover with sugar cane mulch and then hand over a $10 voucher for seedlings from Phil Timms (Moruya Markets, and SAGE Farmers Market). We travelled as far south as Bermagui and as far north as Surfside.
Despite the heat, and humidity we managed to install 96 veggie beds, significantly more than the target of 70 we had in the application. Big highlights include:
Installing a number of beds at the Tuross Head Community Garden;
Being assisted by the Tuross Head Men's Shed to install 30 veggie beds around Tuross Head (what an amazing, connected community of gardeners); and
Restocking the two very large veggie beds at the Moruya Women's Refuge.
This year we were able to meet all the requests from participants at the seven workshops for veggie beds. The options of various sizes and shapes was well received by veggie bed recipients.
We had excellent media coverage including many articles in the Beagle, the Bay Post and SAGE newsletter.
