Refugees Taught the Art of Gardening
By Phil Pyke
20th August 2008
A community garden run by volunteers in Chigwell is being used to teach newly arrived refugee families how to grow their own vegetables
“The vegetable garden has been set up by volunteers at the back of the arrival housing in Alunga Rd,” said Chris Bennett, Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Strategy (IHSS) Volunteer Coordinator under Centacare Tasmania. “The aim is teach newly arrived families some planting – as in what to plant and when - and gardening skills before they move into more permanent housing in other areas.”
As families moved out of the arrival housing, they will take with them vegetable boxes in which to plant seeds. In addition to vegetables, potatoes and even strawberries being planted, herbs have also proven popular amongst the newly arrived refugees – all under the watchful eye of Centacare volunteers, Trish Dalton and Geoff Taylor.
“The aim is teach newly arrived families some planting – as in what to plant and when - and gardening skills before they move into more permanent housing in other areas.”
“This arrangement is about everyone working together cooperatively as a community in order to provide a level of support by growing vegetables and other similar plants – which are no longer cheap in supermarkets,” Mrs Bennett said. “This gives the refugee families a level of independence and saves them money at the same time.”
One refugee family, now in more permanent housing, have requested one of the volunteers to go to their new house and assist in setting up a garden there. “Of course program like these wouldn’t work without the generous assistance of our volunteers who make huge efforts in assisting these families to settle into their lives in Tasmania.
Trish Dalton would like to see the program continue and is seeking the donation of a lockable shed in which tools could be placed for use by the families. “This way we can keep the families involved by encouraging them to look after the garden when we aren’t here,” Trish said.
