Garden grows with community collaboration

THE expansion of a neighbourhood garden in Clifton Springs that grows produce for the local Food Bank is being heralded as a model of community collaboration.

Within years the near empty land on Jetty Road has been transformed into the Springdale Community Garden, complete with a large tool shed, rainwater tanks and numerous garden beds.

The three tanks were donated by the Bendigo Community Bank and Drysdale Rotary Club (now Bellarine North Rotary Club), and members of the latter recently helped to erect a shed the tanks are now connected to.

A new mulcher, brush cutter, pruner and hedge trimmer have also been purchased via grants from the Geelong Council and Geelong Community Foundation, who also helped fund four raised garden beds.

Rotary member Caroline Rickard, through her work with Buxton real estate, helped donate another two garden beds recently.

“This collaboration allows community garden members to tend to the garden beds, keep them watered and donate the spoils to the Drysdale Community Food Bank run out of the Drysdale Community Church also on site,” she said.

“It shows that collaboration brings about some amazing results for our community.

“As a club we collaborate with many other groups and provide our time and skills to enable us to honour our motto of ‘Service above self.'”

The site itself was donated, community garden member Allan said, describing it as “a marriage made in heaven to help our local people in need”.

The Bellarine North Rotary Club has since put the callout to others in the community looking for assistance on projects, saying its ready to collaborate and help “achieve your goals”.