PORTARLINGTON Community Garden volunteer Garry O\u2019Callaghan says he\u2019s enjoyed teaching young children all aspects of gardening during his years at the patch.<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Callaghan has volunteered at the garden for more than 10 years and said a highlight was teaching the Portarlington Primary School pupils about gardening, providing them with fresh food and getting them to try different fruits.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a five-year-old girl come out and I went to give her a piece of fruit and she said, \u201cno, I don\u2019t eat that\u201d, Mr O\u2019Callaghan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018Why don\u2019t you just try it?\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually she tried it and loved it and asked for more and then asked to take some home.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that\u2019s why it\u2019s such a good idea to get the kids out here to try and eat the different fruits at a younger age, so they\u2019ll keep eating it, and it\u2019s healthy and fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Callaghan said he hoped the opportunity would arise again soon when pupils would make weekly visits to the garden.<\/p>\n
He said eight men volunteered their time each Friday morning at the community garden to help grow fruit and vegetables, which was donated to local families in need.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have tomatoes coming out of our ears,\u201d he said. \u201cWe also grow peas, beans, beetroot, all varieties of onions, capsicums, grapes, and have eight to 10 fruit trees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Callaghan said the volunteers enjoyed the camaraderie, as they were all around the same age, and encouraged other locals to come down on a Friday morning and lend a hand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PORTARLINGTON Community Garden volunteer Garry O\u2019Callaghan says he\u2019s enjoyed teaching young children all aspects of gardening during his years at the patch. Mr O\u2019Callaghan has volunteered at the garden for more than 10 years and said a highlight was teaching the Portarlington Primary School pupils about gardening, providing them with fresh food and getting them […]<\/p>\n