Visit a garden of hope at Pako Festa

PAKO Festa will mark its 40th anniversary later this month, and visitors to the event are invited to see what’s grown from the collective efforts of many of Geelong’s newly-arrived residents.

The Hope Community Garden will be open to the public on February 26 at the Diversitat Northern Community Hub, the site for Pako Festa this year.

Initiated in 2005 with federal funding through Skills Victoria, the garden was funded to create opportunities for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) clients to enrol in a Certificate 1 in Vocational Training, as a pathway to employment.

Under the umbrella of a simulated workplace, trainers were employed to deliver vocational training and develop the garden with student involvement.

Over the years, the Hope Community Garden has developed into a community setting, with several members of the Geelong Ethnic Communities Council establishing plots to reflect their culture and beliefs, including the Wathaurong and Maori communities.

Participants in the local Men’s Shed and Diversitat programs such as The Base (formerly You-Turn), Green Corps, Diversitat Youth and Work For The Dole have all contributed to the garden with skills such as landscaping, building seats and tables and general maintenance.

The Hope Community Garden offers something for anyone who walks through the gate, whether it is an opportunity to grow food, to come and pick something from the sharing communal area of the garden, or to simply wander through the garden, enjoy being outdoors and perhaps have a chat to practise some conversation in English.

Tours of the garden will be held at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and 3.30pm.

Although held in one location instead of the typical Pakington Street format, Pako Festa in 2022 will include the usual food stalls, a celebration of diverse cultures, entertainment galore and a new twist on the traditional parade.

All attendees will be required to be vaccinated in compliance with government requirements.

Food purchases will be available online (via credit card payments and with a 20 per cent discount) or on the day.

The arts trail in Pakington Street will return this year, and to mark the 40th Pako Festa, 40 portraits featuring Geelong’s diverse communities will be hung in Market Square as a free public exhibition.

There will also be a limited-edition cookbook, featuring some of the most popular dishes from Geelong’s diverse communities served at Pako Festa since 1983.

For more information, head to the Pako Festa website.