Bearing Fruit

HalindaGreen has been showing early signs of proving a fertile and growing space in our community. It is a tough and hot place with our work before us but the ambience of a relaxed and bountiful zone is evident.

Saved the fate of being an empty waste space, the Green is a rich place of experience and learning.

Send her down Hughey !

Halinda Fete was a wet one for Saturday the 15th November, but the garden got a nice drop !

New Plants from the Botanical Garden were gratefully planted in the late heat of Friday afternoon and then after a light watering-in received a beautiful Spring storm shower that evening.

So, every cloud has a silver lining as they say.

Thanks Peter and John

Peter and John have been hard at work on our green house, mending fences to protect crops and students, picking up soil, bus loads of tyres, bits of wire to fend off hungry hares and currawongs, and even spotting spare bathtubs for Mr Ds waterzone. Miss Ravesi had no idea how to raise corn so John brought in seed raising mix and grew her some, "he's such a good mentor for the garden" she said. They received a big thank you from staff for all their efforts around the school.

Thankyou to the Royal Botanical Gardens

Over the last few weeks we have been getting visits from Kathy courtesy of the Royal Botanical Gardens youth program. She has taken an interest in what has been started here. The Royal Botanic Gardens has helped other schools in western Sydney establish and maintain garden programs for students. We are thankful for their contribution. We have gained links to horticulturalists and nurseries with that help. Today Kathy arrived with vegetable punnets and seeds ! They went straight in the soil. So big thanks Kathy, the Royal Botanical Gardens and to Oasis nurseries and Yates who supplied the treats. Much appreciated.

Hares Alert !

Hares were spotted on the Green over the weekend, again. . .

A rather large hare in a hurry has been seen out here before but this time he had company. Feral visitors are one of the tasks before us in the establishment of the Green and we will face others. These are the dramas that make the project a multifaceted learning venue. Students in the ED/BD unit have been briefed on the Perils of Ferals in the Australian environment this week.

The peas we planted last week are gone !

We shall overcome of course. Even if Mr D has to dust off his traps again.

Mount Druitt Primary School Digs in... and likes it !

This week our primary mentor team from Mount Druitt Primary School, (who have been visiting, helping and working with Halinda Students this year), formed a work party and started raised garden beds on Halinda Green.

Halinda Green is designed to be a community garden where school groups in our neighbourhood can plant and tend. Mount Druitt students jumped in and planted their plots with enthusiasm. Community links have made the joy of gardening a rich learning experience for a wide range of people out on the Green.

Well done and thanks to Mount Druitt Primary students for your green thumbs !

Watering in hot spring...by watering can.

Students of all grades can be seen eagerly watering their plots by hand this Spring at Halinda Green. We like water play ! Of course tanks will come, but for now students work hard going to the tap filling buckets and watering cans and tending to the needs of burgeoning vegetables.