The opening ceremony was the culmination of years of hard work volunteered by many community members in Mandurah. It wasn't an easy task to start a community garden, with many initial attempts made. ​

However, you can't stop a great idea, and the discussion of a community garden continued and began to form into a working group, which then developed into a project, which eventually led to the success of establishing a community garden for Mandurah. It was quite an effort with a lot of persistence to create this incredible asset for the community.

On Sunday 22nd May 2022, we held a small event with current members, past members and supporters to celebrate the 10 years that Mandurah Community Gardens has been around. We acknowledged the wonderful achievements made from the past to the present that not only made our community garden possible, but enabled it to continue to thrive.

The event was opened by Jennifer Boivin, the current president of Mandurah Community Gardens starting with the Noongar greeting "Kaya - Wandjoo" (hello and welcome), as an acknowledgement to our first nations people.

In attendance were representatives from the City Of Mandurah, including Deputy Mayor Caroline Knight, Councillors Don Pember, Daniel Wilkins and Amber Kearns, and Community Development Officer Tom Wood - who has been most helpful in coordinating the supply of equipment, funding, and other support for the event.

Caroline Knight provided the guest-of-honour speech on behalf of the City of Mandurah, paying tribute for the efforts of many past and present volunteers and supporters.  The Deputy Mayor also acknowledged the City of Mandurah's support for the existence of community gardens in Mandurah, the enthusiasm that the City of Mandurah has for Mandurah Community Gardens itself, and how they view Mandurah Community Gardens as a great asset for the people of the City of Mandurah, helping maintain the health and mental wellbeing of our community. 

Also in attendance was former Lord Mayor Paddi Creevey, who had officiated the launch of Mandurah Community Gardens back in 2012. Paddi, ever the orator, gave a insightful speech reflecting on the beginning of the garden, and reviewing the merits of having a community garden, what it means to be a community, and it how it helps us all. 

Apologies were received from David Templeman, who had planned to come but unfortunately was unable to attend at the last minute. We hope you are able to come to the 20th Anniversary David!

Also attending the event were volunteers, representatives and supporters who helped to make Mandurah Community Gardens so great. Some were members from the past, some were past officials of local government and business, and some were in the original project that was instrumental in making the gardens happen. 

We would like to thank these people who attended the event for their past and continued support of Mandurah Community Gardens:

• Tim Williams was originally the community gardens project leader before it was incorporated, working in the capacity of Community Development Officer with the City Of Mandurah. Tim was fundamental to getting the community gardens project going, helping with the organising and planning. He provided mentoring to those who were new to organisation work, to prepare them for running an organisation. His invaluable contribution as one of the leading founders of Mandurah Community Gardens continues to be appreciated by us.
  Tim now runs Money Mentors, a non-profit organisation that helps people in the community with financial advice.
• Nadine Radin
  Involved in Mandurah Community Gardens from its earliest days, Nadine's dynamic and knowledgeable contribution in helping establish the gardens, then to manage it as a committee member, and then guide us on funding management, has continued to help MCG through to the present.
• Nicole Ingram
  Another jewel in MCG's crown, Nicole became involved in Mandurah Community Gardens in it's early years, also serving as treasurer on the committee. With her qualifications in nutrition science, Nicole helped bring awareness to the community about nutrition and health, making the gardens a platform for getting the message on food health out there. She organised and run many workshops that helped to present the gardens as an authoritative place for information about food, and the practice of growing good food for health.
  Nicole is now an events coordinator. She kindly volunteered her time to help organise this year's 10th Anniversary Celebration, including sourcing the amazing theme cake for the occasion - thank you for your wonderful support and help Nicole!
• Chris Lampard has been involved for many years in the gardens, helping run workshops and activities for visitors. He was very helpful in setting up installations, maintaining the gardens and introducing new ideas. His comic timing led to some interesting photos that we just love to re-use! 
  Chris now runs a landscape/gardening business that services both domestic and commercial customers. We thank Chris for his help with the garden and wish him all the best with his business.
• Lynn Roy was a past president of Mandurah Community Gardens, having been involved since the early days. Also a human dynamo, Lynn was seemingly everywhere at the same time, busy promoting the gardens and getting the word out there, while acting as the garden coordinator too.
  Lynn is now retired and enjoying life, but still a member and a big supporter of the gardens. Thank you Lynn!

These pictures were taken by members of Mandurah Community Gardens at the 10th Anniversary Celebration, and Perri Polson for the Mandurah Mail.

Click on the slideshow below to view the latest pictures added to our Google Photos Album.

A preview of some of the pages in our 10th Anniversary photobook

​We have a new History Page in the works - come back to our website.

If you want a non-toxic garden, especially if you are growing your food, then you should use alternatives to toxic chemicals to keep the weeds down. 

Mandurah Community Gardens was contacted by Ella from Consumer Notice to let us know about an article they published regarding alternatives to Round Up. After checking out their article with useful information, we're sure you will agree that this topic is very important if you want to maintain an organic, healthy garden.

We have added the Herbicide topic to the information section on our website, and we welcome any suggestions, feedback or ideas that you have to share.

Read our information page on herbicides here

As a part of our 10th anniversary celebration, we look back at past articles in the local media about Mandurah Community Gardens and community gardens in general. Enjoy!