Mandurah Community Gardens Featured on The Garden Gurus!

We are thrilled to share that Mandurah Community Gardens was recently featured on The Garden Gurus! The episode highlights our recent collaboration with the Grow It Local team during their national tour.
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In this segment, Paul West (co-founder of Grow It Local) and the Gurus team discuss the incredible benefits of our space—from getting your hands dirty and connecting with the seasons to the powerful impact on mental health and community spirit [00:49]. Whether you are an experienced green thumb or have never picked up a trowel, the video showcases how our garden is a place for everyone to "soak up the space" and learn together [02:05].

​Grow It Local
Grow It Local is a community-driven initiative designed to get more people growing, sharing, and eating locally grown food. Co-founded by Paul West (River Cottage Australia), the platform connects over 40,000 "patch-to-plate" gardeners across Australia. Whether you have a massive backyard or just a few pots on a windowsill, they provide the inspiration and education needed to help your garden thrive.

• Website: growitlocal.com
• What they do: Offer a "seed service" with seasonal organic seeds, host digital workshops, and provide a community map where you can see what’s growing in your neighborhood

Last Sunday on the 5th October, we had the pleasure of co-hosting a wonderful event, "Nature's Remedy: Boost Your Mental Health," in collaboration with the Mandurah Environment & Heritage Group. It was an incredible day dedicated to celebrating the powerful connection between nature and well-being.

​Our Coodanup Community Gardens were buzzing with activity as we welcomed families for guided tours and hands-on workshops. It was fantastic to see so many smiling faces as participants got their hands dirty, planting seedlings and learning about the benefits of gardening for both the earth and our minds.

​We've received some truly heart-warming feedback from attendees who shared how much they enjoyed their time in the gardens. It's a wonderful reminder of how our green space serves as a peaceful retreat for the community.

​A special thank you to the Mandurah Environment & Heritage Group for inviting us to be a part of this important event, and to all of our dedicated volunteers whose hard work and passion made the day a resounding success.

Mandurah Community Gardens exists because of the work that our volunteers have put in to make it a place to grow food, to make friends, and to raise awareness in our community about growing our own food in good company. It couldn't keep going without the help of so many volunteers who contribute their time and energy, and share their knowledge.
Like most community assets, this community garden is run as a registered non-profit organisation that requires a team of people that work together on the committee to manage it.
Our garden is like any garden - always planning ahead, making decisions and considering the options to take. And of course, making the most of it means enjoying each other's company and having a great time!

Being a member of a community garden is just like any other community organisation. It is not like being a member of a buying club or a library because it is socially orientated and an activity-based kind of membership. It's value to the member is inherently derived from what members individually put into it. 
For the cost of a very inexpensive membership, Mandurah Community Gardens does provide its members with a place that is resplendent with facilities, cheap leasable and free community plots, fertiliser, seeds, tools, amenities, social events and educational workshops, plus much more — everything a good community garden and every individual member needs to keep growing.
We also extend our invitation to the wider community to attend our events, our workshops, and to visit the gardens when we are open.
If you ask every member who volunteers why they volunteer to help, they will tell you that they get so much more from participating in helping with the garden. They know it truly pays wonderful dividends on what they contribute.
Our members strive to keep the costs of running a garden and the cost of membership down, but the only way to achieve this and keep a community garden is to receive funding and donations from individuals, businesses and government. Still, funding isn't anywhere near enough to run a community garden without the personal effort of our volunteers.

As we have advertised through email, our Bulletin newsletter, on Facebook and on this website, we have roles that urgently need to be filled on the committee. We need volunteers for:

• Secretary 
• Treasurer
• Events Coordinator
• Garden Coordinator

All of these roles are vital for Mandurah Community Gardens to function, and for it to continue to exist. Our committee members are currently pulling together to help with these roles, but it places an unfair burden on each of them to do the extra tasks required for each role above what they already do. Ultimately, it is in the best interests of all our members if every member will give their consideration to this and help us however they can. 
All the roles will have training provided and support from our committee members. The average commitment required for most roles is anywhere for 1-2 hours a week and sometimes a bit more for events or workshops. Committee members are required to attend a committee meeting once a month.

The help from volunteers is how we have got this far, and it's how we will continue to keep going and growing.

If you think you can help your community garden by volunteering your time and skills, please contact Jenny or Cheryl via the form on this website.

Produce was collected from the Garden before the class so everything was wonderfully fresh. Once all the dishes were cooked, we all had a taste and it was delicious.

A big thank you to the the ladies for sharing their cultural dishes with us, we all thoroughly enjoyed the morning. 

These workshops and events that have been running from 2021 until this one in October 2023 would not have been possible without the very kind and generous support of the City of Mandurah. 
The members and committee of Mandurah Community Gardens thank you!

On Friday 17th February, The Hon. David Templeman MLA, a long time supporter and patron of Mandurah Community Gardens, provided a fantastic morning tea for members at Mandurah Community Gardens to celebrate getting a $15,000 grant from Lotterywest.

David, a keen gardener himself with a particular fondness for growing veggies from heirloom (heritage) seeds, kindly paid for the catering from Miss Maud's in Mandurah which was comprised of a delicious selection of their famous club sandwiches and cakes!

David is as excited as all of us to see how the gardens will benefit with the extension of the covered patio area, and the installation of a new kitchen in the common room (the big shed), to built this year.

A big thank you to Lotterywest for helping us with a grant, and to David for providing the occasion to celebrate!

​The event was covered in the local news by The Mandurah Mail and The Coastal Times in print and on their websites.
*Click on the images below to view the articles on their websites

Starting in November and continuing in December on successive Tuesdays, the air will be filled with beautiful sound as vocal coach Sarah Morrison from Musical Kite String holds singing workshops at Mandurah Community Gardens.

Cost is $10 per session to attend and participate. Make a booking by phoning 0449 795 574

When:
Tuesday 29 November - 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Tuesday 6th Dec - 1:30pm to 2:30pm
Tuesday 13th Dec - 1:30pm to 2:30pm

As Sarah says, "Singing is great for the soul, it boosts mental health and confidence". So why not get involved and share with others in the moment?

No experience is necessary to attend, and everyone is welcome to come down and learn how to express themselves. It's a joyful tonic for the soul.

If this is you, or you know someone that would love to come along and try, please pass this on.

​Chris Smyth the WA Coordinator for Community Gardens Australia was the MC for the day and he did a great job. Thank you Chris!

Update 2024: Chris has now retired from his voluntary role as WA Coodinator for Community Gardens Australia. We wish him all the best for his future endeavours.

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.