Sunday 6th November was the culmination of the week long – Our Living Coast Sustainable Living Festival activities where the community and businesses from the region and afar were invited to come together to celebrate all things relating to sustainability.
The Botanica Spring Festival at new venue, the large open area (Northern Oval) of the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden played host to the 50+ exhibitors, displays and entertainment on a warm and beautiful spring day.
Approximately 4500 people poured through the gates of the majestic Botanic Gardens during the day where they were able to thoroughly explore and take advantage of the larger open space, shady picnic areas, stallholders exhibits’, talks and speeches, variety of food vendors, entertainment by musicians, circus performers, walks guided by NPWS rangers.
Local Gumbaynggirr representative and Grace Roberts award recipient Mark Flanders opened the Botanica Spring Festival with a traditional Welcome to Country.
Costa Georgiadis festival host gave an engaging and meaningful opening speech relating to the approach and need for such community based events, the reward they offer and the sense of ownership and empowerment they provide. The speech was applauded by the large crowd who gathered to hear his words of wisdom and was met with a hoard of children who encompassed him post speech to receive their gift from Costa to plant in their garden.
Various stallholders and invited guest speakers had utilised the Talk Space in the China Garden close by to assist the community by sharing a wealth of information from Resilient Low Carbon Future for Coffs Harbour to Vermiculture- What’s really happening in your Worm Farm.
Cheese making demonstrations, Permaculture Design, Keeping Chickens, Composting and Bush Tucker tours.
The day also saw the judging for the local schools scarecrows competition which saw 38 wonderful and creative scarecrows judged by ABC’s – dirtgirl & SBS’s Garden Guru – Costa Georgiadis.
With the winner Urunga Public with the “Bush Re-Gen Ranger” taking out the $300 prize which is to be re-invested into their school garden.
