South Coffs Community Garden

Established 2017

Where: Bruce King Drive, beside the Boambee East Community Centre.

When: Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday morning.

It’s on a Thursday morning that I head along to a working bee at the South Coffs Community Garden. They’ve had a night of heavy rain and the garden is lush from the soaking. I say hello to a volunteer on the way in, taking advantage of the softened earth to do some weeding. I walk past the raised garden beds to meet John, the current president of SCCG. John is a keen gardener of course. But with five degrees under his belt, he’s also a self-described ‘fanatical educationalist’. His last degree was in winemaking and he’d love to put it to good use; pointing out the three grapevines establishing themselves in the orchard. Once they’re ready to harvest John plans to organise a winemaking day, complete with crushing, de-stemming and, the fun part, stamping.

John tells me about the upcoming workshops they’re hosting to help beginner gardeners. He’s also celebrating the grant they’ve just received to purchase a small tractor, which will make it much easier to turn the compost. The compost here has a life of it’s own – one that extends far beyond the garden gate. It’s full of resources that might have otherwise gone to waste. Coffee grounds from local cafes, grass clippings and pruning’s from the community centre, unsold seedlings from Bunnings.

When I ask John why he think’s people should get involved he says “Oh they just have to, it’s fun!”. Looking around, I think that maybe it really is as simple as that.

Words by Mel Hunter.

Contact South Coffs Community Garden.