| Garden origins and structure
The Randwick Community Organic Garden (RCOG) is a 20m x 80m site established in 1992 on the Randwick Navy Store Depot land at 33 Bundock Street. The Randwick Community Centre lease the site from the Department of Defence, and sub-let land to the garden for an annual fee covering the cost of water. The site has communal and allotment areas incorporating organic principles. The strongest source of new members identified was word of mouth; several gardeners knew each socially other before their garden involvement. People also walk past the signs at the community centre driveway shown in plates 3.6 and 3.7, pass the garden when visiting the community centre, or see local paper advertisements regarding open days. The latest open day attracted many visitors, although these were mainly hobby gardeners who grew ornamentals. Promoting the garden to locally interested individuals was identified as a problem. One individual knew of the garden’s existence and had tried to locate it for 18 months. The local council did not know of the garden’s existence; he and another gardener reported separately finding the garden while walking their dogs. Communication within the garden is usually through mail-outs for special events, or telephone call-outs for the monthly working bees, as well as face to face conversations in the garden. The garden management is presently looking at the possibility of starting a newsletter. Plates 3.5 and 3.6. The driveway signs at Randwick Community Organic Garden.
Figure 3.2. Map of Randwick Community Organic Garden. Garden membership is offered on a 6 monthly basis, costing $5 for communal membership or $20 for an allotment. This money is pooled for rent, tools and other resources kept on site in a caravan, to which all members hold keys. Surplus money is put in a kitty. The communal garden bed is used for growing crops which require a large amount of space, such as broad beans and zucchinis. Decisions regarding this bed are discussed at meetings and working bees, held on the third Saturday of each month. Food is harvested, put into a box and divided up at these. Currently the garden is full with 48 members on 45 plots and roughly 30 people waiting for plots — figure 3.2 shows a map of the site. The garden hopes to soon set aside a further 10 or 15 beds. A separate cooperative for maintenance of the poultry carries additional membership obligations. The garden is managed by office bearers — coordinator, treasurer, chair, secretary and ‘chook coordinator’ — voted in at each Annual General Meeting in May. The garden’s situation next door to the Randwick Community Centre and a Steiner school plays a significant role in the garden’s interaction with other bodies. As documented above, the community centre provides exposure to a large number of people. Recently, the community centre chose to celebrate its 21st anniversary in the garden, providing substantial public exposure and attendance by the Mayor of Randwick. Interaction with the Steiner school provides an interesting contrast to that between Angel Street Permaculture Garden and the Newtown Public School. The RCOG was experiencing difficulties with children running over garden beds and uprooting vegetables. Some gardeners suggested some form of punishment, which stood in stark contrast to Steiner philosophy. The garden coordinator proposed the paths be more clearly defined by mulching and the school maintain a bed. Consequently, the children take great care not to step off the paths and have a highly diverse and productive bed which also serves as an educational area. Other collective bodies also utilise the garden. Several disability groups maintain plots and the Wildlife Information and Rescue Service (WIRES) has established sheds and aviaries at the back of the garden, to rehabilitate native birds and mammals for later release. This attracts afternoon flocks of native birds, which help control pests in the garden and which attract further human visitors to the garden. The Surry Hills mounted police stables frequently deliver free stable manure, and a local contractor supplies mulch. Interaction between this garden and other community gardens appears low, although the coordinator is very active within ACFCGN and is looking at various markets at which to set up a community gardens produce and information stall. What the garden means to participants The gardeners reported various reasons for joining the garden. Most saw it simply as a great place to be; somewhere to get peace and quiet, restore sanity or have fun. Further reasons included the chance to grow fresh, organic food and the opportunity to learn about people and plants. One gardener came to the garden out of curiosity, having heard about it from a workmate; he is now changing his lifestyle as a result of gardening. Visitors to the open day saw the garden’s benefits in terms of growing space for those with none at home. The coordinator sees the garden as one of few potential spaces for social change under the current political climate and enjoys the opportunity to apply his permaculture knowledge; he also enjoys his role as coordinator as he learns about people and liaison. He also described a current shift, from gardeners seeing their plot as an extension of their personal space, not mingling or using the communal space, to much greater mixing and interaction. Attendance has increased exponentially over the last few working bees. Issues identified by the garden group The main current issue for the garden is the need for more beds and the identification of areas for this. A possible future issue concerns the long term garden location, as several office bearers have heard of Navy plans to rezone for development. There is a potential site on the same road and kitty money is being held for campaign funds if these become necessary. |
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