Speaker Wayne Barrett
PDG (2005 - 2006)
Rotary Club of Portland Inc
District 9780
President Portland Community Garden (PCG) Inc
The current community garden is built on 2 acres of land owned by Dhauwurd Wurrung Elderly and Community Health Service and land we also lease from the Glenelg Shire since 2013. It has since expanded to about 3 1/2 acres of land. It proved to be bigger than what they initially intended it to be.
Portland is situated on the coast in the western districts of Victoria and a population of approximately 10,000 people. The (PCG) is located in the centre of Portland at 81 Henty Street.
Wayne together with the many local volunteers form the base community and maintain the garden which is open to the public 24/7. It is never locked and have security cameras installed mostly for the onsite kitchen and Pizza oven, meeting rooms and gathering spaces. People come from all over the world to visit the garden to tend to the garden and discover the joys of getting their hands dirty. The PCG active volunteers include local churches, community groups, schools, people from places like Mongolia, Solomon Islands and even Utah. Everyone is welcome to visit and get involved. The PCG also provide workers sent via Centrelink to help maintain the garden. Its not just about gardening but more so a community of like minded people to get together and socialise. By Wayne's description I would gather it as a happy place to come together and work as one.
Built on a wet plane, which was discovered only after the land was allocated, it has it's challenges. At one point it did get a little flooded, hence why many garden beds are raised. Everyone can setup and maintain their own garden bed and enjoy the fruits of their labour through the harvest of many vegetables and fruit crops such as pumpkins, tomatoes, apples and many garden vegetables. Due to the wetlands it also has a fair share of water birds that are migratory. To prevent the birds from eating the crops netting has been put in place to keep the birds out. Wayne assures us that the birds are quite safe and are not trapped by the nets.
The PCG has 2 active beehives maintained by a local bee keeper and the bees serve an important part in the pollination of the plants. PCG also produces it own compose which has fair share of natural aroma for local residents. They are kept happy by some generous donation of fresh produce. PCG operates on a 9-10 year lease and costs about $20,000 per year to run. Membership cost a small fee of $30 per year. It does get regular funding from local groups, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and businesses as well. So if you are ever down Portland way do drop in and say hello to Wayne and better yet get you hands dirty, buy some fresh produce. Or just have a cuppa. You can find out more about the PCG on its website Portland Community Garden
As restrictions ease do take a drive and come on down to Portland.
Take a look at what you might find when you visit.
Community
