Community spirit is blooming this week at Lakeside Drive Community Garden as Charles Darwin University, local business and community members join together to add the first infrastructure to the new community garden.
With the first garden bed started last month, this week a storage container will be added to the site and water supply will be connected.
Lakeside Drive Community Garden (LDCG) coordinator Anjea Travers said since its initiation by CDU students in 2008, the new community garden at Lakeside Drive in Alawa had become a real community project with more than 250 community members involved.
“This week is really significant for all the people who have been involved in the project the community spirit has been overwhelming, especially the support by those who have donated items,” Ms Travers said.
Ms Travers said that the donations of materials for infrastructure to the community garden would help grow the LDCG into a community space.
“Royal Wolf has generously donated a shipping container for storage on a free-lease arrangement that will be installed atop two concrete footings donated by Pattemore Constructions,” she said.
“Water will also be connected to the site this week thanks to a grant from the Power and Water Corporation and assistance from a Community Grant from the Darwin City Council.”
Local resident Robyn Marsh and her four-year-old son Zach attended the working bee last month to help build the very first garden bed.
“My son and I come to the community garden whenever we can,” Ms Marsh said. “It's great to see him enjoying the garden, learning where food comes from, and then getting excited about working in our own garden at home.
“We hope to do what we can to help the garden grow and look forward to seeing it develop in the coming years. We also hope to learn how to grow and enjoy our own fruit and vegies at home.”
The LDCG team, with the assistance of the CDU Industry Solutions team, has also been awarded a grant for $9 970 to help develop the first community garden beds, including a children’s garden. This grant will also go towards organising educational community working bees.
For more information about how you can get involved in the community gardens go to: www.cdu.edu.au/ldcg.