We recieved official advice on Friday 12^th October that Adrian Schrinner had approved our grant application for $3995 towards the cost of installing a composting toilet on site. The funds have been made available as part of the Lord Mayor’s Suburban Initiative Fund.

The funds will be used to purchase a remote composting toilet and the garden is funding and building the ‘outhouse’ that it will be housed in. Work on the project will commence as soon as ‘Charlie’s Chook House and Yard have been completed.

The group met again on the 8th June to elect a committee and make the decisions required to become incorporated, open a bank account and allocate some startup jobs.

The committee members are:

• President: Steve Griffin
• Vice President: Carolyn Collins
• Secretary:Liz Bundy
• Treasurer: Maryanne Jardine

Maryanne has been tasked with preparing and submitting the incorporation documents during the week Steve & Carolyn are going to visit a popular hardware store and develop a wishlist for a sponsorship from the chain, Steve is going to organise some signage for the front fence and John and Denise Buck are to develop a membership form.

There will be a gathering of interested persons at the proposed Rochedale Community Garden site at 160 Rochedale Road, Rochedale at 3pm on Sunday the 1st July.

Anyone who has an interest or curiousity in a community Garden project in the Rochedale area is welcome to attend.

On street parking is available outside the site on Rochedale Road and in Farley Road (opposite).

Tea and coffee will be provided. Bring a nibble to share if you want.

Wow there has been a lot going on since the last garden news update.

We have finished building the first 6 private alloments and these have been allocated to garden members, 2 are planted up and already thriving. We already have a waiting list for more private allotments but have decided to put our energies into developing some of the community spaces before doing any more allotments. Anyone that has an interest in renting an allotment in the future should put their name on the list.

Our fruit tree list has been developed and we will be planting most of them this coming weekend thanks to the generosity of Carolyn from Turner’s Nursery who is graciously offered to donate the trees to us. Two of the trees are splitzers (orange / mandarine and lemon / lime) these won’t be available until October.

We have four chickens which have been fostered out to the Turner family  until they get a bit bigger and we have built (or obtained) a chicken tractor.

This weekend we are going to start building the herb spiral which will be near the centre of the community gardening beds. The working bee will start at 1:00pm on Sunday.

The scroungers have been busy at work this week again and have picked up about 1100 new bricks which were destined for a skip bin and it appears that we have also got access to one and possibly a second water tank.

Last but not least our incorporation has been approved by the Office of Fair Trading and we have opened bank accounts. When I commented to the Treasurer Maryanne that the bank accounts were great but it would be nice if the balances were healthier she reminded that with a positive cash balance and no debt we are actually in a better position than any OECD country.

Steve

The Rochedale Community Garden is to be officially opened by Councillor Adrian Schrinner, Deputy Lord Mayor of Brisbane on Sunday 9th of September 2012.

The garden will be open from 10:30AM for public tours with the official opening ceremony to take place at 11:00AM. Members of the public are welcome to join us for this auspicious occasion.

Membership is open to members of the public interested in organic, sustainable gardening. The Rochedale Community Garden is a progressive organisation which offers its members access to gardening activities, educational workshops and social gardening experiences.

Our Christmas in the Garden event on Sunday 25th November was a huge success. More than 250 people attended the garden to look, learn and participate in the fun activities that were on offer and to sample the wares from the sausage sizzle, herbal tea cafe, cakes, craft and plant stalls.

As well as being  a great community building afternoon the event raised much needed funds for the garden which will be used to build the outhouse and pergola.

Ross Vasta, Federal Member for Bonner popped in for a brief visit before heading off for an action packed week in Canberra.

Photos by Wendy Grocott

Photos by Wendy Grocott

Following a meeting of interested parties on the 1st July 2012 it was decided to proceed with the Rochedale Community Garden. Meetings are to be held weekly at 3pm on Sunday afternoon at the garden site (160 Rochedale Road, Rochedale) initially whilst we get some of the adminitrative matters dealt with.

It is proposed that the group will become incorporated and the meeting on the 8th July will be for that purpose with the formal election of office bearers and acceptance of the rules of the association which are to be based on the Office of Fair Trading model rules.

Membership fees have been set at $40 per annum.

From those present at the first meeting tasks have been allocated to:

• Develop a contact list;
• Obtain and update a copy of the model Association rules;
• Source insurance;
• Formulate a wish list of facilities to be available (over time) at the garden to be used a guide when developing the site plan.

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