I would like to acknowledge Uncle Graham’s presence with us today and warmly thank him for supporting us to open and bless this new space whilst also highlighting the importance of connecting through culture and community for the wellbeing of all of us, but particularly for our young Aboriginal children and their families.
To say this garden has been a long time coming is an understatement. We can now empathise with the contestants on The Block, racing to complete and waiting for Pam our Team Coordinator to whistle and shout, “tools down”! Thankfully we didn’t face Shayna Blaze and the rest of the judges.
In designing the garden, our hope was to create a space that would give back to those who engage with it, those of all ages and walks of life, in a therapeutic way. The support we provide at the Women and Children’s Program is deeply grounded in trauma recovery, connection and relationship building - within families, with peers who have shared experiences, and with our community. So our little garden has a lot of work to do!
We took down the old equipment that was rusted and worn, and like a caterpillar went into a COVID cocoon. For many years it feels like. There were still small signs of life – a weed here and a puddle there, eventually we emerged changed, renewed and ready to explore new possibilities.
We have all heard about the evidence and know about the many benefits that connecting to nature has on both mind and body. In its simplest form - gardening and engaging with nature can trigger positive chemical reactions in the brain that make you feel happier and reduce stress levels. What’s not to love?
We’ve provided spaces for Mothers to foster social gatherings and quiet spaces for contemplation and personal retreat. Different textures underfoot for grounding practices and barefoot walking – on the grass, on the mulch, and along the sensory path with stones and sand. Plants with different colours, textures, smells, seasonal changes, and sounds that crunch and rustle, and will grow to gently sway in the wind. Eatable native and non-native plants to taste or add to a dish.
We are building to create an interactive experience that appeals to one, two or all the senses.
Interactive play-spaces are important for children because as we know, play is a vital part of childhood. Children learn through play to develop social, emotional, and physical skills. Providing children with an outdoor learning environment that incorporates areas for quiet, natural, creative, active, and stimulating play, will allow children to learn whilst using their imagination.
We have given children plenty of space to engage with the elements of nature, play with water, growing plants for smelling, tasting something new and imaginative play props, observing insects, lizards and birds, places to dig and explore beneath the soil, moving around on interesting pathways, and riding over bumps.
This therapeutic play-space will have a unique meaning for each child that is welcomed into it and I’m sure will offer special memories for families to share.
We also opted for a combination of new and repurposed materials, recycling where possible is also very important – the old sandpit has become a busy activity hut for noisy or quiet times, the existing benches offer new vistas, and the old mural has become a blackboard for our young emerging artists to express themselves visually.
A garden is never really complete, you need time to see how we interact with it, move through it, and how nature changes it over the seasons, but we’ve laid some strong foundations.
Audrey Hepburn said – To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.
So… where to from here? – the possibilities are endless, the team and I all have dreams of greenhouses, potting benches, horticultural classes, a mud kitchen, classes for cooking what we grow, equipment for occupational therapy, and the list goes on…
It may not be grand but it’s wonderful to say the garden is again open for business.
And some of the best therapy can come from just ‘being’ and ‘doing’ in the garden, the ongoing process of gardening will support all those people in the future who participate in the program, with the benefits of caring, nurturing, slowing down to nature’s pace, being mindful, building purpose and resilience, seeing something flourish and recognising the capacity within yourself.
I know she wouldn’t want us to, however I would like to take a moment to thank Suzanne, our Administrative Support Officer, for her dedication, immense hours and tireless support she provided to see this project through. I speak from the heart when I say – we couldn’t have done this without her and her wonderful family.
I would like to now introduce Taylor Rhodes. We first met Taylor back in 2019. When she came to visit her cousin Ireland, who was participating in the residential program at the time. Now Taylor is a wonderful mum herself and when things became challenging for her, she was able to reach out for support from the Women and Children’s Program, recognising the benefits of the support we had provided her family in the past.
We have been impressed by Taylor’s strength, resilience, self-determination, and fierce advocacy for those recovering from domestic and family violence. Please join me in welcoming Taylor.
Flourish Australia
For more information, contact us on 1300 779 270 or make an enquiry now.