Celebrating the Warracknabeal Community Garden
Corinne Heintze has a background in floral design and making wearable art out of agricultural equipment, so she put her skills to work on this unique celebratory piece.
The Warracknabeal Community Garden recently celebrated its 10th Birthday. Yarrilinks Committee member and Yarriambiack Shire Councillor Corinne Heintze turned out in style to the celebration, which was also attended by Gardening Australia legend and Community Gardens Australia ambassador Costa Georgiadis.
The birthday celebration was well attended by the community, and just a few days later the Community Garden Committee was pleased to share that the site had been purchased by the community. The land has been owned for many years by a resident of Melbourne, and upon his decision to sell it some months ago, the Community Garden was faced with the prospect of losing its home.
The Warracknabeal Community Garden is unique in Australia as the only one to be centrally located in the main street of town, said Costa, and the site was chosen following consultation by the community. It’s now a lush and bustling centrepiece in Warracknabeal, and features a variety of community events. The central location of the Garden is a key part of its identity and success, and it was the last thing the committee wanted to see happen.
Thankfully, the community rallied around the garden, with Warracknabeal Action Group agreeing to purchase the site on behalf of the garden committee. Many community members and groups donated funds towards the purchase, with Yarriambiack Shire also making a significant contribution. Yarrilinks was very proud to put a donation towards this worthy cause. The previous owner and real estate agent were also patient, giving the community time to put these affairs in order.
Corinne had this to say about the event and her celebratory headdress:
“I had to make something special for such a celebratory event! 10 years of Warracknabeal Community Garden and after the uncertainty that the land could be sold from under them, the community raised funding to purchase the block of land and full ownership took place on Wednesday. The garden enthusiasm in Warrack community speaks for itself. I made wearable Ag Art for many years so this was just a continuation. Once you’ve sorted out the mechanics, you can build anything wearable. Mind you, it was a sunny spring day and l had several visits from friendly buzzing bees!”
The Yarrilinks Committee catches up with members of the Community Garden at our February 2024 meeting.
Yarrilinks wishes the Warracknabeal Community Garden committee, its members and the community a huge congratulations both for their 10th birthday, and for making community ownership of the land a reality.