There are big plans growing for the old veggie patch at Canowindra Public School. Barry Cox, Tom Beath, the Head of the P& C Alison Stephens and Treasurer, Julie Fliedner met at the site on Tuesday to discuss the steps needed to transform the area. At present there are the old vegetable plots flowering with strawberries surrounded by laid earth, but listening to Julie talk, it’s easy to imagine how fantastic this project will become.
Tom Beath has already excavated and flattened the area, then concreting a path to create a garden accessible to all. “Stage one is to create raised beds with iron surrounds, one for each class,” says Julie “we are also looking at getting a water tank so the kids can harvest rainwater from the roof, to use on the plants.” The next stage is to landscape the sloping area, creating an amphitheatre for the children to sit in while the teachers conduct lessons in their new outdoor classroom. After that, a tepee shaped chook pen is on the list, along with a compost pile made from leftovers of fruit eaten by the children at lunch. Finally, they hope to convert the old canteen into a food technology classroom. “We’ve been talking about doing this for two years but it’s only just come to fruition” says Julie. The community have been getting involved with Sally Bourne, local landscaper, planning the layout with the teachers and P&C and the Garden Club kindly donating $200 to the project, helping the transformation get underway. If you would like to donate to this cause please contact Canowindra Public School and make sure you vote for them at www.philmacproject.com.au/entry/7854635 to give them a chance to win a cash grant from the Philmac Project. Voting closes at 5pm on the 12th December and currently Canowindra is in second place. “We only need 100 more votes to win!” says Julie, so get voting for the veggie patch!
Photo: Barry Cox, Julie Fliedner, Alison Stephens and Tom Beath
By Rhi Quinn