By TANIA PHILLIPS
MORE pics available
AN outdoor classroom and even a few chooks – those were the ideas offered by Gardening Australia Host Costa Georgiadis when he visited the Cabarita Beach Community Garden and the kids at Bogangar Public School this week.
Costa, who visited the Tweed last month to judge the Tweed’s scarecrow competition and check out some of the local schools, was back in town on Tuesday – checking in the South Tweed Public School and Bogangar Public/Cabarita Beach Community Garden.
His visits (and there are a few more coming) have been organised as part of the Farmers’ Choice School Organics Program.
The program is aimed at teaching children not only to eat healthy vegetables but also to garden in an organic, sustainable way.
Last month, he was blown away by the Fingal Public School bushtucker garden and he seemed equally excited by what had been achieved at Bogangar – checking out the space with students and members of the Community Garden committee.
The Cabarita Beach Community Garden was established 18 months ago by local residents led by committee chairwoman Karen Anderson.
In that time, they have established private plots as well as a substantial community garden area on a plot of land behind classrooms in the grounds of Bogangar Public School.
With the gardens now established, Bogangar principal Cath Lalor said the students were now becoming more and more involved.
She said Costa had come up with several good ideas and had offered to come back and help plant a group of mulberry trees to create an outdoor classroom.
The community garden will be on display at the Bogangar Fiesta – the school’s fete, to be held from 1pm to 8pm on Friday 18 October.
Garden committee chairwoman Karen Anderson said it would be a great chance for members of the community to come along and look at what was happening in the garden.
