Watering Roster Dec 2024 to Jan 2025

Once again, this summer’s watering roster is being organized by Vivien Smale and many thanks to members who have already volunteered to help out. If you would like to join the roster, please contact Vivien on 0400 778 668

For those members watering, it is much easier now we have a number of beds under automated irrigation. These beds are clearly identified & don’t need to be watered. The hot house also has an automatic sprinkler system so the plants therein don’t need watering either. Please water the garden beds three to four times during your week. Water the fruit trees 1-2 times for 10 mins to give them a good soaking. All this is weather dependent, of course.

25 Nov to 1 Dec       Martin Drerup

2 Dec   to  8  Dec     Pauline & Paddy Downes

9 Dec   to 15 Dec     Doug & Marjorie McLaine

16 Dec to 22 Dec     John & Pamela Dewhurst

23 Dec to 29 Dec     Jenny Batrouney

30 Dec to 5 Jan       Rob & Julie Everstyen

6 Jan   to 12 Jan      John & Angela Crough

13 Jan to 19 Jan      Lynne Woollard & Vivien Smale

20 Jan to 26 Jan      Marilyn & Manny Cunnington

27 Jan to 2 Feb        Jim & Sue Grigorio

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STREET STALL

Sat 26 October 2024 at the Blairgowrie shops– a sensational result.

What a fabulous day. We had people clamouring to buy as we were setting up. There were 3 raffle prizes due to the incredible generosity of members and local traders.

We raised $929.72!!!

 

We will be able to increase the number of beds under irrigation which will mean less load on those who participate in the watering roster.

 

Please patronise the following local traders as we were overwhelmed by their support by donating items for our raffle: 

• Meat Heath butchers

• Blairgowrie Pharmacy

• Sorrento Collective

• Blairgowrie Café

• Bibs n Boon

• Bunnings West Rosebud

• IGA Blairgowrie

• Glenvue Nursery

• MPS nursery at The Briars

• Aqua Growers

 

Thanks also to our organisers, members and friends who baked, grew plants and made items for sale and those who helped out on the day.

Raffle prize winners were: Anne van Veen (1st), Petrina (2nd), Gail Hood (3rd). 

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Ride around the Bay Sunday 6 October 2024

 

12 hardy souls were marshalls for the Sorrento/Portsea leg of the United Energy Ride around the Bay organised by Bicycle Victoria. In return, Bicycle Victoria made a generous donation to our garden of $900.  Luckily the weather was kind. Our thanks to the following people who stood for about 3 hours directing bicycle traffic. Luckily they were in pairs and had someone to talk to as I expect the cyclists weren’t looking for a chat!

 

Norm O’Bryan, Marc Bouten, Marilyn Cunnington, Jennifer Batrouney, Deb Olive, Peter Turnbull, Anne and Ged van Veen, Libby and Tony Weir, Penny Doery and her friend Petrina (who isn’t a member but won 2nd prize in the street stall raffle)

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Other news:​​​

• We are starting up a Thursday garden pottering group. There are members who can't make it on weekends and just feel like spending an hour or so in the garden doing odd jobs. It's always better working with other people so please come along and give a hand maintaining our garden. Thursday mornings 9am to 11am

• If anyone has any rusty old tools or farm implements that would look good hanging on our fence collection we would welcome them. Please drop them at the garden.

• Members and all local residents are reminded you can bring down your home kitchen green waste and drop it off at the garden into our compost bays or in the green bin at the gate; leaves and very small stuff from your garden is good but please no branches or woody materials. And the green plastic bags the council supply may break down in a professional composting situation but not in our compost bays.

 

Key Safe

We use a key safe to contain the keys to the pavilion. The old key safe on the gate has been replaced with a wall mounted version fixed to the pavilion under cover next to the door. It uses the same code as the gate padlock.​

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Working Bees

We now hold working bees for all members at the garden on the 1st Sunday of every month starting at 10 am to noon.

We finish with morning tea in the garden if the weather is suitable, otherwise in the pavilion. Members are welcome to bring a plate.​

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Your Committee:

Our annual meeting was held on 13 October 2024 and the committee and office bearers remain unchanged with the exception of Jane Woolnough who has moved further away and has stepped down. We are grateful for Jane's contribution and look forward to seeing her at the garden.

They are

President:    Wendy Turner

Vice President:   Tony Weir

Secretary:   Libby Weir  

Treasurer – Warwick Watson 

General committee members:

• Vivien Smale    

• Penny Doery

• Anne van Veen  

• Deb Olive

• Christine Seedsman

• Marilyn Cunnington

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Sub-Committees:

Our General Committee now has an enthusiastic group of members, however if you would like to help out we are always looking for members to join our sub-committees. You do not need to be on the General Committee.

Please contact Wendy Turner (wendyturner22@gmail.com) if you would like to assist.

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Your Committee meets every month.

Please note the Committee will have an agenda to work through, but we want this to be an inclusive group and all members are welcome to attend Committee Meetings. Please contact our President Wendy Turner prior to the meeting if you wish to attend.

 

Communication to Members​

All our communication is via email. We do not post out anything. It is your responsibility to keep your email contact details with us up to date. Please send any amendments to bcgveggies@gmail.com

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Garden Rules

The Committee have drawn up a simple set of Garden Rules:

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• All plots are communal and major gardening decisions will be made by consensus of the committee and members.

• Tools must be cleaned and put away when not in use and if any tools or areas are damaged, please contact a committee member.

• Children to be supervised.

• No smoking inside the garden area or pavilion.

• No dogs allowed

• Ensure premises are locked when leaving.

• We respect the environment and do not use any harmful chemicals to control weeds and pests.

• Settle any dispute through calm discussion and goodwill. If issue remains unsolved the committee will have final decision.

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These rules will be on display in the pavilion.​​

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Membership stays $20 per family for 2024/2025 year

 

Our $20 household membership fee remains unchanged.  Our membership year runs from 1st September to 31st August each year. All members are asked to pay their new years subs via direct bank deposit. The gate access code will be changed on 18th November 2024 and next year the code will be changed on 1st November 2025.

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Existing members: you do not need to fill in a new membership form. Please just pay via direct bank transfer to:

Bendigo Bank bsb 633 000      account number: 167642008

account name: Blairgowrie Community Garden.

Make sure you add your name to the bank transfer.

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New Members: please click the "Join Us" tab on this website and complete the online application form and pay your $20 fee.

 

Thank you for your support of the community garden.  We look forward to your membership renewal.

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Use of the Pavilion​

Included in our lease with Council we have the rights to use the old tennis pavilion. 

Access to the pavilion is via keys which are in the key safe next to the pavilion door. The key safe uses the same 4 digit code as the garden access gate.

It is our responsibility to keep it clean and tidy. The kitchen has a kettle and the Garden provides tea bags and instant coffee so please help yourself. There is a fridge in the kitchen but it is not feasible for the Garden to supply fresh milk, so please bring your own or check in the cupboard as there may be long life milk there.

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There is a first aid kit and sunscreen in the kitchen. During working bees and open days over summer members are reminded to use the sunscreen. There is also a big supply of hand sterilizer in the pavilion which was donated to us.

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Access to our garden

All members have been supplied with the code for the padlock which allows access to the garden. Some members have had trouble opening the padlock. Some of that is caused by the previous person locking the gate; please ensure that the "Master" brand name is facing up when the lock is closed. Otherwise it will be upside down for the next person.

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If you have the correct 4 digit code you will not need to force the padlock, but it does not pop open, just a gentle pull. If you are having problem opening the lock here is a short video. For the purpose of this video only, the code is 1161. It is not the actual current code.