Visit to Reedy Creek Nursery

National Reconciliation Week offers us all a chance, look at all these amazing Indigenous people, initiatives, and cultures that are available for the whole country to enjoy and engage with. The planting of a bush tucker garden has seen the St Malachy’s school students engage in a very positive way with the knowledge of our aboriginal communities.
On the 30th of May the students took part in a landcare activity to visit Reedy Creek Nursery. At the nursery students learnt about the propagation and cultivation of bush tucker plants and were then able to taste a variety of jams and relishes, fresh and frozen fruits, sauces, herbs and spices direct from the kitchen. These delicious treats were made at the nursery. Students returned to school with a bus full of bush tucker plants to plant in their own bush tucker garden on the north end of the school.

Reconciliation is about recognising what Indigenous people have been through, the struggle that they’re still facing but also how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians can work together, come together and make this a really unique country that works in harmony and shares knowledge and cultures. Reedy Creek nursery is an amazing example of a positive partnerships being formed with indigenous communities.

The Outback Pride Project was created by Mike and Gayle Quarmby. It was born from a need to take a positive journey following the tragic loss of a 20 year old son. They wanted to make a difference in the lives of other young people, and felt that the most at need were the indigenous youth on remote communities. The nursery uses a mixture of indigenous knowledge and their own knowledge of plant propagation to grow bush tucker seedlings. These are then returned to remote aboriginal communities where they are planted and grown. The plants harvested and return to the nursery where they are turned into products ready for sale to the public and restaurants.

The bush tucker garden and the excursion to Reedy Creek Nursery have been funded by the Wimmera Catchment Management Authority and Reconciliation Victoria.

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