Down on the farm - Bass Coast Post

Collecting mallow on Annie's farm

By Daryl Pellizzer

WHAT a brilliant excursion we had to Annie and Paul Chisolm’s farm this week. We arrived to a wondrous welcome by two big wedge tailed eagles flying high above us.

We walked down the paddock and inspected the trees we have planted in the past. They are doing very well, growing and healthy.

Then we proceeded on to the dam area and planted some new little trees around it. Annie showed us how to use the hole diggers.

We cooked some damper, ate lunch and sang together.

Collecting the mallow plant proved to be a popular activity, also picking lemons.

A super thrilling aspect of our excursion to Annie’s farm was the heart felt gratitude and moving choice of English language used by the students to express this on the following day. We played our ball game in room one, with the question of “How was the Excursion?”

It was authentic, for some didn’t come with us the day before. Jihan stood up, caught the ball and launched into lovely answers. She really loved the day.

Linda told us that it was her first trip to any farm, as she had grown up as a city girl and never visited the countryside.

Such beautiful expression. It’s always best to have something real and interesting to communicate with each other about. After all that’s what language is for.

Daryl Pellizzer co-ordinates the Eanglish as an Additional Language program at Bass Coast Adult Learning. This photo essay was first published in his Substack newsletter Wonderful Students Hit the Page.