Friendship and learning flourish alongside the plants at the Wonthaggi Seed Bank and Nursery.
Text: Catherine Watson
Photos: Julie Paterson
TO VISIT the Wonthaggi Seed Bank and Nursery on a Wednesday morning is to enter a busy, happy space. Most of the volunteer crew are approaching their twilight years, but any aches and pains are soon forgotten as they focus on the tasks at hand.
They come from Wonthaggi, Inverloch and Cape Paterson but they also come from Bena, Venus Bay, Kilcunda, Korumburra, Leongatha and further afield.
By the time they arrive at the nursery there’s a list of tasks on the board: shelling seeds, sorting, storing, sowing, pricking out, planting cuttings, pruning, watering and collating orders that will be used by Landcare and others to replant the hills and valleys of Bass Coast and South Gippsland that our industrious predecessors cleared so thoroughly.
Photos: Julie Paterson
TO VISIT the Wonthaggi Seed Bank and Nursery on a Wednesday morning is to enter a busy, happy space. Most of the volunteer crew are approaching their twilight years, but any aches and pains are soon forgotten as they focus on the tasks at hand.
They come from Wonthaggi, Inverloch and Cape Paterson but they also come from Bena, Venus Bay, Kilcunda, Korumburra, Leongatha and further afield.
By the time they arrive at the nursery there’s a list of tasks on the board: shelling seeds, sorting, storing, sowing, pricking out, planting cuttings, pruning, watering and collating orders that will be used by Landcare and others to replant the hills and valleys of Bass Coast and South Gippsland that our industrious predecessors cleared so thoroughly.
There are over 200 species on the nursery plant list, all grown from seed harvested locally by a dedicated crew. Over the past few years they’ve been focusing on locally endangered plants. This year they’re also growing 10,000 wetland plants to meet a growing demand from people moving onto small acreages.
Lorraine and Will Nordern have been coming from Venus Bay since 2012. Lorraine, who is revered for her botanical knowledge, collates the orders.
“Plants are my passion,” she says. “I just love it. It’s very therapeutic to work with like-minded people. We’re very lucky with our volunteers, the sort of people attracted to this kind of work.”
Lorraine and Will Nordern have been coming from Venus Bay since 2012. Lorraine, who is revered for her botanical knowledge, collates the orders.
“Plants are my passion,” she says. “I just love it. It’s very therapeutic to work with like-minded people. We’re very lucky with our volunteers, the sort of people attracted to this kind of work.”
Susan Peel, the current nursery president, credits the plants with keeping the peace and avoiding the personality clashes that often test community groups. “No one is more important than the plants. They keep us all on our toes. They keep it low key.”
Susan knew little about plants when she began volunteering here eight or nine years ago. “I worked in health administration, so I do all the data now, which is right up my alley. But you can't work with plants and not actually learn something about them.
“This is a happy place. We have a laugh. I get a lot of joy, I get a lot of satisfaction and I'm learning. I'm learning a whole new area that I knew nothing about in my work career.
“It’s also given me a network of friends. That’s one of the hardest things when you move into an area. There are some fabulous people here.”
Susan knew little about plants when she began volunteering here eight or nine years ago. “I worked in health administration, so I do all the data now, which is right up my alley. But you can't work with plants and not actually learn something about them.
“This is a happy place. We have a laugh. I get a lot of joy, I get a lot of satisfaction and I'm learning. I'm learning a whole new area that I knew nothing about in my work career.
“It’s also given me a network of friends. That’s one of the hardest things when you move into an area. There are some fabulous people here.”
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Jim Ahon had always been interested in plants but never tried propagating. After 18 months at the Wonthaggi nursery, learning from Lorraine and others, he started his own nursery, up in the Bena hills. He now has his own team of volunteers who turn up every Monday, but Jim still joins the crew at Wonthaggi each week. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Debbie Williams from Inverloch credits her weekly nursery fix with maintaining her sanity – in combination with a daily swim at Cape Paterson all year round. |
Join the crew The Wonthaggi Seedbank and Nursery welcomes volunteers who are willing to learn and to get their hands dirty. There are also admin jobs so people with varied experience can find a place on the team. They meet on Wednesdays from 9.30am to noon. The seed collectors head out each Monday from 9-11am. Inquiries: [email protected]. |
Mike Tesch is a retired nurseryman. “I’ve done retail. This is much better. Plants are easy. People are hard.” As he speaks, he’s cutting back prickly moses seedlings that have grown too leggy. “I’m the mug who does what no one else wants to do,” he says cheerfully.