JOY BUTTON delves into Coronet Bay’s history and discovers some wonderful characters, not least among a new garden group, the Horticultural Healers.
AT 6am on a hot summer’s day, you’ll often find Tom down at Coronet Bay’s community garden watering the seedlings.
Tom is proof that at 80 years you can still contribute to the area in which you live. A shy and retiring man, he has been an integral and active part of the Coronet Bay community for the past 17 years.
He remains a working member for the market as well as baking his signature biscuits, which literally sell like hot cakes. His one concession to his years is that he has passed on to others the onerous job of erecting the market signs.
Since the garden group – known as the Horticultural Healers – was started almost a year ago, Tom has worked tirelessly to develop the gardens surrounding the hall. He has helped dig the ground, move in fresh soil, plant seedlings, mulch the plants, weed the garden bed and on hot days is at the hall by 6am to water the seedlings.
Tom has been known to abscond to parts unknown and mysteriously return with plants he has purchased for his much-loved garden. He had set his heart on relocating a beloved pink geranium that was outgrowing its pot at home. The garden group’s brief was that the garden should be made up of native flora but the team reached a compromise: the geranium would be rehoused in an out-of-the-way spot, a windy and desolate part of the garden where the odds of survival were poor. Remarkably, the pink geranium flowered vigorously during the depths of our terrible winter this August.
The small group of volunteers in the garden group are discovering the joy of community gardening. It’s amazing how much you learn amid the companionship and laughter.
The group welcome others to join them. You don’t have to be able to weed and dig as there are many less physically demanding roles you can undertake while joining in the fun and experience of creating a place of lasting beauty in our community.
They also need people to advise on propagating plants, to plan and develop future planting, and to source supplies such as unwanted soil, mulch and plants.
In its short history, Coronet Bay has been home to some amazing people who have given freely to the community.
Fred Gration was in his 80s when he stood in front of the banksia grove on the Coronet Bay foreshore to save it from a bulldozer sent by the developer David Wise.
Fred lived to 100 years and never stopped working for the community. He raised $20,000 selling old bottles and newspapers to begin building works for the current Coronet Bay Hall. He also rescued a couple of ageing racehorses and housed them at Coronet Bay to live out their retirement days in contentment.
Fred’s spirit lives on in that banksia grove, the hall and the adjoining reserve, which has been named after him.
Ken Nicholls was another tireless worker for the community. During the 24 years he lived in Coronet Bay he repaired and built items within the hall, including a set of cupboards in the storeroom. Houdini himself could not have overcome the locking system that Ken installed on the cupboards, and these cupboards still stand today.
In his garden shed, he also made the square egg “rings” for the egg and bacon sandwiches at the Coronet Bay market. It was certainly easier to slide the square eggs between the bread slices.
A seat has been installed on the edge of the garden bed at the hall to honour Ken’s tireless work and contribution to the Coronet Bay community.
The Coronet Bay garden team continues in the footsteps of Fred and Ken. They meet each Tuesday, from 9.30am-12.30pm, depending on weather conditions and the stamina of the team. If you would like to check out the team, come on down or call 5678 0602.
Tom is proof that at 80 years you can still contribute to the area in which you live. A shy and retiring man, he has been an integral and active part of the Coronet Bay community for the past 17 years.
He remains a working member for the market as well as baking his signature biscuits, which literally sell like hot cakes. His one concession to his years is that he has passed on to others the onerous job of erecting the market signs.
Since the garden group – known as the Horticultural Healers – was started almost a year ago, Tom has worked tirelessly to develop the gardens surrounding the hall. He has helped dig the ground, move in fresh soil, plant seedlings, mulch the plants, weed the garden bed and on hot days is at the hall by 6am to water the seedlings.
Tom has been known to abscond to parts unknown and mysteriously return with plants he has purchased for his much-loved garden. He had set his heart on relocating a beloved pink geranium that was outgrowing its pot at home. The garden group’s brief was that the garden should be made up of native flora but the team reached a compromise: the geranium would be rehoused in an out-of-the-way spot, a windy and desolate part of the garden where the odds of survival were poor. Remarkably, the pink geranium flowered vigorously during the depths of our terrible winter this August.
The small group of volunteers in the garden group are discovering the joy of community gardening. It’s amazing how much you learn amid the companionship and laughter.
The group welcome others to join them. You don’t have to be able to weed and dig as there are many less physically demanding roles you can undertake while joining in the fun and experience of creating a place of lasting beauty in our community.
They also need people to advise on propagating plants, to plan and develop future planting, and to source supplies such as unwanted soil, mulch and plants.
In its short history, Coronet Bay has been home to some amazing people who have given freely to the community.
Fred Gration was in his 80s when he stood in front of the banksia grove on the Coronet Bay foreshore to save it from a bulldozer sent by the developer David Wise.
Fred lived to 100 years and never stopped working for the community. He raised $20,000 selling old bottles and newspapers to begin building works for the current Coronet Bay Hall. He also rescued a couple of ageing racehorses and housed them at Coronet Bay to live out their retirement days in contentment.
Fred’s spirit lives on in that banksia grove, the hall and the adjoining reserve, which has been named after him.
Ken Nicholls was another tireless worker for the community. During the 24 years he lived in Coronet Bay he repaired and built items within the hall, including a set of cupboards in the storeroom. Houdini himself could not have overcome the locking system that Ken installed on the cupboards, and these cupboards still stand today.
In his garden shed, he also made the square egg “rings” for the egg and bacon sandwiches at the Coronet Bay market. It was certainly easier to slide the square eggs between the bread slices.
A seat has been installed on the edge of the garden bed at the hall to honour Ken’s tireless work and contribution to the Coronet Bay community.
The Coronet Bay garden team continues in the footsteps of Fred and Ken. They meet each Tuesday, from 9.30am-12.30pm, depending on weather conditions and the stamina of the team. If you would like to check out the team, come on down or call 5678 0602.