By Alistair Gray
Here is a good news story about a fabulous small group of volunteers working quietly away in the background and giving back by the truckloads to our local community.
The Wallum Action Group Inc., better known to locals as the Bribie Island Community Plant Nursery, is a shining example of all the good things in life: friendship, volunteering, giving back, fun and learning. Not only do they provide an invaluable service to our community through the propagation of plants from seeds and cuttings in their nursery, but they have also developed a business model that enabled them to pass back $96,346 in donations to mostly local Bribie charities last financial year. In any language, this amount is impressive and a sign of these extraordinary volunteers' hard work and dedication. They love playing in the dirt and working with the plants and everything they do.
“We are all here to do one little thing and that’s to help other people out,” the group’s president David Wearne said.
They do this in many ways. For example, small things like buying new jackets and shirts for the swimming club, helping the soccer club with trophies, rugby league, lots of little things for them, one of the dragon boat club’s new shirts, another a canopy and the other club some paddles. They regularly help supply food for Wildlife Rescue and the Neighbourhood house, funds for chaplaincy, tents, sleeping bags and ground sheets for the Neighbourhood Centre, a scoreboard for the junior rugby club, help with people experiencing homelessness and domestic violence, computers for the Voices Choral Group and the swim club, Rotary and mental health, Topsy Turvy Dance Scholarship, fencing for the Beachmere Community Garden, a gazebo and blower for the netball club and many more things too numerous to mention. About 55% goes towards sporting activities and 35% to other things. The nursery also has supported Camp Quality for more than 20 years.
“The work the Community Plant Nursery does is awesome,” Councillor Brooke Savige said. “They provide much-needed help to many groups on Bribie who would struggle to survive without the financial support from the nursery.”
The nursery started in 1990, 33 years ago, as a straight native nursery. Their first project being the Bibimulya Walk, now the John Ward Walk. John Ward was one of the early founders of the group who sadly passed away about six years ago. His wife Millie is a life member of the group, still lives on the Island and calls in occasionally.
No one knows the origins of the name Wallum Action Group, but Wallum is the name of the area that runs from Bribie to Coolum. The group used to do a lot of business with the council, however David said they don’t use a lot of native plants these days.
“Then, we would propagate about 2000 tube stocks a day and deliver up to 8000 plants in tubes when the council was into propagating the area. We still do a bit of work with Bushcare repropagating the beach areas. The council today is more into using established plants,” David said.
There are 39 volunteers in the group, with a range of ages, most retired, who have the time and are interested in plants. There are no fancy horticulture degrees in the group, but shared experiences from many of the volunteers' gardens and of course lots of trial and error as they discover the optimal way to propagate the plants. They constantly seek volunteers who love working with the plants, are prepared to learn and get on with everyone.
“I just like seeing the plants grow; it is very therapeutic most of the time,” Lyn, a 15-year volunteer, said.
“I am newly retired. My mum volunteered for seven years. I love the fresh air and learning about the plants. It is a lovely way to get involved with the community and the people who come here,” Katrina, a new inductee and second-generation volunteer, said.
One thing that impressed me during my visit was how sustainably the nursery operates with a worm farm, bee hives for pollination and how they recycle and create new soil from the plant waste and lawn cuttings. They source their plants from three or four places between the Island and the north coast.
David said they grow plants from seedlings, some from cuttings and a lot is donated to the group. Behind the public areas are large nursery beds with plants in various growth stages that are carefully cared for by the team in preparation for sale. There is also a garden growing a range of vegetables and some bananas for the volunteers. If you haven’t visited the community nursery and are looking for plants, you should check it out. They are located right next to the Orchard House on First Avenue and they are open Tuesday - Sunday, 9am - 12pm.
Have you got your FREE plant?
The City of Moreton Bay Council offers one free native plant voucher per financial year to property owners of residential properties. The voucher can be redeemed from community nurseries, including the Bribie Island Community Plant Nursery, for either four tube stock or two medium-sized or one large pot. The nursery staff will help you select when you redeem your voucher. First, though, you need to apply for your free native plant voucher by going to www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/Services/Environment/Nurseries