By Annabelle Carolan and Ali Smith
The Narrabri Community Wellness Garden was buzzing last Wednesday as residents gathered to celebrate Australian Pollinator Week.
National Pollinator Week aims to build awareness about the need for pollinators and how we can support them. Pollinators, like bees, carry pollen from plant to plant, which fertilizes them and allows seeds and fruits to grow. Without these pollinators there would be very little food on the
planet.
Bees are often referred to as ‘pollination soldiers’ because of the crucial role they play in agriculture. They are among the most effective pollinators, transferring pollen between flowers, which is essential for the reproduction of many plants. This process boosts crop yields and quality, making bees vital for food production.
The community garden was the perfect place for the Australian Pollinator Week celebration. The garden beds looked glorious brimming with plants, herbs and veggies grown with love and care.
The Doyle Street location is where new connections, conversations and bonds have blossomed since the garden’s official opening in March
last year.
Some of the key residents and local organisations behind the garden’s growth were present for Wednesday’s event along with members of the Narrabri High School’s Garden Club, Narrabri Public School representatives, Noeline Kiss and other Narrabri Garden Club members, mayor Darrell Tiemens and council staff.
With a larger than expected turnout, NSC community events officer Kavina Kumar was successful in ensuring Australian Pollinator Week wasn’t just ‘another event’ on the calendar. Coordinating a memorable morning
filled with fun, friendships and even some facts.
The event brought community members of all ages together including Narrabri Public School’s creative Year 1K students, who provided colourful, recycled garden decorations.
The bright, young students were captivated by the ever-enthusiastic acting manager of parks and open spaces Craig Devine, who passionately shared some interesting and quirky facts with the students, such as:
Bees are noisy because they flap their wings 200 times a second.
Bees can fly up to 30km an hour.
Bees pollinate 80 per cent of flowering plant species.
Bees communicate where flowers are to other bees through dancing.
Queen bees can lay up to 2500 eggs a day.
Of course, an official event wouldn’t be complete without a tree planting ceremony.
Mr Devine assisted mayor Darrell Tiemens and local students with the planting of some beautiful Crepe Myrtle trees.
Narrabri High School Garden Club representatives Lilly Harvey-Woods and Zoe O’Connor impressed the crowd, sharing an update on the NHS garden and outdoor learning space.
Cr Tiemens told The Courier the gathering was a great way to educate people and spread awareness, explaining attendees would likely share snippets of what they learnt and enjoyed about the day with family and friends.
“This is about pollinators and promoting beneficial insects, of all of all types, and beneficial insects are so critical to Australia’s agricultural industry,” he said.
“Our shire has got a huge agricultural industry, particularly cotton, but we also cover many other parts of agriculture.
“And it’s important that our younger generations and our older generations really value these animals and really understand the importance of pollination.”
When asked about the benefits of growing the community garden and continuing to plant trees Cr Tiemens responded by talking about the concept of ‘green therapy’ explaining how “we all feel better when we’re in our gardens surrounded by things
we love”.
“There is something about the
community and people getting together and working on gardens together,” he added.
Cr Tiemens thanked the dedicated local community members, organisers, attendees, and green thumb enthusiasts for giving their time to bring the garden as well as Wednesday’s event to life.
“Narrabri Shire is a wonderful community, and it’s really underpinned by the work of our wonderful volunteers who just love supporting our community,” he said.
Continuing the spirit of giving, attendees received a companion pot plant to take home after the event, thanks to Narrabri Shire Council. And just when the crowd thought Australian Pollinator Week couldn’t get any sweeter, delicious buzzy bee cupcakes were shared at morning tea.
