Community garden in Highbury, Australia, marks 30-year history
In Highbury, a suburb of Adelaide, Australia, 88-year-old Mario Minuzzo is celebrating the 30-year history of the Pioneer Court Community Garden. The community garden was established in 1996: growing interest from neighbours helped transform a neglected plot in Aqueduct Reserve into a shared space for growing plants and socialising.
According to ABC News Australia, Minuzzo initially received permission to mow and maintain the land behind his home. He said the impetus was an incident when a red-bellied black snake entered the house, where children were present, on Christmas morning.
The garden as a place for socialising
Minuzzo, who is of Italian heritage, wanted to create a space resembling an Italian piazza, where people meet, socialise and share stories. The garden occupies just under one hectare of land leased from the Department of Environment and Water and is among the larger community gardens in the state.
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It has more than 40 plots, 75 members, and nearly 400 fruit and nut trees and vines. Among the crops grown there are pomegranates, bananas, grapes and macadamias. Community members represent different generations and cultures and have varying gardening experience; long-standing members share their knowledge with those who are only beginning gardening.
Charity and new plans
In 2022, Marina Birch became the garden's chair, replacing Minuzzo in the role. She noted that retirees play an important role in the community's work, while its members also include young families, people who have not yet retired, and people from different countries.
Members grow part of their produce for charity, while surplus fruit and vegetables are donated to the Pathway Community Centre. The centre works with OzHarvest, which helps provide food to families needing support. In 2022, the garden received the City of Tea Tree Gully Australia Day Award as the outstanding community group of the year. The community also plans to establish a native plant nursery to restore areas affected by an invasion of giant pine scale.
