Giselle takes over our editor’s chair
Giselle Gill is our Young Journalist of the Year for St Mary’s School and visited the Grazier office last week for her 60 minutes in the Editor’s chair.
Giselle was very well prepared for the task and did a lot of research beforehand into her chosen subject – the school’s new gardens.
Giselle wrote: I’m 10 years old, and in Year four at St Mary’s School. I live out on a farm called Yeadon where I have three dogs and one cat. I really enjoyed writing this story for the Grazier; it was really fun to do.
My plans for the future are to do well in school and become a vet.
At the start of next year, in February, we will be creating an Aboriginal culture garden at our school. It will be located at the front of our school grounds on the patch of grass near the gate. The school is going to help build the garden along with Country Orientated Landscape Architecture (COLA). Aboriginal culture is very important for the school, not just people who are Aboriginal. Everyone should learn about it, which makes the garden a very good idea. The Aboriginal garden will include a Rainbow serpent statue which will stretch all throughout the garden. We are also making a learning centre where the children can learn about Aboriginal culture and a fire pit which has Wiradjuri symbols: the Yarren tree, biami the creator, and Gugurmin the celestial emu on it. There is also a nature play space with Aboriginal plants, like Saltbush and other native plants which are in Gayini Wetlands and the Hay Plains. It is also incorporating totem sculpture as a focal point and is trying to use storytelling throughout the landscape. Near the start of the year, we had to water all the plants in our garden by hand, but we changed that by getting water tanks.
The idea was first suggested at the start of the year but never really got into motion. But there was so much water going to waste on the roof, we changed it and bought the water tanks and created an irrigation system which watered the garden beds automatically, using rain water. Overall, it was a good idea and I'm happy that it was set into motion.
There are only three garden beds in St Mary’s bush tucker garden with Aboriginal plants in them; Sea Celery, Bush Mint, Bush Thyme and Bush Leeks. It's located behind the peace pole and the main garden. It's green and healthy and hopefully it stays that way. Our school vegetable garden helps us understand and learn how food is produced and it helps us care for the environment and look after plants. Mr Nelson put a wooden border frame around the garden and one of our ex-students, Eddie Murphy, very kindly came in and laid the gravel base for us. We planted vegetables, strawberries, Chinese greens and nasturtium flowers The nettles we need to get rid of! We also have our little Peace Garden as part of our vegetable garden and have already been harvesting veggies for school.
Having a garden is good for our well-being - it helps to keep us grounded. It's good to be learning outdoors and it helps the younger and older students to interact with each other.
Giselle Gill is our Young Journalist of the Year for St Mary’s School and visited the Grazier office last week for her 60 minutes in the Editor’s chair.
