THE HAPPY HENS
Our Projects.
Our shovels hit the dirt in Bedlam Bay Community Garden in 2016 thanks to Tegan Burton at NSW National Park and Wildlife Services. We built a pretty little garden and have met lovely locals there. We held our first event "Bedlam at the Bay" for mental health awareness in October 2018 and are planning the 2019 event. We commenced building Henley Green Community Garden with the support of Hunters Hill Council and our first seasonal working bee was in November 2018. It has become very productive very quickly. JOIN US.
Henley Green Community Garden
Hunters Hill Council granted The Happy Hens a 2-year lease in 2018 for half an old bowling green at Henley Community Centre to build a community garden.
We received funding from Hunters Hill Council in 2018 to buy materials for raised garden beds. We have arranged delivery of woodchip mulch from local arborists happy to deposit their load for free. We have collected coffee grounds and husks from local cafes and pony poo from Randwick Racecourse to mix with the composting woodchips. Thus beginning to create a growing medium.
We are planning our next seasonal working bee in November 2019. Join us on Sunday from 1-4pm, date tba.
Bedlam Bay Community Garden
National Parks & Wildlife Services NSW granted us permission in 2016 to build a community garden on a strip of land at Bedlam Bay between the old Gladesville Hospital site and the Parramatta River. We received funding from Hunters Hill Council in 2017 to buy food-plant-safe timber sleepers and NPWS blokes built our first raised garden beds. We shoveled away contaminated soil and a Local Land Council grant paid for new soil in the geotextile-lined beds. We planted our first food plants bought from The Habitat in Ryde in Spring 2017.
The Habitat donated endemic plants we tucked in at the end of our garden on the river bank connecting the small bird corridor. We freshened up 3 old glace cherry barrels, placed them along the rock face and planted a pomegranate, a finger lime shrub and an olive tree all donated from local families.
We are planning our next seasonal working bee in 2019 date tba.
Bedlam at the Bay
next event is on 27th October 2019
We successfully launched our first community event on 21st October 2018 to enable people to get out for fun and enjoy our beautiful locality and community. On this occasion we dedicated ourselves to help create mental health awareness and de-stigmatise mental illness with all inclusive activities. There was wonderful music by talented local students plus the Mamas choir and a professional jazz combo. There were opportunities to engage with a diverse variety of art, craft, gardening, yoga, massage and sport activities for well-being. Contact booths with Lifeline and Beyond Blue and many others were set up to find out more about the services available for people in need. The Salvation Army coffee van served!
Duke of Ed. volunteers... What next?
We have been fortunate to have 3 boys from Hunters Hill High School volunteer weekly over the last 6 months to help us with the community garden and bushcare too. They have removed masses of weeds like madiera vine and onion weed, watered and mulched with good spirits and muscle, and collected loads of rubbish from the riverside beach, bush and park lands!
BIG THANKS to Dorian, Gabriel and Ben!
We welcome new ideas and all assistance you may be able to offer!