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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-06-05 Daily Xml
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Mary Bywaters Memorial Kindergarten

Ms COOK (Hurtle Vale) (15:28): The early years are vital in terms of shaping ideas and embedding habits that lead to a lifetime of learning, establishing relationships and introducing our little ones to a wide and diverse world. Before coming into parliament, I was involved in leading mentoring programs that targeted young people who often do not get the best start to life. I worked with individuals and groups of kids, offering opportunities to learn and be attached to positive role models.

When a meal was served to the participants of this program, it was evident that many of them had not eaten very much fresh food let alone understood where it came from. Workers would often tell me that many of the kids they supported ate only yellow junk food that came from a box, ostensibly highly processed rubbish, but given the chance these kids would fill up on veggies and other fresh food. Choice is important for opportunity.

Over this past weekend, I was delighted to attend the Mary Bywaters Memorial Kindergarten in Old Reynella as they officially opened their newly constructed community garden. Mary Bywaters Memorial Kindergarten has been providing a kindy service to their local area for over 65 years. It was established as the first-ever kindergarten in the area by its namesake, Mary Bywaters, who herself was an educator. I am sure that this trailblazing professional of the 1950s would be pleased with the principles of the kindy that prioritise relationships with families, continuous improvement, quality learning, equity and access, all underpinned by accountability through reporting, evaluation and review.

The kindy is a really lovely place to visit, with director, Kerry, and her team keen to show off the lovely shady play areas and interesting gardens, which are on a couple of levels, so they provide a great space for children to explore. Last year when I visited, there was an area of paving that had really poor drainage, and a basketball ring and backboard.

Wind the clock forward a year. I was approached by a colleague, Lisa Mrowka, and her husband, Shaun, who are both present today in the gallery. They have a young family and an emerging business, TFM Property Services. They wanted to give back to the community and really make a difference. Their vision was to offer grants to schools and kindys to build gardens that could be used as a learning space for children.

Mary Bywaters was the chosen recipient from an application process, which included, with the department's blessing, all DECS kindys and schools being invited to apply for the community gardens grant. The application required nominating a member from the school's community who would help facilitate, along with the site manager's approval, and recognise the requirement of the willing and able staff and parent community to support the longevity of the garden. There were 17 applicants and four were short-listed from schools and kindys. There were also several inquiries from private sectors. I understand there is a growing list of people who require assistance to develop these gardens.

The purpose of the community garden is to promote healthy and sustainable living; connect and engage the wider community to the kindy or school; engage the older members of the community in programs involved around the garden, such as planting and harvesting days and cooking and special morning teas utilising the produce; give a purpose and platform to the benefits of cross-generational engagement; provide students with a visual and hands-on experience to promote healthy living; and, at a grassroots level, give at-risk students a sense of belonging and school pride by experiencing the fruits of their labour. I understand from Kerry, the director, that they might like to get a trolley and take the produce around to the local community and actually make some dollars, which I think would be fabulous.

The grant was not just financial but included the supply, delivery and installation of a sustainable and functional garden filled with edible produce: fruits, vegetables, herbs and also an area dedicated to Indigenous bush tucker. They had a pilot program in 2016 at a Morialta school, Athelstone primary, I believe, which was very successful. A member of the teaching staff spoke of her experiences in the garden:

The same students I find needing continued redirection and refocus during class learning have organically become the leaders of this project. They have responded extremely well to the physical and visual aspects of the learning experience and relish in showing off their garden to parents, friends and other visitors to the school.

I understand engaging local groups, such as Kiwanis, Lions and aged-care facilities is in the vision as well. During this official opening on the weekend, the kindergarten director spoke of her excitement and the roster of local groups that she is looking to engage. I congratulate TFM management. I congratulate the local community, the kindergarten, the parents and the families on this great initiative and I call on members to support this great program.

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