Garden volunteers keep the colour in Hawks Nest park Myall Coast Myall Coast by News Of The Area - Modern Media - May 31, 2023May 31, 2023 Jane Collinson, Lorraine Fraser, Kath and John Verdon with new plants in the park. BOTANICAL beauty is not easy, but the dedication of the Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Volunteer Garden Group has lovingly tended the beds and plants around the park beside Hawks Nest Community Hall. When the Group first met in October, 2020, during the depths of the pandemic, it was for one simple reason. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “The park was looking a bit neglected,” said Kath Verdon of the Volunteer Garden Group. “We recognised it as the centre of town, and decided to do something about it.” The park sits on the busy nexus of Booner Street and Tuloa Avenue, with significant vehicular and pedestrian traffic passing by, especially in peak holiday times. Visitors to Hawks Nest shops are pleasantly rewarded for their ambulatory efforts with a striking display of native and introduced flora. “It is lovely to see people enjoying the open space in the holidays, especially when the kangaroo paws are blooming,” the Group’s Lorraine Fraser told NOTA. While glorious natives like kangaroo paws, grevilleas, lilly-pillies and the ‘fan-flower’ flaunt natural bush colours beneath the giant gums, their winter dullness is augmented by ornamental pansies and marigolds. The planter boxes outside the Hawks Nest shops are also tended by the Garden Volunteers, adding a touch of colour to the concrete footpath and shop front facades. “The marigolds also happen to keep the pests away with their smells,” Ms Fraser added. “We want to thank Kaye Simpson, from First National Real Estate, and the ‘early morning coffee people’ who help maintain the planter boxes,” Ms Verdon affirmed. “A big thanks also goes to the MidCoast Council, for helping out with tools and plants, and especially Steve Howard for going above and beyond to help us keep this space gorgeous,” Ms Verdon and Ms Fraser agreed. The Garden Group meets every second Tuesday at 8:30am outside the Community Hall, with regulars Kath and John Verdon, Lorraine Fraser, Jane and Laurie Collinson, Jim Bastian, Kris Lisle, Di Sweeney welcoming people to join in the work for nature’s beauty. By Thomas O’KEEFE Lorraine hard at work on a new garden bed. Pansies add colour in winter. Lorraine and Kath thank Kaye Simpson (centre) for help with the shop path boxes. Marigolds add colour in winter, and keep the pests away. Brilliant kangaroo paws line the footpath and park in summer.
