For the past four months Concord Hospital volunteers and students from Rosebank College in Five Dock, have been getting down and dirty to create a verdant cottage garden surrounding Concord Hospital’s Survivorship Centre.
The Survivorship Centre provides health classes and psychological support to people who have survived Cancer.
The students and volunteers, led by teacher Ms Joan Sinclair, made the most of a Junior Landcare Grant by completely re-vegetating the Centre’s garden. Activities included rejuvanting the poor soil, planting herbs and Indigenous plants, as well as landscaping the space to convey the idea of “the circle of life.”
The students have been overjoyed to see many earthworms, a family of magpies and even a blue-tongue lizard move in!
Survivorship Centre Volunteer Karen Rivers, who helped established the centre in May of this year, says that the Circle of Life team has worked above and beyond her expectations.
“Joan Sinclair’s commitment to the students, her loyalty and confidentiality is so heartfelt and Joan is very much a hands on gardener, helping with every aspect in the development of the Cancer Survivorship Centre Circles of Life garden areas,” Karen said.
“Being here every second Sunday morning together for three hours with this team of wonderful students, we have created a lovely space,” she said.
- You can visit the garden at the Survivorship Centre by going to Gate 4 of Concord Hospital on Nullawarra Rd. To find out more about the Centre’s services visit: www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/concord/cancer/survivorship.html