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Growing community through gardening

29 September 2015
Growing community through gardening

David Slee officiating the opening of the community garden at Mingara Club.


Salvo David Slee is hoping a recently launched community garden project will give him more opportunities to build relationships in his role as a chaplain at the Mingara Recreation Club on the NSW Central Coast. 

David was introduced to the club three years ago as part of a pilot chaplaincy program to combat the growing problem of gambling addiction in clubs, particularly in relation to poker machines. 

“I have been building relationships and doing chaplaincy at Mingara for three years now, and I began to want a different space for engaging with patrons, staff and the community,” David says. “I thought a community garden was a good concept as it could engage the club community and give me an opportunity to interact with people who might not interact with the chaplaincy program.” 

The community garden was launched on 11 September and interest from staff and the community has been positive. Four large, raised garden beds were planted with seedlings, with all costs covered by the Mingara club. 

“The garden produce will be for the community to use,” David says. “Anyone who is involved with the garden can just come and grab some herbs or a handful of tomatoes – it is open as a community resource. 

“There are lots of families that come to the club and I like the idea that they can bring the kids down and have a look, take some fresh healthy food home and try something different. We are composting a lot of the kitchen scraps from the restaurant of the club as well, so we are reducing the landfill waste in that respect, which is a positive.” 

A passionate gardener, David is excited about the opportunities and connections that the garden may bring. He also has plans to expand the garden. 

“I want this to be a space where we can grow plants and grow community,” he says. “It's something that adds an extra level of community engagement and depth of relationship for people, both the staff and the patrons at the club, and also the local community. It’s another way to raise the profile of the chaplaincy program within the club and the local community and engage a different audience and demographic.” 

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