SCHOOLS visiting Brisbane Catholic Education’s Ngutana-Lui Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Studies Centre at Inala can now enjoy the fruits of a new bush tucker garden.
The landscaped garden came about as a result of a partnership between Ngutana-Lui and the local Murri Alliance, who initiated the project to help local indigenous people gain a certificate II in Conservation in Land Management.
Centre co-ordinator Maxine Zealey said earlier this year she was approached by Murri Alliance General Manager Patricia Conlon to discuss the possibility of using the grounds of the centre to run a training program for the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community within Inala.
The agreement with the Murri Alliance and the CaLM (Conservation and Land Management) Training was that all individuals involved with the initiative develop a community garden in partnerships with programs offered to schools and their students.
Maxine said one of the great things about the program was the fact many of the trainees were related to the original members of the Aboriginal and Islander Catholic Council who helped set up the centre in 1989.
She said the Aboriginal elder representative for the program Bill Bonner was also one of the first cultural tutors at Ngutana-Lui.
Kate Greenwood, representing John Pearson Consulting and Look Now Training and Employment in partnership with Sun-shine Coast TAFE, led the course, introducing the trainees to sustainable land management practices and helping identify suitable trees and shrubs for the garden.
Maxine said feedback from the Inala community about the initiative was positive.
“They are so very happy that they have the opportunity to be involved with the Ngutana-Lui Centre again and are hopeful that this is the beginning of a long strong collaborative partnership as it was in the past,” she said.
