Charlie's Garden A Make A Wish Project

Image supplied by RainBird

Smart technologies for smart irrigation

Remote access to important information has never been more important.

Life has been revolutionised by advancements in technologies that allow us to communicate information, from anywhere. These smart technologies feature a great modern design that allows for multiple communication modes and almost infinite functionality, thanks to their ability to connect to and communicate via the internet. These smarts apply to indoor environments and are designed for use in the outdoors. This includes access to water, energy, security, and operations.

The irrigation industry, whilst slow to get started, is now on par with technologies that are smart, automated, and work harmoniously with nature. During an irrigation season, up to 40% of total household water consumption can go directly to the landscape. Smartbased technologies are the only sensible way forward.

By integrating smart technology and equipment into an irrigation system we can save water, money and time, and be confident that we are applying the right amount of water at the appropriate frequency, giving the landscape every opportunity to prosper.

Some features of these smart irrigation systems include:

• Receiving input from remote operators, flow meters, weather stations, and rain and moisture sensors • Adjusting watering schedule automatically based on information received • Reporting on operations and providing real-time notifications of flow • Providing remote fault-finding inflow or electrical operations These features make modern smart controllers ideal for any landscape big or small. They can be customised to care for different zones, plants, and social spaces within the same area without sacrificing water and energy efficiency or affecting plant performance.

These ground-breaking irrigation technologies have opened a new world of remote operation, problemsolving, and maintenance for service crews. Where an irrigation installer would once have to personally attend a client's property to conduct troubleshooting or adjust scheduling, smart irrigation allows professionals to make the necessary adjustments from anywhere in the world, streamlining the delivery of service for the customer and service crews alike.

Targeted irrigation that is measured and mindful is the only way to ensure that we can prevent wasting our precious resources while still ensuring our landscapes will remain healthy and hydrated for years to come.

We must ensure that the systems that maintain our outdoor spaces remain as efficient as possible in a world where internet-based technologies and automated systems are introduced and improved.

Thank you to the many non-Member businesses who also assisted:

The Fastener Factory Pufferfish Marketing Begleys Backyard Wodonga Wodonga Sand & Soil Larkman Nurseries Humphris Nursery Oasis Horticulture 16 of 44 Vibrated Concrete Products Benalla Benalla Garden Supplies Wang's Best Bakery | Spring / Summper 2021 Bunnings Wangaratta Bunnings Wodonga Riverside Gardens Kiama Wangaratta Steel Supplies Cook's Earthmoving

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E From the blank canvas...... ...emerges Charlie's vision.

Charlie's Garden:

A Make A Wish Project

by Megan Flower

After receiving a phone call in July from Erin Thompson, Wish Designer, at the Make A Wish organisation asking for assistance to find a landscaper in Wangaratta in order to deliver a wish for a little boy called Charlie, I was left scratching my head a little, to be honest.

How on Earth could we make this happen and help this little boy whose sole wish was to have a garden when we had no Members in the town, and everyone was so busy anyway?

The answer was to just ask. The response to any question I asked of any Member was a resounding ‘yes’ when I relayed Charlie’s wish, his brief of all the things he wanted in his garden, and why our delivery of the project would be so important to him, and his family. I also received a ‘yes’ from past Members and non-Members – it was a phenomenal reaction with every call made. Skip forward to the last weekend of October and a merry band of Members from Melbourne and Regional Victoria descended on Charlie’s backyard. In just in two days they built the foundation elements.

The efforts of everyone involved in that build and the wonderful sense of mateship that developed is best summed up by participant Brian Rankin (Life Member) when he wrote to everyone afterwards:

With my weary muscles recovered and my faith in community significantly swelled, I feel a need to personally thank everyone involved in this project.

What a band of giving humans.

From Roy for the design and details to the largely invisible Shane who gave us our perfectly detailed blank canvas, to Zac who led from the front and coordinated every detail, to Brenton and Cade who are not part of our industry (but fit in perfectly) but got involved because they are great humans and dug in for the cause, to Marcus who quietly went about his business without fuss or fanfare, to Anthony who would normally do this type of work with a camera crew in tow but gave up his time to fly under the radar, to Brad and Liam, who gave us all nicknames, hashtags and laughs, to Gideon who gave so much ooomph on both days, to Russ, Mark, Adam and Nicki the team of Sunday Soldiers who completed the detail, to Megan for orchestrating the gig from the outset and keeping the troops fuelled and to Erin and the Make a Wish Foundation, a big thanks.

This to me is what makes life worthwhile.

In the words of Michael Caton, "Do as much good as you can, while you can." That's what we all did and the joy shown by Charlie, Ellie, Merryn and Tony throughout the weekend validates the two way nature of committing to projects like this.

Enormous thanks to the Build Crew:

• Zac Connell - Evergreen G&L Solutions • Brad & Liam Andrews - Brad Andrews Landscaping • Russ Sweetman, Mark, Adam & Nicki - Maroondah

Landscapes • Marcus Stubbs – Branch Landscaping • Anthony – Anthony Scott Landscape Design • Gideon Cox – Ball Australia • Brian Rankin • Ramey and the Hort team from Speciality Trees Benalla who followed up with the planting in dreadfully wet conditions. • And to non-Members without whom the project would not have got off the ground: • Roy Roberts Landscapes – design and plans • Flynn's Landscaping – site clearance • Brenton Simpson & Cade Baker - HC Civil Thanks to the following Member organisations who generously donated goods:

Gardens at Night Bunnings Trade Water Features Direct Rock & Stone Coolabah Turf Mawsons Quarries Speciality Trees Fleming's Nurseries Tall Trees AusFlora Ball Australia Botanix Plant Supply Warners Nurseries Plantmark