FARM YARNS Summer 2012
We would like to acknowledge generous support from the following organisations:
The Collingwood Children’s Farm are proud to acknowledge the Wurundjeri of the Kulin Federation as the traditional owners of the Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands, the land we respect, care for and farm on behalf of all Victorians. The Farm thanks all Wurundjeri Elders past and present, for their guardianship of these lands.
Farm Patron - Mrs Elizabeth Chernov, Government House
2012-13 Committee of Management Cheryl Cameron
Mikyla Hart
Netta McArthur (Pres.)
Helen Semmler (Sec.)
Lachlan Fitch
Pip Hay
Lily O’Neill
Greg Sparks (V.Pres.)
Richard Ginsburg (Treas.)
Jane Ogilvie
Lachlan Turner
Cr Stephen Jolly
Alex Walker (Farm Manager) Farm Yarns is a quarterly publication from the Collingwood Children’s Farm (CCF). The CCF, a not-for-profit, educational small-holding city farm was established in 1979 as a “country experience for city folk”. The Farm is sited on the Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands, the oldest continually farmed land in Victoria (since 1836). The CCF is guided by a Committee of Management, elected annually. Front Cover photo - First chicks of the 2012-2013 hatching season (image by Sev Darwell) Rear Cover photo - Christmas Day on the Farm (image by Andrew Phillips)
3
Farm Manager
Alex Walker
Managers Report Wow, talk about swings and roundabouts with
fully develop an appreciation of their needs
the weather. Just when it seems that Summer
and behaviours. Thanks to Sev Darwell for the
is starting to settle in, we get a cold blast and it
great photo on our ‘Farm Yarns’ front page.
feels like Winter again. Sun then snow (well in the mountains anyway) then sun! That’s the
It’s hard to believe but your Farmers Market is
one constant thing about farming; you’ve got
celebrating 10 years of operation at the Farm
to accept whatever nature provides (for better
this year. Since kicking off the ‘new’ Farmers
or worse) and do your very best to work with
Market revolution in Melbourne, it has become
what you receive.
an integral and much-loved part of the Farm’s monthly calendar and continues to inspire
There are plenty of new arrivals at the Farm who are growing quickly after our recent Spring Lambings, Kiddings and Calving. A good amount of lambs were born from our sheep flock, but not so many from our goat herd. Biddy our milking cow gave birth to a healthy female calf, Daphne (who has been joined by a companion, Daisy). Nick has also started the 2012-2013 poultry hatching season. Through viewing windows at the Incubation Room, all visitors can now
Below: Goats old and new grazing … nom, nom, nom
delight in seeing cute little chicks and over
other communities to launch their own. We
time observe them developing into adult birds.
should all be proud of both its popularity and
It’s very important (especially for children) to
critical role in providing direct employment
see and understand the life cycles of animals to
and income for Victorian farmers and food
Below: Daphne getting a bottle of Biddy’s milk
producers. Remember, where you spend your dollars has power! There will be 10th Anniversary celebrations happening at our December 8th market to enjoy. The Farm’s Annual Report is now completed and available for reading. Thank-you to all who contributed to this important document. To save on paper wastage, we are making it available online. If you cannot access the internet, please call into Farm Reception and
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
4
ask for a copy. The Farm also held its annual
the year, with one key highlight being a visit
Committee of Management meeting and
by
election, thanks to all those who attended and
Australian cricketer, Glenn McGrath. With
congratulations to our new member, Lachlan.
strong country connections, Glenn apparently
YOF
Ambassador
and
renowned
loved his visit to the Farm. After an extensive rebuild, renovations are almost complete on the Farm Cafe; a recent
Work will soon start on completing the final
estimation of its reopening by Tom and Pip is
stage of utilising our vintage ‘Southern Cross’
in late January 2013. Landscaping works are
windmill (next to the Workshop) to pump
now continuing and looking great. To all our
water across the Farm. It’s both an inexpensive
visitors and Farm Cafe regulars, thank you for
method to move water and smart way to lower
your patience. The wait will be well worth it.
our carbon emissions by using wind-power. For history aficionados, the ‘Southern Cross’
December sees the conclusion of the 2012
windmill brand emerged in Toowoomba in
Australian Year of the Farmer (YOF) program.
1903. A familiar sight across country Australia,
The Farm has proudly provided an activity
our windmill was sourced second-hand from
hub for Victorian YOF celebrations throughout
country NSW.
Below: Our vintage windmill, about to earn its keep!
One of the most exciting happenings for the Farm this year was the invitation to speak at the European Federation of City Farms (EFCF) conference. From this invitation has come the incredible honour of being the first city farm in the Southern hemisphere to be admitted as a member of the EFCF. This is a humbling and important
recognition
of
the
important
positive social work that the Farm provides for the benefit of the local community. The work now begins to fully develop this relationship Above: The old Farm Café gets ready for its rebuild
for the benefit of both hemispheres! With an increase in sunny days, Family Day in November saw our annual sheep shearing take its (timely) place. I’m sure the sheep are happier without their heavy coats. To our long -standing shearer Brian Harker and his wife Helen, who make the long trip from north of
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
5
Above: Ewe 501 apparently having a laugh about being (mostly) wool-free now
Shepparton every year, thanks for your time
vision is to hold a year of celebratory events
and skill. Farm visitors very much enjoy
engaging the local and wider community, but
watching this classic farming activity.
especially for children of all ages within the City of Yarra.
Over many years, small improvements on the Farm continue to add to the enjoyment of our
Unbelievably, Christmas is fast approaching
visitors. These are often incremental and once
and so I would like to take this opportunity to
in place leave us wondering “why didn’t we
thank all our Farm visitors and friends for
do this before?”. One recent example are the
their support throughout the year. To all the
wonderful new paddock signs located across
hardworking Farm staff and Committee of
the Farm. Completed in an old-fashioned style
Management, without your continued work
with a skilful hand by staff-member and
and skills the Farm would simply not operate
volunteer Roger, these signs have positively
as well as it does on a daily, monthly and
added to the ‘old fashioned’ atmosphere of the
yearly basis.
Farm. Great work Roger! For all visitors, the Farm is open Christmas Planning for next year’s 175 of farming
Day, free of charge. So please come and help
celebrations
the animals celebrate and unwrap their
on
the
Abbotsford
Precinct
Heritage Farmlands has commenced. The
presents (probably hay most likely).
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
6
Your farm makes big splash in State Parliament! The recent announcement that your Collingwood Children’s Farm has become the first city farm in the Southern Hemisphere to be accepted as an associate member of the European Federation of City Farms has become big news. The following statement was made in the Victorian Parliament (Lower House) on 14 November 2012 by the Member for Richmond, Richard Wynne MP: “I rise to acknowledge the magnificent achievement of the Collingwood Children's Farm in becoming the first city farm in the Southern Hemisphere to become an associate member of the European Federation of City Farms. The Collingwood Children's Farm was recently invited to the federation's conference in Germany, which is the first time a farm outside of Europe has been honoured with an invitation. The federation promotes sustainable development practices while supporting places where young people and adults can participate in educational programs focused on urban and rural environments and their interrelationship with plants and animals. Under the stewardship of manager Alex Walker, the Collingwood Children's Farm promotes the philosophies of permaculture, land care and organic farming, which can be enjoyed by the wider community at Australia's most popular farmers market, a destination for more than 2,000 market goers a fortnight. With over 30,000 families visiting the Abbotsford site yearly the Collingwood Children's Farm plays an important role in our local and wider community in providing important social programs. Next year it will celebrate the milestone of 175 years of farming on the Abbotsford site. I commend to the house the Collingwood Children's Farm, and of course the farm is a great legacy of John and Nancy Cain.” Who is Richard Wynne MP? Richard is the State Member for Richmond, whose electorate includes the Collingwood Children’s Farm and Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands. How can Richard get involved and help secure the Farm’s future? By lobbying (at State and local level) on your behalf for the permanent preservation of the entire remaining APHF farmlands, which support the many socially-positive activities and programs that the Farm provides for all local and wider Victorian residents to benefit from. COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
7
What can I do to let Richard know his lobbying for the Farm is important to me, my family and future generations? Write, email, telephone or fax the following letter to Richard’s office at: 118 Smith Street, Collingwood 3066 (03) 9415 8901 phone (03) 9415 8918 fax richard.wynne@parliament.vic.gov.au
To the Hon. Richard Wynne MP Thank you for your recent Member Statement (14 November 2012) informing the Lower House of the significant achievement of the Collingwood Children’s Farm (CCF) becoming the first city farm in the Southern Hemisphere to be accepted as a member of the European Federation of City Farms (EFCF). This is an achievement of which all Victorians should be rightly proud. Supporting all the socially-positive works of the CCF are the Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands (APHF), the oldest continually farmed land in Victoria. These unique farmlands are contained within your Richmond electorate. For 33 years the CCF has preserved, protected and farmed these lands for the benefit of all residents in your electorate and the Victorian people. This forms one part of their unique worldheritage value, 174-years of continual farming history. A full 1/3rd of the APHF are under threat of development and have no legal protection for their permanent preservation. Any loss of heritage APHF farmland available to the CCF would permanently impact its socially-positive programs, financial viability and long-term survival. And jeopardise its newly-obtained EFCF status. This is a wholly unacceptable outcome. As Farm Members I/we request that as the Member for Richmond, you commit yourself to obtaining permanent preservation for all the remaining APHF as working heritage farmland, with the CCF as its caretaker. This can be achieved by your active lobbying for this outcome at a State and local level, and by publicly stating this goal as your definitive position on the matter. When successful you will be securing the future of the Farm, honouring your understandable appreciation of its achievement for your electorate (and all Victorians) and your words stated for public record in the Lower House. Yours sincerely
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
8
2
1
4 3 1 2 3 4 5
PHOTOS New crop of colourful chicks! New crop of farm t-shirts! A ewe in the queue Our horses on parade for September Horses Birthday day And there was cake, specially made for the occasion
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
5
9
Bridget Bainbridge/ Nick Karavokiros
Farm News Chickens There are baby chickens hatching again, and
support and help of the City of Yarra and
each day sees a few new babies huddled
Cultivating Communities. A big thank you to
sleepily under the heat lamps, worn out by
both these organisations.
their efforts to climb out of their shells. It’s tiring being born! This year we have many
Cultivating
Communities
is
currently
Scotts Greys hatching as well as our usual
organising local cafes to drop off their green
breeds, which is good to see for this rather
waste. When we finally have the bobcat onsite,
delightful and very rare breed of chook. These
it’s all systems go to start processing as much
birds are quite calm and tame, but also very
waste as quickly as possible, providing quality
curious about new things.
compost that is currently being used on the Farm and Community Garden Plots.
I find they are happy to sit on your hand when moving them from cage to cage, they don’t
The bobcat will be small enough to be easily
need to be firmly held as they don’t seem to
trailered to other sites if needed by other
want to fly away. Mine also come when called!
groups, and also able to fit into some of the
They lay pale brown eggs, and start laying
larger animal pens, making the back-breaking
very early in the year - some weeks before
chore of cleaning them out so much easier.
most other breeds.
Below: Monica with one of the new worm farms
Compost and new worm farms Our Compost Area is continuing its dramatic facelift. Not only do we now have a long bay for making the compost in, and a short bay for storing green waste waiting to be processed; but we also have two new worm farms. And shortly, we will be in possession of our own bobcat machine! Plus a new rain garden to process food scraps washed out of bins. Wow. That’s come a long way in five years. Five years ago we had a huge pile of unturned, slowly-rotting rubbish taking up most of the paddock. Then we graduated to turning it by hand, and thought we had it all under control. Then we started using a machine - the height of sophistication. Just look at us now! These things have come about with the generous
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
10
New worm farms have also been purchased,
Young Farmers
and while we are still in the process of
Our Young Farmers are busy, lately they have
working out how they (fully) work, they seem
making green nettle pasta, helping out with
to be working very well indeed. Monica, our
pony rides, watering heaps of plants, riding
long term worm farmer was delighted with
the horses, helping around the farm with
them and is now looking forwards to getting
guinea pig cuddles and generally being useful.
the new worm drum sieve working, which should make both harvesting worms and
Landcare
castings a lot easier.
Anyone travelling down the river by boat will be well aware that the Farm has had the riverbanks sprayed. Not so obvious from the banks, we have enlisted the help of the Merri Creek Management Committee to help us with the weed control. This marks the start of a very large planting project that will take probably the best part of three years to complete. Its eventual aim is to have the banks well established with bushy native understory within five years. Below: A new kid nibbling (image: Sev Darwell)
Above: Jo from RDA feeding the worms her lunch scraps
Sheep shearing Many thanks to Brian Harker and his wife Helen for travelling down from Benalla to shear the sheep last family day. The sheep are certainly much happier without all their wool, and always behave like skittish lambs for a little while once shorn! Our fleeces are currently for sale for $25 each, and we have both
English
Leicester
and
Shropshire
available. So for all you spinners, felters and dyers, grab them while available. Riding Develops Abilities (RDA) RDA are in full swing again, with three days of programs running through the term until the end of the year.
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
11
Horse Tails
Olivia Knowles
Term Four is in full swing for all the horses,
more astounding the more you learn. It has
with RDA, Young Farmers, birthday parties
definitely allowed me to appreciate horses
and events taking up most of their days from
even more than I had before, and I would hope
week to week. On their days off, I have been
that
working with Teddy and Zac to at least
eventually be lucky enough to learn this
attempt to keep them fit, and Ainslie has been
method also.
some
of
our
Young
Farmers will
teaching Brandy the pony some more riding manners as she prepares to go to a new home.
Below: Zac and the other horses on Horses Birthday Day
Both Ainslie and myself have been trying out bits and pieces of natural horsemanship with them as well. Natural Horsemanship is beginning to pick up a bigger following as pioneers of the technique such as Ray hunt, Buck Brannaman and Monty Roberts begin to take more of a celebrity status in riding circles. The technique aims to allow a rider to work with their horse as gently and harmoniously as possible, eliminating the need to force the horse into submission. Natural horsemanship is grounded on one’s understanding of horses’ use of language and their behavioural patterns in the wild. When you recognize the horse as an animal that is born with the instinct to protect itself from being preyed upon, many things that previously seemed a little strange or annoying about the horses immediately “click” in your mind. From a big slob (but loveable) like Zac, to someone as fretful as Tyson or Charlie, all can understand
it
and
appreciate
it.
How
perceptive they are to humans’ emotions, energy and presence around them becomes
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
12
2013 Calendar Now available until sold out
Carefully created by one of our volunteers, this is a perfect Christmas gift for friends, family or you! Limited print run, only available at Farm Reception or at the December 8th Farmers Market.
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
13
Community Gardens News
Toni Phillips
Some plotters work so hard and enthusiasti-
forget to come to working bees, they can be
cally at the working bees (the 4 Saturday of
fun and it’s surprising what you can learn.
th
every month from 1.30pm to 4.00pm) that they don’t have time to stop and turn around. Don’t
Below, (1): Working bee workers hard at work! (2): Sara Lindsay is already harvesting from her beautiful tapestry of a new plot
1
2
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
14
Garden News
Toni Phillips
Thank you to all the garden volunteers The gardens at the Farm are as productive and beautiful as they are only because of the all the people who work so hard. Most volunteers at the farm are involved in horticultural work here at some stage, especially harvesting ‘wild food’ for the animals. There is also a band of volunteers who are dedicated to the harder (or more tedious) and skilled horticultural work on the Farm. Here are photos of just a few; a huge THANK YOU to all the wonderful garden vollies!
1 2 3
GARDEN VOLUNTEER PHOTOS (Pages 10, 11) 1 2 3 4 5
Graeme the best compost turner Josh, who does a bit of everything Deb the harvester Gary the irrigator Australian Unity corporate volunteers All photographs courtesy Toni Phillips
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
15
Thank you to all the garden volunteers The gardens at the Farm are as productive and beautiful as they are only because of the all the people who work so hard. Most volunteers at the farm are involved in horticultural work here at some stage, especially harvesting ‘wild food’ for the animals. There is also a band of volunteers who are dedicated to the harder (or more tedious) and skilled horticultural work on the Farm. Here are photos of just a few; a huge THANK YOU to all the wonderful garden vollies!
4
5
Below, left to right: The new sign for the Nursery Garden, and some of the things we’d like left on the vine please!
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
16
Young Farmers are here for more than just
Above: Young Farmers gardening (images: Toni Phillips)
horses, there is much to do and find in the garden ...
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
17
Is nearly ready! We are busy recruiting a friendly new team and plan to open on the 21st of January. We are looking forward to being back amongst the boks, bleets and oinks to serve yummy coffee, breakfast lunch and of course a few treats!
Pip & Tom
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
18
Nature at ground level
Andrew Phillips
In the Spring ‘Farm Yarns’ we covered some of
protected in all Australian States. In Victoria,
the owls that call the Farm and its surrounds
they can only be kept domestically if their
home. In this edition, I’d like to discuss
owners obtain a special licence from the
another sign of a healthy ecosystem, one of our
Department
most well-known native skinks, the Blue-
Environment (DSE).
of
Sustainability
and
the
Tongue. Or in this case the Eastern BlueTongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides). There are
They are great to have living in gardens,
several subspecies of Blue-Tongue across
especially vegetable patches, as they love
Australia, of which this is our local variety.
munching on slugs, snails and caterpillars. Did you know that they are also territorial, and by
The inspiration came as I noticed a particularly
planting strawberries (which they also love
healthy example basking on the old bluestone
tucking into) they will keep away snakes?
wall outside the old Farm offices. Not an easy
Seems like a pretty fair trade-off.
task either, as their camouflage makes them very hard to spot. Which is good for them
Unfortunately they can become infected with
when they can form a large part of some
parasitic ticks that can blind or deafen a
predator’s diets! Check out the Page 19 photo
healthy Blue-Tongue. Plus they have an
first, see if you can spot it at a quick glance.
unfortunate habit of sun-baking on roads; so if you can safely avoid them when driving,
Blue-Tongues are omnivores, eating a mixed
please do! Blue-Tongues are a protected
diet of insects, gastropods, flowers, fruits and
species in Victoria, so remember it is illegal to
berries. Adults can grow up to 60cm in length.
remove them from their natural environment.
Like us, they sleep at night. They are fully Below, right: Spot the Blue-Tongue on the bluestone!
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
19
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
20
Did you know? We are very proud of the fact that as well as allowing our visitors to see and interact with animals that they (usually) don’t see in their modern daily lives, the Farm is doing the important work of protecting genetic diversity in food production. How? A large percentage of the national pig herd is formed by the Large White/Landrace cross breed. The commercial benefit of this breed is it’s quick growth speed to full size and good mothering natures. The downside of this? If a disease was to affect this key working breed, it would cause a massive disruption to the commercial food-supply network. Specifically relating to agriculture, the more types of animal (or plant) that are preserved, the better the chance of the entire species surviving should a disease outbreak occur. Older breeds, often slower growing to full size (which means they are usually not considered financially viable) are often hardier animals with genetics that are less susceptible to disease (plus other positive attributes). And over time, the public’s tastes do change ... Which brings us back to our Berkshire pigs. In the late 1800’s—early 1900’s they were the widest commercially farmed pig in the world. By the 1950’s (a brief fifty years later) they had almost become extinct in their country of origin, the United Kingdom. Only now are they starting to build up their numbers again. Historically, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd farmed them on the Abbotsford Precinct Heritage Farmlands (as recorded in James Stanley James’ December 1876 visit in ‘The Vagabond Papers’): “ ...In the styes (sic) we see some fine black Berkshire pigs ...” So when you are visiting the Farm, make sure to stop and say hello to our resident Berkshires; Maybelle, Moira, Greta and Jacob. Fine black pigs, indeed!
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
21
Volunteers/Work Experience
Anita Stec
It’s nearly Christmas time and so that means it’s
capsicums, eggplants, etc have already been
time for our Melbourne University Vet students to
planted and will hopefully be ready to harvest
start their placement with us. There will be two
soon. Anyone is welcome to join us on Tuesday
students per week helping out on the Farm during
afternoons from 1.30pm, although we will be
December, January and February with all the
having a break from mid-December to the end of
various farm chores. They are a big help, we really
January.
enjoy having them here. Good Shepherd and Quinn House have finished up for the year. A big thank you to both of those groups for helping us with lots of planting in the orchards,
animal
husbandry
and
general
maintenance tasks. Caulfield Community School have just started with us in Term Four; 10-12 students are coming to volunteer every Friday for three hours. Some of the things we have done so far: planting pig and chicken yards, pulling out stinging nettles from the paddocks and feeding them to the pigs, moving the Above: Computershare at work in the orchard
animals around to different paddocks and also
Our Tuesday gardening group has been going well
harvesting fruit and veggies from the orchards.
especially as the sun is showing itself more and
Thank you to them and hopefully we will have
more now. Most of the things we enjoy eating
them back next year.
during the Summer like cucumbers, corn, tomatoes, Corporate Volunteer groups Below: We’re Caulfield Community School, you dig that?
can come and help out on the
farm
on
Mondays,
Thursdays or Fridays. Our volunteers help out with various
gardening
jobs,
Farmers
Market
set-up,
bonfire
set-up,
fence
building
and
general
maintenance. We filled up all our volunteer days by September! Thank you to NAB,
Computershare,
ANZ, Elite and PWC we couldn’t keep the farm looking so good without you.
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
22
2
1
3
4
5 1 2 3 4 5
PHOTOS Jacob, our new boar saying hello to Greta on his first day Chickens too impatient to wait until their nesting box is cleaned out! Boss, the new farm kitten Green, red and yellow delight Maybelle and Moira bathing
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
23
Supported Volunteers
Julia Smallwood
The Farm offers work experience tasks to suit the vary abilities of our volunteers. Even a short, half-hour visit contributes to the daily running of the Farm. Malparkinka clients, Olivia and Tony, clean up after the cow milking each Friday. Tony sweeps, then empties the poo wheelbarrow. Olivia hoses the floor and puts the brushes away. Sometimes the job is quick and easy ... but not if Biddy has been to the toilet! Thanks to two good workers! Clockwise (top to right): Biddy appreciates the clean environment created by Olivia and Tony—by eating!
Below, right: Spot the Blue-Tongue on the bluestone!
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
FARM YARNS Next edition due out 1st day of Autumn
Moo-ry Christmas to all our visitors
Collingwood Children’s Farm PO Box 80 Abbotsford 3067
PLACE STAMP HERE
Farmland since 1838
Farm phone: 9417 5806 Email: reception@farm.org.au Website: www.farm.org.au
Family Fun Days First Sunday of the month (no Family Fun Day in January)
Also enjoy hay rides and pony rides (when available), and other farm activities all for price of standard entry.
Farmer’s Market
Where to find us St Heliers Street, Abbotsford Melways Ref 44 G5 Open every day of the year Entry: $16 Family $8 Adult $4 Child
The concept of a supported held the second Saturday of volunteer program is unique to every month for beautiful our farm. Originally it was fresh,as quality produce. Proknown the Disability gram, but we prefer to focus on abilities rather than the lack of them … just like the renamed RDA riding program! You may ask why the program exists and what are the benefits of it to the participants and the farm. In the case of special school students, both in class groups