Build an edible garden

By Amber Alley

IMAGINE A garden full of edible plants which also looks landscaped, luscious and lovely. This is not the average vegetable garden but a combination of fruit trees, edible native plants and vegetables in a landscaped style.

Rachael Sanderson will teach a workshop on Saturday, April 15, called ‘Designing your edible garden’, to be held at the Murwillumbah Community Gardens.

Rachael will share information about the importance of setting up the soil first and how to incorporate worm farming, irrigation, biochar, natural pest and disease management, as well as garden design.

Her focus is on teaching people “nutrition farming”, to increase the quality of food and improve the environment.

She believes food security is important to all of us, and a level of self- sufficiency is achievable in the household garden.

She runs a five-acre farm and her business ‘Life a Little Greener’ which focuses on educating organic and regenerative techniques to small and large landowners.

The workshop is also hands-on with planting of a small plot to demonstrate bringing food growing into the landscaped garden arena.

The workshop is on Saturday, April 15, from 3pm to 5pm at Mooball Street, Murwillumbah.

Wear closed footwear and children must be closely supervised.

Bookings essential via trybooking.com, admission is $15 single or $20 family, members $5.

The 2023 workshops are supported by the ITV Studios Tweed Community Initiative fund.

By Jo Kennett

TWENTY-YEAR-OLD ZANE Patience is the subject of our first Youth in Focus column, highlighting the inspirational work of local youth in the Tweed Shire.

The Weekly has teamed with Tweed Coast Youth Service to highlight some of the amazing contributions our local young people are making to their communities.

Zane has lived in Cabarita all his life and was involved with the Cabarita Beach Surf Life Saving Club for much of that.

As a 13-year-old, Zane joined Shakyra Gillard as Junior Ambassadors for Take 3 for the Sea, spending their school holiday picking up rubbish and educating others about the impact of plastics on the ocean.

At just 14 years old, Zane took Take 3 for the Sea into local schools as well.

Zane also developed a program called Nipper for a Day that went into local schools inviting young people to try life saving.

“I came up with a slide show and a speech and talked about my journey through life saving and how it helped my confidence,” he said.

“Some of those kids are still in Nippers and I see their parents every Sunday.”

Zane won the 2016 NSW Junior Lifesaver of the Year, which is awarded for leadership, communication skills, and activities in a surf club and the wider community.

“Mum and Dad were in the surf club and found their way into leadership roles which influenced how they brought me up,” Zane said.

“I like taking on the extra responsibility of leadership roles. I get a lot of joy out of that.

“I was always pushed to compete not to win but for points for the club and that was instilled into my siblings and I. Even with soccer, the ethos was to not worry about winning, just to go out and do your best to support your team.”

Zane says he got in trouble in Year 12 but his love of boxing got him back on track.

“I went into boxing at Kingscliff Boxing Stables and fell in love with it,” he said.

“Then in Year 12 I had a great teacher who invited me to train in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).

“I really enjoyed helping kids so I became a coach and ran a MMA program.

“Then I started Caba Combat which focuses on MMA-based fitness, health and wellbeing.

“It went really well so now I work with schools and Collective doing boxing, jiu jitsu, and self-defence classes.”

Zane volunteers as a mentor/coach at Tweed Coast Youth Service Monday afternoons at Cabarita at 4pm teaching young men MMA to help build their confidence.

If you would like to nominate a 12 to 25-yearold for our Youth in Focus column, or if you want more information of the programs offered, please call Tweed Coast Youth Service on 0490 749 864.

Zane Patience is a great local bloke who runs Caba Combat. Inset is Zane in 2016 when he won the Young Lifesaver of the Year Award