Life in Spanish: Marrickville Latin Garden Harvest Celebration

25/06/2013

On the 16th of June it was time to celebrate the great achievements of a group of Spanish speakers who successfully created a magnificent garden bed at Addison Road Centre.

In February 2013, a group of Spanish speakers started gathering at the Addison Road Centre to learn about composting, worm-farming and how to use the products of these activities to grow edible plants.

The workshops ran every fortnight during March and April. The main objective was to start a communal space where the Spanish speakers could share  knowledge and experience about growing food. The program envisioned a process where hands-on learning and teaching could go hand in hand.

The group ranged in ages from 25 to 65 years old and they formed a new group that dedicated to attending the garden plot. Around midday on Sundays, you could see a small group of people gathering around the garden bed, right opposite the Latin American hut. They had lots of fun and were laughing and chatting while watering the garden, adding worm wee or pruning the plants.

On the 16th of June however, a much bigger group came along to celebrate the official harvest at the garden, which was fantastic to see. Everybody brought food to share. Mexican, Argentinean, Chilean, Colombian and Australian flavours joined together, sharing the joy of Latin American food and traditions.

After thanking the organisations, participants and all people collaborating in the project, it was time for music.  A Mexican traditional music group performed. Little guitars, a drumming box and a donkey jaw bone accompanied them. People jus passing by joined the crowd and enjoyed the music. Others, not so random, spread the word across the market. People from the audience joined in with the tapdancing and the traditiomal music created a fantastic atmosphere, bringing out songs such as La Bamba.

If you want to know more or are interested in this project, come and meet the members of this group or check out their garden on Saturday June  29th  at the Winter Festival, which is organised by Addison Road Centre in Marrickville.

By Pilar, Spanish Environmental Educator