We had a fabulous time celebrating 30 years of City Farm last week with a community of very special people. From pioneering heroes who started the Farm and volunteers who have helped bring the vision to life to community partners who have enabled us stay alive and staff members who have built up the Farm’s resilience. It was great to mingle with each other, share stories and inspire each other to keep working towards deeper connection and kinder living.
Above: Rosanne Scott speaks about the history of Perth City Farm and the many hands involved along the way. Photo by Luke Riley.
Reflecting on the Perth City Farm story
It was a great time to reflect on where we’ve come from. We heard inspiring stories from Rosanne Scott and Neal Bodel about the origins of Perth City Farm, and the challenges of getting it off the ground.
A Power Point of pictures played behind the speakers, some of the photos showing just how degraded the site was from years of industrial activity. It’s hard to believe that 30 years ago this place was just mounds of oil-covered dirt. What was a piece of neglected earth has become a productive garden and a slice of peace in the middle of the city. It’s truly a story to celebrate.
I am so proud to have been involved in City Farm, right from the very start. Rosanne always believed in me and pushed me to do things outside of my comfort zone. Not only was I there from Day 1 at the age of 17 physically breaking ground, I also played a key role in organising some big fundraiser events at City Farm, and only realised on reflection a few years down the track, what great things I achieved as part of the City Farm team at such a young age. I grew just as the plants grew. It fills my heart with joy and pride to see City Farm not just surviving, but thriving after 30 years, such a beautiful place and such an important community space.
–Cathryn Kohn, Landscape Architect
Above: Neal Bodel and Reuben Kooperman embrace. Photo by Luke Riley.
A Story of Heart and Love
Dr Sandra Krempl, who helped City Farm outline its vision and what it stood for in 2004, reminded us of the importance of heart and love in the story of City Farm. She spoke of Rosanne and Thom walking alongside and gently guiding thousands of people throughout the years. Their heart for making everyone feel welcome, for including and valuing all people, is a crucial part of the success of City Farm.
Our CEO Kathleen Burton spoke from her heart about where City Farm is going. She emphasised our mission to make real and lasting impact in the Perth community as we help people connect with themselves, others and the natural world. Everyone is welcome to join us on the journey. We celebrate that City Farm will always be the creation of many hands and many voices.
“Perth City Farm holds a special place in our hearts. We have had the pleasure to meet so many people over the many years we’ve been there. Many people are not just our customers but our friends. The community spirit within everyone who works so hard to make City Farm what it is, is something to be very proud of. It’s a sanctuary for many people to enjoy and learn the importance of working to make our world greener and sustainable for the future. City farm is a place where many people from many walks of life come together and realise how much we have in common. The highlight of our week is our Saturday market, it’s satisfying for everyone to know where their food comes from and for us to know how much what we do is appreciated.”
-Michelle Trovato, M&M Trovato Biodynamics
Our Mission to Make a Difference
Education has always been a core part of the City Farm mission, right from the beginning. Teaching and empowering people to live in harmony with nature is still a major focus of ours. On the night, we invited guests at the birthday sundowner to join in some mini workshops for a taster of our education program.
Our Garden Educator Sarah took her group on a walking tour of the edible flowers in the garden, and our Communications Coordinator Melody introduced participants to some of our edible weeds. Tim Greaves, a chef who regularly runs workshops at City Farm, taught his group the art of the quick pickle, while another group decorated focaccia bread with Peg Davies (Co-founder of Earthwise). In the Barn, participants got crafty making paper flowers with Rosie who often runs creative workshops at City Farm.
“Being at City Farm I saw first-hand and learned by example all the values that enabled me to live a good life. Primarily, it was the value of being accepted and included. The place I felt a sense of self-worth and connection- to others and a shared vision. I learned practical skills to grow healthier food and deepened my desire to work towards caring for the environment.
It’s the MOST IMPORTANT hub of Perth city. For people of all walks of life, but primarily for the humans out there who need to find welcome inclusion, non judgment and a sense of place. Perth City Farm is the single most important place that changed the trajectory of my life for better ♥️.”
-Ross Burnett, Horticulturalist
Above: Caillan and Alessia from Be Free with their incredible spread of food. Photo by Luke Riley.
Nourished by Food and Music
Throughout the night we were refreshed by a delicious, bright red shrub made from mulberries grown on the Farm. We also had some mulberry jam, lime cordial and pickled nasturtium capers for sale, all made from City Farm produce.
Our onsite cafe Be Free created a stunning spread of nibbles, some of which used produce from the garden such as our mulberries and pickled nasturtium capers. Just before we tucked into the feast, we listened to a song written and performed by Tunesday, a community group who meet weekly at the Farm to play music together.
Here are some lyrics from Tunesday’s City Farm Song ‘Heaven on Earth’:
“There’s a place I know
Green in every way
that makes me feel
Like I might be okay
From poisoned soil heavy with lead
We grew our own Eden
A garden lovingly nurtured
made me a better person.
This is heaven on Earth I heard them say
Felt the love when I walked through the gate
Imagination sparked creation
this gratitude will stay
only the ground knows how many lives have been changed”
Tunesday grace us with their beautiful tunes. Photo by Luke Riley.
Into the Future
Thank you to everyone who made our Birthday Sundowner a success, and to the thousands of others who have made City Farm what it is today. We look forward to many, many more years of Perth City Farm, and we invite you to be part of the story moving forward.
Some ways to get involved:
- Join our volunteer gardening group
- Tell your workplace about our teambuilding and corporate volunteering
- Attend one of our workshops
- Bring your kids to Nature Playgroup or Storytime with Grandma Rosie
- Become a Farmer’s Market regular and supporting local growers
- Come along for a Farm Tour
- Get involved with or start your own Social Group
- Donate to our mission
We leave you with a lovely poem from Jeremy Albertsen.
“In my time at City Farm I wrote this short poem that sums up my experience there:
If ever there was a place on Earth,
were in rich company one can soak.
It be the place where grace does gather,
wisened garden folk.
Where one learns all one needs to know, and all else gets a pardon.
There’s nothing you need to know in life,
that you can’t learn from a garden.”
-Jeremy Albertsen
