Composting For Community
The secret of good gardening is in the soil. Good soil is needed to make healthy plants grow, and the key to good soil is compost!
Meet Bill, the compost maker for Yarrabilba Community Garden. He is the one who builds up the garden beds with rich compost, so that they can produce vegetables and herbs for residents of Yarrabilba. (In case you haven’t been there, the community garden is at the Shaw Street Oval, Yarrabilba).
Bill has been part of Yarrabilba since 2013. His family was the 29th or 30th to move into Yarrabilba. There was a good neighbourhood spirit, everyone knew each other, and neighbours looked out for each other. Bill still looks out for neighbours.
About 4 years ago he noticed the community garden’s compost was in a bit of a mess. Bill knew something about fertiliser and making compost, having worked with chicken manure to make organic fertiliser on a big scale. He offered to help by making compost at the garden and has been doing it ever since.
Helping neighbours is something that Bill grew up with and values highly. He grew up in a rural community north of Bourke, NSW. The people of the district worked together to build themselves a community hall for dances, a tennis court, and a cricket pitch. He appreciated the sense of co-operation he saw in his rural district and would like to see more of that here in Yarrabilba.
Bill is visually impaired but doesn’t let that stop him being useful. He likes being active, whether it is walking, working on computers, or spending a few hours creating compost.
Bill says, “I don’t do it for thanks. I do it for something to do”.
Bill is soon leaving Yarrabilba. He and his family have built a new home elsewhere and Bill is looking forward to planting a garden and growing citrus trees. For that he will need good soil, and lots of good compost and Bill is the man for the job!
Bill is one of Yarrabilba’s inspiring people!
By Susan Alexander
(Inspirational Writer & Local Resident)
