collingwood childrens' farm summer 2012 newsletter
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FARM YARNS
Summer
2012
Summer
2012
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.
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.
We would like to acknowledge generous
support from the following organisations:
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 Patron - Mrs Elizabeth Chernov, Government House
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)
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
Farm ManagerFarm ManagerFarm Manager Alex WalkerAlex WalkerAlex Walker
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fully develop an appreciation of their needs
and behaviours. Thanks to Sev Darwell for the
great photo on our ‘Farm Yarns’ front page.
It’s hard to believe but your Farmers Market is
celebrating 10 years of operation at the Farm
this year. Since kicking off the ‘new’ Farmers
Market revolution in Melbourne, it has become
an integral and much-loved part of the Farm’s
monthly calendar and continues to inspire
other communities to launch their own. We
should all be proud of both its popularity and
critical role in providing direct employment
and income for Victorian farmers and food
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
Managers Report
Wow, talk about swings and roundabouts with
the weather. Just when it seems that Summer
is starting to settle in, we get a cold blast and it
feels like Winter again. Sun then snow (well in
the mountains anyway) then sun! That’s the
one constant thing about farming; you’ve got
to accept whatever nature provides (for better
or worse) and do your very best to work with
what you receive.
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
delight in seeing cute little chicks and over
time observe them developing into adult birds.
It’s very important (especially for children) to
see and understand the life cycles of animals to
Below: Daphne getting a bottle of Biddy’s milk
Below: Goats old and new grazing … nom, nom, nom
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
4
the year, with one key highlight being a visit
by YOF Ambassador and renowned
Australian cricketer, Glenn McGrath. With
strong country connections, Glenn apparently
loved his visit to the Farm.
Work will soon start on completing the final
stage of utilising our vintage ‘Southern Cross’
windmill (next to the Workshop) to pump
water across the Farm. It’s both an inexpensive
method to move water and smart way to lower
our carbon emissions by using wind-power.
For history aficionados, the ‘Southern Cross’
windmill brand emerged in Toowoomba in
1903. A familiar sight across country Australia,
our windmill was sourced second-hand from
country NSW.
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
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
ask for a copy. The Farm also held its annual
Committee of Management meeting and
election, thanks to all those who attended and
congratulations to our new member, Lachlan.
After an extensive rebuild, renovations are
almost complete on the Farm Cafe; a recent
estimation of its reopening by Tom and Pip is
in late January 2013. Landscaping works are
now continuing and looking great. To all our
visitors and Farm Cafe regulars, thank you for
your patience. The wait will be well worth it.
December sees the conclusion of the 2012
Australian Year of the Farmer (YOF) program.
The Farm has proudly provided an activity
hub for Victorian YOF celebrations throughout
Above: The old Farm Café gets ready for its rebuild
Below: Our vintage windmill, about to earn its keep!
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
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vision is to hold a year of celebratory events
engaging the local and wider community, but
especially for children of all ages within the
City of Yarra.
Unbelievably, Christmas is fast approaching
and so I would like to take this opportunity to
thank all our Farm visitors and friends for
their support throughout the year. To all the
hardworking Farm staff and Committee of
Management, without your continued work
and skills the Farm would simply not operate
as well as it does on a daily, monthly and
yearly basis.
For all visitors, the Farm is open Christmas
Day, free of charge. So please come and help
the animals celebrate and unwrap their
presents (probably hay most likely).
Shepparton every year, thanks for your time
and skill. Farm visitors very much enjoy
watching this classic farming activity.
Over many years, small improvements on the
Farm continue to add to the enjoyment of our
visitors. These are often incremental and once
in place leave us wondering “why didn’t we
do this before?”. One recent example are the
wonderful new paddock signs located across
the Farm. Completed in an old-fashioned style
with a skilful hand by staff-member and
volunteer Roger, these signs have positively
added to the ‘old fashioned’ atmosphere of the
Farm. Great work Roger!
Planning for next year’s 175 of farming
celebrations on the Abbotsford Precinct
Heritage Farmlands has commenced. The
Above: Ewe 501 apparently having a laugh about being (mostly) wool-free now
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
6
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 world-
heritage 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
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COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
8
PHOTOS
1 New crop of colourful chicks!
2 New crop of farm t-shirts!
3 A ewe in the queue
4 Our horses on parade for Septem-
ber Horses Birthday day
5 And there was cake, specially
made for the occasion 5
1
4
2
3
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
9
Chickens
There are baby chickens hatching again, and
each day sees a few new babies huddled
sleepily under the heat lamps, worn out by
their efforts to climb out of their shells. It’s
tiring being born! This year we have many
Scotts Greys hatching as well as our usual
breeds, which is good to see for this rather
delightful and very rare breed of chook. These
birds are quite calm and tame, but also very
curious about new things.
I find they are happy to sit on your hand when
moving them from cage to cage, they don’t
need to be firmly held as they don’t seem to
want to fly away. Mine also come when called!
They lay pale brown eggs, and start laying
very early in the year - some weeks before
most other breeds.
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
support and help of the City of Yarra and
Cultivating Communities. A big thank you to
both these organisations.
Cultivating Communities is currently
organising local cafes to drop off their green
waste. When we finally have the bobcat onsite,
it’s all systems go to start processing as much
waste as quickly as possible, providing quality
compost that is currently being used on the
Farm and Community Garden Plots.
The bobcat will be small enough to be easily
trailered to other sites if needed by other
groups, and also able to fit into some of the
larger animal pens, making the back-breaking
chore of cleaning them out so much easier.
Bridget Bainbridge/Bridget Bainbridge/Bridget Bainbridge/
Nick KaravokirosNick KaravokirosNick Karavokiros Farm NewsFarm NewsFarm News
Below: Monica with one of the new worm farms
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
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New worm farms have also been purchased,
and while we are still in the process of
working out how they (fully) work, they seem
to be working very well indeed. Monica, our
long term worm farmer was delighted with
them and is now looking forwards to getting
the new worm drum sieve working, which
should make both harvesting worms and
castings a lot easier.
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.
Young Farmers
Our Young Farmers are busy, lately they have
making green nettle pasta, helping out with
pony rides, watering heaps of plants, riding
the horses, helping around the farm with
guinea pig cuddles and generally being useful.
Landcare
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.
Above: Jo from RDA feeding the worms her lunch scraps Below: A new kid nibbling (image: Sev Darwell)
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
11
more astounding the more you learn. It has
definitely allowed me to appreciate horses
even more than I had before, and I would hope
that some of our Young Farmers will
eventually be lucky enough to learn this
method also.
Horse TailsHorse TailsHorse Tails Olivia KnowlesOlivia KnowlesOlivia Knowles
Term Four is in full swing for all the horses,
with RDA, Young Farmers, birthday parties
and events taking up most of their days from
week to week. On their days off, I have been
working with Teddy and Zac to at least
attempt to keep them fit, and Ainslie has been
teaching Brandy the pony some more riding
manners as she prepares to go to a new home.
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
Below: Zac and the other horses on Horses Birthday Day
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
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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.
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
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ToniToniToni
PhillipsPhillipsPhillips Community Gardens NewsCommunity Gardens NewsCommunity Gardens News
Some plotters work so hard and enthusiasti-
cally at the working bees (the 4th Saturday of
every month from 1.30pm to 4.00pm) that they
don’t have time to stop and turn around. Don’t
forget to come to working bees, they can be
fun and it’s surprising what you can learn.
Below, (1): Working bee workers hard at work!
(2): Sara Lindsay is already harvesting from her
beautiful tapestry of a new plot
1
2
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
14
Garden NewsGarden NewsGarden News Toni PhillipsToni PhillipsToni 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!
GARDEN VOLUNTEER PHOTOS
(Pages 10, 11)
1 Graeme the best compost turner
2 Josh, who does a bit of everything
3 Deb the harvester
4 Gary the irrigator
5 Australian Unity corporate volunteers
All photographs courtesy Toni Phillips
1
2
3
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!
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
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4 5
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
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Young Farmers are here for more than just
horses, there is much to do and find in the
garden ...
Above: Young Farmers gardening (images: Toni Phillips)
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
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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
AndrewAndrewAndrew
PhillipsPhillipsPhillips Nature at ground levelNature at ground levelNature at ground level
In the Spring ‘Farm Yarns’ we covered some of
the owls that call the Farm and its surrounds
home. In this edition, I’d like to discuss
another sign of a healthy ecosystem, one of our
most well-known native skinks, the Blue-
Tongue. Or in this case the Eastern Blue-
Tongue (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides). There are
several subspecies of Blue-Tongue across
Australia, of which this is our local variety.
The inspiration came as I noticed a particularly
healthy example basking on the old bluestone
wall outside the old Farm offices. Not an easy
task either, as their camouflage makes them
very hard to spot. Which is good for them
when they can form a large part of some
predator’s diets! Check out the Page 19 photo
first, see if you can spot it at a quick glance.
Blue-Tongues are omnivores, eating a mixed
diet of insects, gastropods, flowers, fruits and
berries. Adults can grow up to 60cm in length.
Like us, they sleep at night. They are fully
protected in all Australian States. In Victoria,
they can only be kept domestically if their
owners obtain a special licence from the
Department of Sustainability and the
Environment (DSE).
They are great to have living in gardens,
especially vegetable patches, as they love
munching on slugs, snails and caterpillars. Did
you know that they are also territorial, and by
planting strawberries (which they also love
tucking into) they will keep away snakes?
Seems like a pretty fair trade-off.
Unfortunately they can become infected with
parasitic ticks that can blind or deafen a
healthy Blue-Tongue. Plus they have an
unfortunate habit of sun-baking on roads; so if
you can safely avoid them when driving,
please do! Blue-Tongues are a protected
species in Victoria, so remember it is illegal to
remove them from their natural environment.
Below, right: Spot the Blue-Tongue on the bluestone!
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
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FARMLAND SINCE 1838
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COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
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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!
Above: Computershare at work in the orchard
AnitaAnitaAnita
StecStecStec
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
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It’s nearly Christmas time and so that means it’s
time for our Melbourne University Vet students to
start their placement with us. There will be two
students per week helping out on the Farm during
December, January and February with all the
various farm chores. They are a big help, we really
enjoy having them here.
Our Tuesday gardening group has been going well
especially as the sun is showing itself more and
more now. Most of the things we enjoy eating
during the Summer like cucumbers, corn, tomatoes,
capsicums, eggplants, etc have already been
planted and will hopefully be ready to harvest
soon. Anyone is welcome to join us on Tuesday
afternoons from 1.30pm, although we will be
having a break from mid-December to the end of
January.
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
animals around to different paddocks and also
harvesting fruit and veggies from the orchards.
Thank you to them and hopefully we will have
them back next year.
Corporate Volunteer groups
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.
Volunteers/Work ExperienceVolunteers/Work ExperienceVolunteers/Work Experience
Below: We’re Caulfield Community School, you dig that?
PHOTOS
1 Jacob, our new boar saying hello to
Greta on his first day
2 Chickens too impatient to wait until
their nesting box is cleaned out!
3 Boss, the new farm kitten
4 Green, red and yellow delight
5 Maybelle and Moira bathing
2
5
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3 4
COLLINGWOOD CHILDREN’S FARM
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JuliaJuliaJulia
SmallwoodSmallwoodSmallwood Supported VolunteersSupported VolunteersSupported Volunteers
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!
Below, right: Spot the Blue-Tongue on the bluestone!
Clockwise (top to right): Biddy appreciates the clean
environment created by Olivia and Tony—by eating!
FARMLAND SINCE 1838
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FARM YARNS Next edition due out 1st day of Autumn
Family Fun Days
First Sunday of the month (no Family Fun Day in January)
Moo-ry Christmas
to all our visitors
Moo-ry Christmas
to all our visitors
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
Collingwood Children’s Farm PO Box 80 Abbotsford 3067
Farm phone: 9417 5806 Email: reception@farm.org.au Website: www.farm.org.au
PLACE STAMP HERE
The concept of a supported volunteer program is unique to our farm. Originally it was known as the Disability Pro-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
Farmer’s Market held the second Saturday of
every month for beautiful fresh, quality produce.
Farmland since 1838
Also enjoy hay rides and pony rides (when available), and other farm activities all for
price of standard entry.
Family Fun Days
First Sunday of the month (no Family Fun Day in January)
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