A secret Garden – Shh . . .

Christine Timmerman, Yarram, Victoria, Australia

The Yarram Share Garden located behind the Anglican Church in Yarram and has a special secret name. One that I will share with you, but you must remember it’s a secret.

The real name of the plots of veggies, rampant pumpkins and gracious garlic is, “The Free Garden.” And by being called “free,” the implications extend from the physical to the spiritual.

On a physical level there are no rosters, no routines, no memberships or joining fees, and basically no committee. Anyone can pull weeds, take produce, and contribute as they see a need.

The garden operates on the idea of energy exchange, with an almost zero budget. Over its time of growth, the garden has received numerous donations of materials, including hay for bale gardens, fertilizer, composting leaves from the health center next door, seedlings, and equipment.

Currently an abundance of recycled material is being gifted to make recycled shopping bags. The money raised from the purchase of these bags will be used to plant apple trees in the purposed mini orchard.

On a social level, people visit the garden on their nightly walks, watch its progress from the windows of the adjacent nursing home and health center, or just find a hidden gem behind the bricks and mortar of the Church. Most of these visitors are not members of the Anglican Church, or any other religious group.

In a time when so many small country churches are struggling for attendance, or serving ageing populations, small seeds are bringing people to the Church grounds. It’s not likely the visitors to the garden will translate into Sunday worshippers, but there is a quiet revolution underway. And souls who wouldn’t normally wander the grounds of a Church happily make the detour to the garden, rather than travelling past.

And through divine timing, many of these visitors meet a member of the church who might be there getting ready for the next service. A conversation is often struck, and a new connection is made. People are welcome to access the garden at any time, as it is a place of safety.

When the agendas and membership requirements are removed individuals who are not able to survive in structure, who struggle with anxiety, PTSD or other mental health issues, such people are attracted to the garden. And they are free to do so, in their own time and space.

In addition to the garden, recycled material and old denim jeans are converted into shopping bags that are sold at the Twice Blessed Opportunity Shop; the money raised will buy apple trees for a mini orchard.

It has been a challenge to establish this space free of constraints and expectations on the land of an organization that is welded to traditions and structure. But the flexibility of the leadership and committee of the Yarram Anglican Church have demonstrated trust in letting the garden grow both physically and spiritually with a new vision. They have truly adopted the understanding of, “build it and they will come.” And they do. It’s a gathering place, like the first outdoor churches.

Maybe once the orchard is planted, a new secret name might emerge. “The Church of the Orchard.”

The town of Yarram is located on the edge of the The Strzelecki – Nooramunga Biolink Strzelecki Nooramunga Biolink – Gippsland Biolink south of the Strzelecki Ranges (snbiolink.blog)

We are uniquely located between a RAMSAR wetland and the Strzelecki Ranges, and host thousands of listed ( endangered and threatened) migratory and marine birds in the area.