Some 500 people from around the country will descend on the district in November for the Garden Clubs of Australia National Convention. It will be the first time the event is held in our region.
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As well as being a significant achievement for our own Ulladulla and Districts Garden Club, it will showcase the region from an entirely different perspective. Convention attendees will discover, as we already know, there is so much more to our little patch of paradise than beaches, bushland and mountains.
The lush gardens that dot our region are a huge point of local pride, which explains the enormous membership and vigour of our garden club. The club has grown so much it has had to change venues to accommodate its monthly meetings.
Of course, the club is about much more than cultivating beautiful gardens. It brings people together in a shared passion for horticulture and through it, friendships as well as flowers flourish.
To have successfully bid for the national convention is a great achievement in its itself but it’s the ongoing social value the club harvests each year that deserves the accolades.
Bringing people together and encouraging them outside to remain active in the garden is a soulful enterprise which helps knit our community together and enriches lives. Long after the convention attendees have returned home with stories about how beautiful our district is, the garden club will continue its cultivation of friendships. And our community will be better for it.
Praise is in order, too, for the efforts of a small but dedicated group of mountain bikers, who have for years been pushing for a track in Forestry land off Wheelbarrow Road.
While a deal finally being struck and the green light given, this track has the potential to bring visitors to the region. With a place to call home secured, the club will also likely attract more members. Again, it’s bringing people together who have a shared passion for healthy, outdoor pursuits. It’s building community cohesion.
Community achievements will be celebrated this Friday night at the Milton-Ulladulla 2017 Business and Community Awards at the Dunn Lewis Centre. Business is a mainstay of any community and worth celebrating.
It is an honour for the Times to be involved in this important annual event.