‘It was lovely having so many people come in and help and understand the philosophy of this garden, which is all about giving back, Ms Schuchmann said.
‘We feel so fortunate to have so many people that wanted to help us and we felt it was important that this garden is all about giving – giving edible plants for animals to Mogo Zoo, giving to the school canteen, and giving produce to the students and their families.’
Tess and Luke spent time in each classroom over the week, talking to the students about what was going on in the garden and challenging each class group to choose names for the new school chickens.
‘We saw on the news how devastating the fires were and we really wanted to be able to get involved and to do something positive, so as soon as we were asked we said yes straight away,’ said Tess.
‘Everyone we have spoken to has a story of dealing with the fires and some are so devastating, and yet everyone has a smile on their face and is happy to donate their time, and local businesses are happy to donate materials to make this happen.’
Luke added that it was the very least he and Tess could do to lend a hand to build the garden.
‘It’s an amazing thing about the Aussie spirit and how people are here, some of whom have lost so much, already thinking about how they are going to give back through this garden,’ Luke said.