Indigenous garden blooms

By Andrew Humphries

It may be relatively small in size, but a garden in front of the Healesville Yarra Glen Uniting Church is making a big statement about how congregations can walk together with our First Nations people.

In October last year, years of planning came to fruition with the official opening of the indigenous garden at the Healesville church.

For members of the congregation’s Walking Together group, it was an emotional and fitting end to a great deal of hard work.

Walking Together group member Margaret Blair says congregation members had embraced the indigenous garden project with great enthusiasm after the idea was first floated around 2018 by then Minister Rev Jennie Gordon.

“Many members of the congregation recognised the importance of the project and, when Jennie knew that she was leaving she felt that this was something we should look more closely at, and a Walking Together group was formed,” Margaret says.

She says the journey towards establishing the garden, made possible through Synod funding, had opened the eyes of many members to how poorly indigenous Australians had been treated in the area, including while at the Coranderrk Aboriginal Station from 1863 until its closure in 1924.

“None of us knew the extent of what had been done to indigenous people in this area,” Margaret says.

“We thought we knew a fair bit, but when we really delved into the history of those who eventually came to Coranderrk, it was absolutely appalling to learn of how they were treated.

“There was a deep sense of shame and shock among congregation members about this history.”

Margaret says research into the history of Coranderrk uncovered a strong link to the Uniting Church’s predecessor, the Presbyterian Church, through Coranderrk’s first superintendent John Green.

Continuing that link is the fact that one of the plants in the garden is the Coranderrk plant, also known as the Victorian Christmas bush.

Margaret says congregation member and horticulturalist Coral Jeffs had done an enormous amount of work in establishing the indigenous garden.

“The idea of an indigenous garden had been bubbling along for quite some time,” she says.

“We know that we’re in a privileged position here, in that we sit right in the middle of the main street, so the thinking was that we should use our position to promote the garden.”

Taking pride of place in the garden is a sculpture of a binak, or basket, traditionally woven together using grass.

The sculpture was made by Wurundjeri artist Aunty Kim Wandin, who was welcomed and thanked by current Minister Rev David Kim at the unveiling ceremony.

Though small in size, the binak sculpture represents something immense in the congregation’s journey of walking together with First Peoples.

“It’s actually perfect for the garden because it represents that concept of nurturing a relationship that we, as the Uniting Church, want to have with our First Peoples,” Margaret says.

“We were most thankful and felt honoured to have the opportunity to work with Aunty Kim on this, and I know she is very pleased to have her work established here.

“It’s been embraced by the congregation, and we were also delighted to have Rev Sharon Hollis at the opening ceremony because she was Moderator when this concept was first floated and has followed our journey on it.”

Margaret says there is more to come with both the garden and the congregation’s journey towards walking together with First Peoples.

“We continue to open our minds towards this journey,” she says.