Partnerships in the isolated town of Bourke.
Engaging the community of Bourke in Western Landcare through a community garden.
Community Participation - LP045-017
The issue
Often in isolated towns such as Bourke there is a large turnover of population and so often groups such as Landcare needs to be invigorated every few years as key participants move on to other places. Especially since COVID there has been a lapse in community activity. The group that came together and expressed interest in having a Bourke Landcare Group also strongly expressed the need for a community garden in town, however there were issues of security & funding.
The solution
Having a Local Landcare Coordinator in Bourke has allowed for a lot of the headway to take place by just simply living in the community. Through being able to attend meetings after hours, and local connections such as the shire council. A very important connection the coordinators have been able to make is partnership with REDI.E. This is another organization in Bourke that owns infrastructure that is very suitable to be used as a community garden and is also lockable (solves the issue of security). REDI.E’s issue was the lack of manpower to maintain such a garden, so the partnership makes perfect sense.
The impact
Establishing connections with other groups or organizations in a town like Bourke is essential for issues such as lack of funding and lack of interested people taking part in activities such as running a community garden. Bourke Landcare Group can now go ahead with this priority of theirs thanks to connections made with already established organizations in the town. This will increase the sustainability and impact of the group in their establishment.
Key facts
- Isolated towns with low populations needing to make connections with already existing groups and organizations to strengthen their establishment and longevity.