Local ecology

Aboriginal landscaping knowledge gives Tramsheds gardens a revamp

Indigenous horticultural and employment project blooms in Annandale.

Wildflower TramshedsBanner Image Credit Wildflower

City of Sydney grant recipient Wildflower will help budding Aboriginal horticulturists and landscapers grow their skills over 4 weeks at the Tramsheds in Annandale.

Young people from Redfern, Waterloo and Glebe will come together to care for 300 native plants in gardens around the venue and build community awareness of the importance of Aboriginal land management.

We’re sponsoring the work through a knowledge exchange grant, with Wildflower founder Roman Deguchi saying the project would have multiple benefits for the community.

“Our project not only looks to increase awareness around the benefits of using native plants ... it is also an opportunity for young Aboriginal men and women, looking at careers in horticulture and landscaping, to gain experience and knowledge.”

City of Sydney grant recipient Wildflower helps budding Aboriginal gardeners grow their skills
City of Sydney grant recipient Wildflower helps budding Aboriginal gardeners grow their skills

Wildflower is a not for profit, Indigenous-led social enterprise that carries out landscaping and ecological work, while providing employment and training opportunities to local communities with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The organisation does everything from park development to bush restoration and creating habitat corridors for native wildlife.

“We believe that more Indigenous landscapes are needed in the city from an environmental perspective. As we continue to develop the city (of Sydney) we also need to ensure that we are providing enough green space,” Deguchi said.

“We are on a mission to green the city, restore native natural landscapes, care for Country and create a new sustainable, inclusive and supportive way of doing business and empowering the community.”

Our knowledge exchange grants are open for applications until 11 April 2022. These grants are for not-for-profits and for-profits. They could support you to foster collaboration and learning, share local sector expertise, build capacity and networks and encourage dialogue about local and global issues in all sectors.

Published 17 February 2022, updated 25 February 2022