The talents of public and community housing tenants have been celebrated today in a special awards ceremony for Victoria’s most impressive public housing gardens.
Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing, Martin Foley, joined celebrity gardener Vasili Kanidiadis in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens to announce the winners of the Victoria In Bloom awards.
The awards celebrate the outstanding work of public and community housing residents who create decorative, productive and environmentally friendly gardens around their homes and communities.
Victoria In Bloom was created by Labor to highlight the positive contribution that social and public housing tenants make to the wider community around them.
More than 150 gardeners entered the competition, and the judging panel took great pleasure in selecting winners across a range of highly competitive categories. Mr Foley presented awards to the state-wide winners of the 2015 competition:
- Best Enclosed or Container Garden – Dawn Mott (Port Fairy)
- Best Balcony Garden – Natalie Soon (Port Melbourne)
- Best Household Garden – Beth Clisby (Pakenham)
- Best Edible Garden – Wilf Smith (Boronia)
- Best Sustainable Garden – Meryl Corbett (Elmore)
- Best Common Area Garden – Eric St Common Area Garden (Preston)
- Best Young Gardener – Ranjana Dafter (Colac)
- Best Community Garden – 125 Napier St, Fitzroy Community Garden (Fitzroy)
An additional “Gardener of the Year” award was presented to Dawn Mott.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing, Martin Foley
“Community gardens help to break down social isolation and build up local communities. Holding these awards is part of encouraging and celebrating all the positive community activities that occur in and around public housing.”
“These awards recognise the skill and hard work of public and community housing residents who are creating decorative, productive and environmentally friendly gardens, and enriching their local communities.”
“The diversity of gardens in this competition is fascinating, with finalists from every part of the state – from inner-city Melbourne, to regional areas such as semi-arid towns in the Mallee, to high-rainfall parts of Gippsland.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020