Cloncurry Neighbourhood Centre officially opens new community garden, yarning circle and Kup Muri space

Centacare North Queensland yesterday welcomed community members and special guests to the official opening of its community garden, yarning circle and Kup Muri area.

Located in the Cloncurry Neighbourhood Centre and made possible through funding received from Glencore and Southern Gulf NRM, the garden, yarning circle and Kup Muri area was a community concept developed to increase social connectedness through knowledge and skill sharing.

The yarning circle and Kup Muri area will provide an open area for new programs and workshops, bringing together all members of the community together to connect to country in a safe place.

Open to all locals, the garden has been frequented by several community groups since its completion in August last year, and is ripe for the picking with carrots, tomato, lettuce, beetroot, beans, sweet corn, and radishes all in flower thanks to hard work by Cloncurry Kindy, Rainbow Gateway and the ongoing support of many local businesses.

Centacare North Queensland Executive Director Peter Monaghan said there were multiple benefits of the project to the community, many of which have already come to fruition since the project was completed last year.

“When Centacare acquired the new Neighbourhood Centre, we felt it was important for the community to have a say in how we used the space – we wanted the community to feel welcome and felt like they owned a part of the centre,” Mr Monaghan said.

“Thanks to, funding from Glencore and Southern Gulf NRM, and the hard work of local community groups and staff, we can see that the garden is thriving, and people are really making use of the facility and the space.”

Chief Operating Officer for Glencore’s North Queensland’s Copper operations Matt O’Neill said he was delighted by the community’s response to the new garden, noting the importance of the project to promoting social cohesion and providing a space for the community to come together.

“We supported the idea of this project from the start – we could see the benefits to the community, having a space all of their own, somewhere where different groups could come together and share skills and knowledge,” Mr O’Neill said.

“This is what our funding programs are about – capacity building through the sharing of knowledge and skills and seeing positive change and sustainable outcomes for our community.”

 “It has been wonderful to see the community benefit that has already been delivered through this project and we hope these benefits will continue well into the future.”

Centacare NQ welcomes new groups and members to join in the fun of the Cloncurry Neighbourhood Centre community garden. Drop in and visit at 57 Sheaffe St to for a visit or call 1300 672273 for more information.