In the wake of lockdown and the social isolation it brought, a group of community members have banded together to transform a drab and uninspiring laneway into a green sanctuary in the heart of Glebe. AJ (pictured above), and Jo Tennant first had the idea for the project after being inspired by a French documentary about the guerrilla gardening movement.
“We started thinking about how we’ve got this empty, bare laneway that’s a little bit of an eyesore that is otherwise such a beautiful section of Glebe. We thought – what can we do about it?”
The project has come a long way, starting with a mismatched placement of just 6 pot plants down in the corner of the alleyway. “It continued over the months to grow to what it is now – to about 400 [plants].” The residents around the alleyway partake in monthly working bees and promote participation through a Facebook group that is advertised on flyers throughout the alleyway. “Just having the community come out and clean up, water, prune, pull out some dead plants, add some new ones, doesn’t take too much work!”
These working bees have proven popular with community members of all ages: “It’s always adults with some toddlers running around, pulling out dirt as we’re putting it in,” AJ laughs. On the other end of the spectrum, the popular community library, where people can take and donate books from a wooden cabinet, was built by the 88-year-old father of one of the volunteers.
AJ has noticed the differences a thriving community space has made to those passing by: “People feel a little more joy, start to feel happier. It’s just that sense of a little bit of delight.”
“Having initiatives like this, for me, is a reason to bring people together, and my wife would say, this is an excuse to get people thinking a bit more about nature and why it matters and getting curious about plants and gardening.”
