Community
29 August, 2024
Renovations complete
COOINDA participants supporting the thriving Yellow Tail Nursery have a new space to work from thanks to a renovation project completed this week.
Works to complete an extension of the horticulture shed finished to give Cooinda participants shelter while working.
Cooinda farm team leader Eamonn O’Connor said it was an exiting time to be “jazzing up” the nursery.
“It’s been a long time coming and the guys have done really well with the limited facilities we’ve had, but it’s come up really well,” he said.
“A big thanks to Tom Arundell, the builder, and Martin Wynd, who did all the plumbing.
“It’s going to make it a lot better for all the guys at this time of year – they can hide in there from the elements and keep propagating the trees.”
Yellow Tail Nursery has grown from strength- to-strength since launching last year, with tens of thousands of native trees bring sold across the region, including throughout Terang and Mortlake.
“Things have been going really good,” Mr O’Connor said.
“We’ve recently put together a partnership with the Terang and District Rotary Club, who are helping us get the word out around the area.
“We had probably sold around 10-15,000 trees last year, and I think we’ll go somewhere close to that again this year.”
Yellow Tail Nursery sells a range of native gums including Red Gum, Yellow Gum, Swamp Gum, Blue Gum, Manna Gum, Yates, Banksia, Melaleucas and Sheoaks.
The trees have proven popular with local farmers looking to create shelterbelts while supporting Cooinda in its efforts.
“Most of what we do is farming because it’s all natives and shelterbelts for cattle,” Mr O’Connor said.
“It’s a big part of what we do but it’s started up as an opportunity to fix up an area of Cooinda, and we’ve just seen it grow from there.”
At the heart of Yellow Tail Nursey, however, remains the primary focus of creating a space in which Cooinda participants can roll up their sleeves and contribute in creating a service for their local community.
Mr O’Connor said the participants ran most of the program themselves, taking a hands-on approach and enjoying the success their hard work brings.
“There’s a decent crew who comes down as part of our Monday gardening group,” he said.
“They do everything from going out and collecting the seeds to putting the seeds in the pots, fertilising, and putting it together for the farmers down the track.
“They take a very hands-on approach right from the word go.”
Anyone interested in purchasing trees can contact Mr O’Connor on 0434 947 150 or email farm@cooindaterang.org.au, or contact Cooinda directly on 5592 1533.
“Anyone who is keen on getting a few trees, now is the time to go,” he said.
“The next few months is a really important time to get them in the ground.”