Garden of the senses

By Casey Neill
MOUNT Evelyn Christian School students are lending a hand to awaken the senses.
They last week officially unveiled the latest stage of a sensory garden project they’re building at Olivet Aged Persons Home in Ringwood.
The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) Year 10 and 11 students constructed a boardwalk during Stage 2, building on from a formal garden in Stage 1.
They’re now working on Stage 3, ‘a walk down memory lane’, which will include letterboxes and a picket fence.
Stage 4 has a twilight theme and will begin next year.
VCAL teacher Lance Peele said there was a lack of “real” projects for students to work on and seeing something through gave them a real sense of achievement.
The kids even volunteered time during their school holidays, he said.
“The level of enthusiasm and ownership of the project is really very high.”
Olivet Aged Persons Home garden planner Wendy Hermann said the garden was designed to heighten residents’ five senses.
“We lose our senses as we get older,” she said.
“We wanted to create something to heighten their senses and bring back memories.”
The garden includes flowers for residents to smell, herbs to eat and a vibrant rainbow wall.
A birdbath attracts birds for their song and there are bells throughout the garden.
“It’s just a delight to see residents down there enjoying it,” she said.
“We’re very proud of it.”
Ms Hermann said one woman’s eyes filled with tears after taking her husband into the garden during a visit.
“He’s at peace down there,” the woman said.
Ms Hermann said the centre had relied on volunteer labour and donations to build the garden.
A Federal Government initiative linked the centre to Mount Evelyn Christian School about 18 months ago. It did not include any funding.
Readers who would like to contribute to the project can call Olivet Aged Persons Home on 9870 5495.