By Tanya Faulkner
A local organisation has had a technical upgrade thanks to a recent grant.
The Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery (SDNC) were one of the lucky organisations to receive a grant through the 2023 Casey Volunteer Grants, sponsored by Federal Member for Casey, Aaron Violi.
Mr Violi visited earlier this month to see the operations and how the grant will assist volunteers.
Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery received a grant of $1,400 to purchase a laptop computer and protective bag for data entry and storage.
SDCN president Garrique Pergl said the new device will make things easier for them to manage the operations of the organisation, including a seed bank inventory for Dandenong Ranges indigenous seeds, nursery plant production, photographs, field plant locations and recordings of public meetings.
Vice president Paul said without their volunteers, and in particular Garrique, the organisation would be lost.
“We have volunteers from older retirees to students, some with great talents and some with a passion for plants that need some extra help that do a lot for us,” he said.
Mr Pergl said the organisation has been a part of the Belgrave community for 30 years, and work with several Victorian government organisations, schools, and community initiatives to bring more greenery to the Hills.
“We provide plants for local government, Melbourne Water, the Streamside rehab and Platypus habitat enhancement projects, and Parks Victoria, as well as local schools and kinders, and other city locations” he said.
SDNC are also providing the seedlings for this years’ National Tree Planting day, being held by the Belgrave Food Garden.
Mr Pergl said the organisation is part of a network of community indigenous nurseries across Melbourne, but are the only nursery in our area to provide plants local to the Dandenong Ranges.
Federal MP for Casey Aaron Violi said the grants are to support local community groups who enable social inclusion, particularly for vulnerable people, and to help increase participation in volunteering.
“Each community group has received a grant between $1,000 and $5,000 to support the efforts of their volunteers.,” he said.
Mr Violi said the decision to invest in technology will be life changing for the volunteers at Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery.
“Through investing in technology, Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery has streamlined their processes for volunteers, creating a safe place to store and retrieve information on local plants with ease.
“It was great to visit the nursery to see firsthand the work of Garrique, Paul, Susan and the team of over 60 volunteers who do so much for our local wildlife and environment.
“The establishment of an electronic database will provide ease of access to information, not only making lighter work for volunteers but also enabling a central database of Dandenong Ranges indigenous seeds and plant information, which will no doubt benefit the wider community from a history and horticulture perspective,” he said.
