By Callum Ludwig
Coronation Park in Healesville is set to host a number of events through April to get residents out and enjoying the natural space.
The events are the inaugural Healesville Home Grown Food Fair, a Natural Weaving workshop, an art play project called Efemera and a music event called Community Voices in the Park.
Healesville Community Garden (HCG) president Etne Pfeiffer said the purpose of the events is to reconnect people with nature and the park space, particularly after the last two years of Covid-19 restrictions.
“It’s about getting ourselves back to nature and being inspired creatively but also having a respectful relationship with the land and all animals,” she said.
“What we found last year when chatting to people was because we were spending so much time indoors and on devices, being back outside was just reinvigorating and it reconnected people.”
The first event will be the Healesville Home Grown Food Fair on Sunday 3 April from 9am to 2pm. This event was initiated by the HCG and FoodPatch Art, a local initiative aiming to use creativity to connect residents to the environment.
Ms Pfeiffer said this event will hopefully encourage people to take the steps to grow some of their own food, particularly after concerns over food security during the Covid years.
“During the Covid lockdowns, people showed interest in being more self-sufficient as they became concerned about our food production and distribution,” she said.
“We want to keep those ideas alive for people and show growing your own food can be ongoing, it doesn’t just need to be reactive when our food security is being challenged or threatened. It’s doable, it’s healthy, it’s fantastic.”
The following Wednesday 6 April, local resident Ruth Woods will be teaching people how to weave with natural materials. The event will be hosted in two groups, Group 1 will be from 10am-12pm and Group 2 from 1.30pm-3.30pm. Bookings are essential and available by emailing foodpatchart@gmail.com.
This event leads onto the free nine-day Efemera event, which will take place under the famous oak trees in the park and will provide an opportunity for residents to create art from the world around them. Local artists will be onsite throughout this event.
Ms Pfeiffer said the living project will provide many opportunities for interested artists in the area.
“All the materials, twigs, and leaves, and bark, and acorns, are there for people to come to create and add to what they and others are making. It was really enjoyed by the community last year,” she said.
“The project was even a finalist in the Keep Victoria Beautiful Sustainable Cities awards in the wellbeing category.
During Efermera, Community Voices in the Park will be celebrating local musicians, singers and songwriters on Sunday 10 April. Aunty Kim Wandin will do a Welcome to Country to begin the event which will be started at 12.30pm by The Markers.
“We hope the music event will help get more engagement and more people on-site in the art space and give it a nice, energetic start to the week,” Ms Pfeiffer said.
“Last year we found people would listen to music and go for a little wander, check out the art space, and then be sitting and making art watching and listening to the performers.”
Finally, to cap off Efemera, an Easter egg hunt will be hosted on Saturday 16 April, the closing weekend.
