PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR A HEALTHIER WAY OF LIFE Noosa News Tues November 15, 2011

PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR A HEALTHIER WAY OF LIFE Noosa News Tues
November 15, 2011

PLANTING THE SEEDS FOR A HEALTHIER WAY OF LIFE Noosa News Tues November 15, 2011

$250K open-air classroom coup

Under the guidance of a teacher whose sympathies are deeply rooted in the goodness of the earth, some of Eumundi’s endangered farming fabric is spreading fresh shoots in the schoolyard.

A 16-year passion of Jon Gemmell’s to help plant his students’ future prosperity through permaculture gardens plots has seen Eumundi State School awarded one of the richest harvests – a $250,000 open air classroom.

Arguably, Mr Gemmell would value his students’ hands-on connection to the food chain farm more than this latest reward that comes a s part of the state-wide Healthy Queensland Awards for the school section.

Eumundi school principal Mick Connors paid tribute to Mr Gemmell’s incredible vision in developing the living outdoor classroom concept that has so impressed the healthy initiatives judges.

“This will bring a breath of fresh air to the school,” Mr Connors said.

Certainly Educations Minister Cameron Dick could not be more impressed that the planned “special open air classroom will help further improve the health of students and staff, and has the potential to help the wider community”.

“It will be built in bushland surrounding the school and provide a perfect environment for learning about cultivating, harvesting and preparing healthy food: Mr Dick said.

“The bushland setting will include gardens for growing fresh food to cook healthy meals daily in the class kitchen.

“Eumundi prides itself on its ‘Eumunchi health Eaters’ program promoting healthy food options, and the Healthy Queensland Awards prize will provide the opportunity for more fitness programs and daily exercise.”

Mr Gemmell, with his straw hat with a hole that a scarecrow would love tohand out in, was fairly low key about his role in sewing these seeds of students’ physical and personal nourishments in this project.

“I’ve just been chipping away at it for 16 years,” he said

But his character really blossoms when discussing his motivations for graduating new generations of green thumbs.

“I just question how we are governed by convenience food and how we are so detached from food source,” Mr Gemmel said

“I want students to see how from a seed comes a plant, and if you take the time and effort that plant can produce a food.”

His goal is to re-educate taste buds so that kids will see there is an alternative to convenience foods.

“There’s so much acreage around now, so much unused farmland with people just sitting on mowers on it.

“I think the last dairy farm – across the highway – went about 10 years ago.”

He said the school’s latest and biggest garden was the one that really impressed the judges with its 15 citrus trees...and more to come.

“The garden is made up of nine swales and each one is 15 metres,” he said.

 




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