2016-12-19
Adrian Price
A few generations ago, most city people had relatives or friends in the country areas, indeed in the 1950s, Osborne Park and other now inner suburbs had dairy farms and commercial vegetable growers.
In my youth, on horseback I used to drive 80 dairy cows along Harbourne St, and Scarborough Beach Rd, Osborne Park to a farm about where WA Newspapers is now located. Even the semi-trailer Scarborough Beach buses did not worry the cows or the horse who was also a milk cart horse. All of this within a few minutes of Perth CBD.
New homes and gardens were being established in Wembley and Floreat Park. During school holidays I would load cow manure into a cart pulled by a horse and as a 12 year old would guide the horse and cart to a home which paid 10 shillings ($1) a load and I received 1 shilling (10 cents) for each load delivered.
About 18 years ago the Conservation Council of WA with WA Govt funding initiated a 'City Kids program. This provided opportunities for city students of Years 8 and 9 to stay on farms with students of the same age for a semester. The students would experience many aspects of farm living.
At that time I was the Boyup Brook LCDC coordinator (sort of Landcare). I was with the City Kids for half a day a week and introduced them to issues of salinity, erosion, polluted water, pests, but also positive programs of revegetation, propagating native plants and much more.
Upon return to their city schools, the students were expected to tell the school assembly of their country experiences.
While I was Dowerin Natural Resource Management Officer, I hosted Curtin University students for a weekend experience. Some students were from overseas and usually they, and even the Australian students, had never been to the Wheatbelt, so having them helping to revegetate a salt lake was an experience they will never forget. I also would take them to see sheep dogs at work in their environment. At one of these events, Mia Davies, now WA Minister for Forests and Water joined in with these students.
Unlike a US President-elect who wants to build walls to separate people, we need to fill the city-country gap.
Photos: Curtin University students preparing mulch for planting of tree seedlings on salt affected land near Dowerin. Adrian Price. Text Photo: Curtin University student planting tree seedling to reclaim a salt lake. Adrian Price.