For the past 12 months, Sustain has been working with the City of Wyndham and community leaders across the municipality in a food and farming system capacity building project, funded by the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation.

This has been an exciting and empowering learning journey for everyone involved. The project has involved workshops and webinars with Werribee South market gardeners, community gardeners, community food leaders and food relief agencies, as well as with staff across the City of Wyndham. Everyone has grappled with the complex challenges facing Wyndham's food and farming system in the difficult circumstances of 2022-23.

As the project reaches its conclusion, we are inviting everyone who's participated to join us in a celebratory lunch to acknowledge what has been achieved and shared over the past year. This event will feature a panel of local leaders (below) together with the premiere screening of Valuing Food, a short film that captures what food means to members of Wyndham's diverse communities and what the needs and opportunities are to build on local knowledge and capacity in the coming years to strengthen residents' access to local fresh produce and protect Wyndham's fertile foodbowl in Werribee South.

Catering courtesy of the wonderful Karen aunties!

Speakers

Tonya Toi

Tonya is current president of the Pasifika Community of Australia (PCA). The PCA is a voice for the Pasifika community in Melbourne, and assists individuals and groups settling in the city. Tonya works closely with Vicpol, and is available to assist community members who have got into difficulty, or who have to attend court. The PCA undertakes amy community projects including the Point Cook Homestead, and Werribee Station Youth Project. In conjunction with the City of Wyndham and under Tonya's leadership, the PCA has established a 2.5 acre community garden at 79 Pemrose Promenade, Tarneit. The local Pasifika community members maintain and develop the garden. Most of the produce is given away to the Pasifika community. “We wanted to have a space to plant our garden so that our community can come and all that emergency food relief we were receiving, we could have contributed if we had had a space,” Tonya said in a recent interview. “It’s a first of its kind, to bring together Melanesia, Micronesian and Polynesian, it’s never happened to that capacity ever before, here was a collaboration united in a land that was officially ours.”

Catherine Velisha

Catherine is a third generation Managing Director of Velisha Farms a horticulture business based in Werribee South Victoria, Australia. Having worked within the horticulture industry for over 19 years she has been involved in all aspects of the industry supply chain. Catherine is founder of VEG Education, an RTO created specifically to facilitate young people to gain insight, access, and knowledge about the fresh produce and the businesses that grow them. VEG Education enables the horticulture industry to bring their love of vegetables directly to consumers and students via a variety of unique school and community programs.

Craig Castree

Craig Castree is an award-winning Horticulturist of 45 years’ experience at growing his own food organically and creating edible gardens. He has worked extensively in both wholesale, and retail nurseries in Victoria. He has also worked in fruit tree orchards and is the current Vice President of the Werribee Park Heritage Orchard at Werribee Park Mansion. He is a Published author of 5 books on horticulture and being self-sufficient. He is an educator that teaches others how to live a more sustainable self sufficient life in an urban setting, and works with over 7 different councils throughout Victoria.

Ian Fenton

Ian is Manager of the Wyndham Park Community Centre.