I am very excited to be back with Goulbourn Museum again! Last year I put together Growing Goulbourn, a hands-on program that gets 12-15-year-olds into the garden and growing their own vegetables and flowers, and now I’ve returned to run it. I can’t wait to see everything I’ve prepared happen; hopefully people will enjoy doing it as much I’ve enjoyed preparing for it. I’ve found all sorts of old-fashioned and strange vegetables and chosen native plants that are key to sustaining our local ecosystems. We will get our hands dirty weeding, learn how to identify and ecologically deal with pests, and discover the best method for growing potatoes. The Museum has invited guest speakers to talk about an Indigenous perspective of interacting with the land and there will be a fall fair at the end.

I have an M.Sc. in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, England, and have been gardening since I was a child. I’ve worked many years both in museums and with visitors of all ages and in my garden, an 18-year-old native plant butterfly sanctuary. I can’t wait for the snow to melt!

Fun Fact: Bugs are my passion! In total, I’ve raised over 500 praying mantids!