|
In June last year friends, family and workmates of Mark Smith built a garden at the Canberra Community Dialysis Centre, part of the Canberra Hospital, to commemorate the anniversary of his death.
Mark, who had been a patient at the centre, had long wanted to landscape an area of the gardens to make it more interesting for patients to look at, but passed away before he could start the project.
When members of the local landscape association visited Mark at the centre, they saw how much time patients had to spend just lying on a bed looking out at barren landscape. To commemorate the anniversary of his death, they decided to realise their friend's dream.
Landscape architect Jennie Curtis designed the garden while Vicki Berry, of Easycare Garden Designs, co-ordinated the construction. Vicki is a member of the Australian Institute of Horticulture (AIH) and the Landscape Contractors Association (LCA) of NSW.
The design incorporates three colourful poles to create points of interest. Canberra Aboriginal artist, Jacqueline Best, painted traditional Aboriginal designs on one pole to celebrate Mark's indigenous heritage.
Australian plants complement a simple but colourful water feature, designed to bring birds and butterflies into the garden. The idea was to give patients something to watch from the treatment room, during dialysis.
"I wanted something that would change all the time -- birds, butterflies, and plants flowering at different times of the year," she says.
One of the volunteers who have built the garden, Mick Burgess, describes Mark as a "really giving person" who was always the first to volunteer help with various LCA charity projects over the years.
"The best day of his life would have been one of our worst but he never complained; he just kept smiling," Mick says.
Vicki says the landscapers wanted to give something back to a man who had given much of his life to others. They also wanted to improve the life of other dialysis patients.
All materials and labour used were donated by local companies, including Amey Brothers, Aspen Irrigation, Aquaviva Water Garden Centre, Easycare Garden Designs, Queanbeyan & Fyshwick Landscape Supplies, Bristol Paints, Canberra Outdoor Timber Structures, CSP Landscaping, Foxy's Landscapes, Hazelbrook Nursery, Liquid Landscapes, Magnet Mart, Mark Paine Landscaping, Stonhenge, Turf & Irrigation, Urban Contractors and Yarralumla Nursery.
Everyone worked together to achieve a great result. The garden was completed in a day.
"Everyone was fantastic," Vicki says. "We all knew what we were doing and worked hard to achieve our common goal -- the realisation of Mark's dream."
Vicki says all involved found it extremely satisfying and rewarding to have participated. She encourages all related industry associations to use their combined skills to help the community.
(This article appeared in Australian Horticulture July 2004)
|
About Easycare 