How Wally the Scarecrow is Growing Community Spirit in Noosa

The Wallace Park group tend their own patch of the thriving community garden, which is just a short walk from the NDVR Learning & Lifestyle hub.   

“We grow veggies like zucchini and beans, and lots of herbs,” said NDVR Learning & Lifestyle Support Worker, Eusebia Curtis.

“We've been working on the garden for quite a while now and some of the clients and staff noticed that some creatures have been eating the plants and the veggies.”

“So together, we thought of a scarecrow to scare them away, and then we all collaborated to make it.”  

“We had a big planning session, so everyone had a chance to choose what they thought the scarecrow should look like. They voted on things like whether the eyes should be buttons, and we all chose what colours he should wear.” 

After coming up with their plan, the group went down to the local charity opp shop, Waves of Kindness, to find an appropriate outfit for their scarecrow.

“The staff at Waves of Kindness are really lovely and some of our clients go there to volunteer. We all had a good look around the shop and we found some clothes that matched our plan,” Eusebia said.  

The next step was to bring their vision to life.

“I built the structure with wood parts and brought it in. Then in arts and crafts, everyone helped dress him up and made sure he was like their vision of what the scarecrow should look like.

“He's got a hat, and he's got a scarf, so he’s prepared for all weather seasons.”

But the one thing their scarecrow was missing, was a name.

“We had a brainstorm, and we had a whole bunch of names like Simon and Larry, but in the end, we thought it should be Wallace, because of Wallace Park. So, we all call him Wally now,” she laughed.

“We got permission to put him in our little garden bed and he's doing an excellent job. We've used a lot of the produce we've grown over there in our cooking program. If we need some rosemary or some parsley we can go and get it. And it's what they've grown because they’ve planted it and watered it, and then they're using it in their cooking.”

But those choosing to take part in the community garden and scarecrow project are taking away a lot more than just fresh produce.

“It’s great for conversation skills. When we’re at the garden our clients talk to the people that look after the other bits of the garden. It's a really good community – the people there are lovely.”

“And it's a great option for exercise. It’s about a five-to-ten-minute walk so it’s good motivation to go out for a walk and tend to the garden.”

“For one of my clients, it's been a great motivator for her because it’s something she can care for and take control of, so it's given her more confidence.”

“And we have a client who’s really into gardening, but he uses a wheelchair, and it can be quite hard for him at home, but he's able to go over to the community garden and have a look so he really enjoys it.” 

Wally has done such a great job and had such a positive effect that the team from Wallace Park are planning on making sure that he’ll be permanent fixture at the Noosa Community Garden.

He’s like a mascot for us. Our clients are always asking, “Can we go check on Wally?” 

“You know, just to make sure he's doing alright and to fix his head up if it's fallen off,” Eusebia added. 

And given that poor Wally is exposed to the elements, day in, day out, his care and maintenance will be an on-going project for the group.

“He’s starting to show some signs of wear, and we've discussed that we'll probably need new clothing soon so we might do another trip to Waves of Kindness so we can change his outfit. He’s getting a bit weathered, but he's still standing.”   

With the Wallace Park crew taking such good care of him, he’s sure to be standing for a long time to come.