Stephanie Alexander visits Western Sydney

To mark the launch of the Blacktown Kitchen Garden Project, Stephanie Alexander AO was joined by CEO of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, Cathy Wilkinson, and food icon Kylie Kwong AM — a long-time advocate of the Kitchen Garden Program — to experience the positive results of the Kitchen Garden Program at a Western Sydney school.

Stephanie and guests headed to Hebersham Public School, who have been members of the Kitchen Garden Program since 2011. Stephanie and Kylie had previously visited the school in its first year of running the program to showcase the preventative health benefits of the program to Nicola Roxon, then Federal Minister for Health.

For this occasion, the local Director of Educational Leadership from the NSW Department of Education, Tom Moth, joined the school visit for a hands-on experience of the program and the impact it’s having on their 500+ students.

Thirteen years strong at Hebersham Public School

Located in Mount Druitt on the land of the Dharug people, Hebersham Public School has a vibrant and diverse school community.  The school has heavily embedded the Kitchen Garden Program in their school culture and runs two-hour classes for students in Years 3 and 4, three days a week.

Principal Betty Papandreou is a long term advocate of the program and has been encouraging other local schools to express their interest in the Blacktown Kitchen Garden Project, led by the Foundation and in close collaboration with the Western Sydney Local Health District.

Over the next five years, 16 primary schools on Dharug Country will receive grants and support to join the globally recognised Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. Schools can apply to be the demonstration school or one of the further 15 schools to receive an infrastructure grant.

A garden tour and shared lunch

A selection of students led by garden educator, Glenn, toured guests through the garden beds filled with capsicum, radish, Asian greens, lettuce, carrots and brassicas. After getting inspired by the children’s knowledge of growing and harvesting, Stephanie, Kylie and guests entered the bustling kitchen to cook along with kitchen educator, Renee, and even more enthusiastic, engaged children.

The afternoon, culminated in a shared lunch of savoury cabbage rolls from the oven, potato salad, green leaf salads and home-made flaky apple strudels. Students, school staff and special guests mingled over the feast, conversations sparked by what they’d experience during the day.

The potential of the Blacktown Kitchen Garden Project were top of mind during these table discussions, as community partners Western Sydney Local Health District and Blacktown City Council witnessed the power of the program in action.

Thank you to Hebersham Public School staff and students for such an immersive, memorable day. For more information on the Blacktown Kitchen Garden Project, please contact the Project Lead, Rose Tilbury, at rose.tilbury@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au.