Learning on Country in the Prep School’s Indigenous Garden  

Gardens require space to grow and time to tend – things that many Sydney-siders are lacking in the built-up environment of our city. 

Students at Trinity’s Preparatory School have always been surrounded by beautiful, protected, heritage gardens. Now they have the opportunity to test their green thumbs in new garden areas, designed specifically for their interaction. 

These gardens were born from the implementation of new curriculum objectives and a desire for students to learn on Country. 

“We realised that our boys were learning about Aboriginal history, Reconciliation and Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing in the classroom. But what they were missing was some learning on Country, when we were in such a built-up environment in Strathfield,” says Mrs Fiona Evans, Head of Curriculum at the Preparatory School. 

“We decided we needed to cultivate some areas where boys could get their hands dirty, dig into the soil, but also not just plant veggies; think about Indigenous plants and grasses.”

It was also important, she says, that these gardens be contributing to a longer-term aim of planting more around the School grounds, with boys linking them into the curriculum and knowing how to use these products, for food, weaving, science, and more. 

“We’re conscious that we need to embed more Aboriginal content with the new syllabus outcomes, but we also want to get the perspectives right, and the pedagogies. This enables us to do that, and means that our boys can go out and actually see things growing, and understand how they can be used down the track and what their use is.” 

Integral to the experience is Horticulturist and Worimi man, Mr Mark Eagleton. Despite being in the industry for over 20 years, he has only recently started cultivating native plants, something he says helps him to connect to Country, and now, it’s helping the boys connect to Country too. 

“It’s good for the plants, it’s good for the land, and it’s good for the boys,” he says. 

“I find [the boys] are like sponges … they’re really listening. You’ve got to watch and learn from what they say and what they do. Some are more interested than others, so you try and get them all interested, which is not easy, but I really enjoy it.” 

Each week, students spend time out in the garden, exploring different tasks – sowing seeds, aerating soil, removing bugs, and harvesting their hard work. Students head out in small groups of 6-8 to ensure they have quality time out in the garden and time with Mr Eagleton to ask questions. 

With multiple garden locations around the School, the students are separated by stage and very passionate about making sure no other year levels are getting involved with their patch. 

“They want to know what’s happening with their plants that they are taking care of,” says Mrs Hilary Cardiff, Teaching and Learning Librarian at the Preparatory School. “It’s really engaging for them, but also just lifts their sense of stewardship of the garden.” 

“Mark brings with him a lot of knowledge about plants, but also native plants that are native to this area. He’s been really, really lifted by his interactions with the boys and the relationships he’s building – not just with the boys but the broader parent community who are coming in and having conversations with him about how their boys are really loving the gardening program.” 

One particular favourite has been the growing and harvesting of saltbush. Grown by Mr Eagleton and the students, they pulled a few stems for the co-curricular group – Paddock to Plate. The boys fried these up and together they enjoyed tasting the salty, crispy snack. 

“I gave some to my little brother,” said Owen Y (5Hi). “It tasted really crispy like chips – it was pretty yum! I didn’t think you could deep fry some of these things, I didn’t think you could cook them!” 

Morris T (6Sc) says that he’s loved being involved in the garden. 

“I enjoyed the planting process; I enjoyed the gardening. I enjoyed just getting involved and doing some hard work and eventually seeing these plants evolve and grow.”  

Mr Eagleton is excited about what might come next, considering how he can get parents involved, conducting tours, and showing more of the community what’s happening in the garden. 

For now, he’s thrilled to see how much the boys are learning and enjoying their time in the garden.