Dawn Testrow and Vanda Longman were our joint Guest Speakers this time, and they told us all about the City Beach Community Food Forest – a 900 sq m block in Fred Burton Way, City Beach which was started in August 2021. Now under the auspices of Community Gardens Australia, the purpose of the area is to enable people to come together to grow fresh food, to stimulate the growth of natural species, to learn, to relax and to meet new friends. A small group started to clear the site in February 2022, and were given a much-needed boost when a local resident volunteered to do the job in one afternoon using his company’s bobcats! The ground was then prepared by covering it with cardboard, clay and mulch, fertilising it with horse manure and coffee grounds and then planting trees and a cover crop of broad beans. The Bush Tucker section of the Forest needed severe weeding but no ground preparation, and many WA and Australia wide natives were then planted. The Food Forest relies on grants from ToC and the WA Dept. of Communities, plus generous support from companies such as Bunnings. Water has been a big problem as the sprinkler system that was there only covered a small area, but this has now been solved by installing a 5000 litre tank. Raised veggie gardens have been started, and volunteers work each Wednesday and Saturday from 8.30 to 10.30 am and then enjoy morning tea. All are welcome to visit, and we were shown many pictures and samples of the fruits of the labours!