Introduction
The Sustainable Wetlands Agricultural Makers Project (SWAMP) – Central Coast, provides a space for people to visit and connect to grow a community of like minded people that may be isolated, new to the area, want to join a community garden, learn ways to grow and eat food, gardening tips, sharing local stories and local history, connecting in with our Indigenous communities and learn new ways to grow food and eat food together.
SWAMP sees an opportunity to bring people together and create a community garden that is thriving, resilient and strong for visitors and members alike to visit and belong.
Mission
Cultivating food and community culture.
Who we are & what we do
Swamp is a not-for-profit Community focused organisation, co-founded by a team of 7 like minded humans with a passion for inspiring individuals to participate in the regeneration of community and reconnecting people to the importance of accessing locally grown and raised food.
It is a story of how a grassroots revolution – a true underground insurgency, can help turn climate change around and build healthy people and healthy communities, pivoting significantly on our relationship with growing and consuming food.
Our impact to date
We have grown 100’s kilos of food for the community
Countless families have walked through the gate as part of our nature play group, musical kitchen events and local festival experiences
We save food waste from landfill by rescuing food scraps from local businesses and cafes
Engaged over 300 volunteers through individuals, organisations, schools and groups
Facilitated many educational programs such as a Soil to Plate Program, Foundational Skills for Women that have impacted young people living with disabilities and women who are changing their lives through transitional life changes at The Glen
Been the catalyst of one other farm site up at Somersby partnered with Arc Ento Technologies
Community engagement
Our grass root programs, workshops and education offer individuals, community and local organisations the connections and learnings to help guide and navigate through the overwhelm of life with best practices to live sustainably and resiliently in the world today.
We do this through providing early childhood food education and nature play, ‘soil to plate’ programs aligned with disability support services, educational workshops on homesteading practices.
- Little People Nutrition
- Oasis Shop Wyong
- The Glen Centre for men and women
- Bundilla preschool
- YouConnect
- Local chefs
- Small local Farmers Market – Avoca
- Permaculture Central Coast
- Mountain Growers Market
Outcomes
Actively reduce the impact of local food waste, improving mental health and wellbeing, building bridges for people to come together, connecting our food grown on site with local chefs and businesses, providing accessibility of local nutritious food to disadvantaged people through donations, improving community with shared knowledge to help empower others to live a life of meaning and purpose, how to use excess harvested produce, creating a safe environment for families to play, grow and learn together with like minded people in the area, improving social acceptance and providing a space for belonging primarily through creating opportunities and purpose.
Goals for the future
To have a healthy and big volunteer base who share the vision of SWAMP to cultivate food and community culture, feed more people, to have a green gap year program for school leavers, employment for 2 garden managers, offer apprenticeships, run stem programs with local schools on how to grow your own food and reduce waste.
Meet the team
Sue Bradley
Co-Founder, Project Co-Ordinator & Community Connections
I am a mother to three daughters who are my inspiration, they are the ones who give me the strength and commitment to be involved in what I do, to leave a long lasting legacy for them to live in a world that is still able to grow food in the soil, clean water to drink and fresh air to breath, but most importantly that they know they are connected to nature and are nature, it lives within us all. I believe in the strength of community working as one for a greater cause, bigger than ourselves.
The brilliant SWAMP team are together creating a place to gather, meet new friends, learn the benefits of gardening and growing your own food and better ways to be sustainable in your own home and more importantly to connect in with your community.
Cassie Harris
Co-Founder, Community Engagement Facilitator
Cassie Harris is facilitator of Women’s circles, rites of passage ceremonies and Nature Connection teacher here at Swamp Central Coast.
My vision for Swamp is to facilitate the space where the remembering of our intrinsic connection to the natural environment can occur. Where community support structures created through ceremony, sharing of knowledge, crafting and rewilding can be established.
To weave the need for a respectful and reciprocal relationship with nature, back into our modern ways of living.
Mandy dos Santos
Co-Founder, Children and Family Program Coordinator
Mandy is a nutritionist, food scientist and passionate food educator. Professionally, working with families, educators and children to empower their exploring of food in a way that they can develop a positive relationship with it, through play-based learning. Personally, she adores food and nature, and want to share that with everyone.
“When the opportunity came to volunteer and help build SWAMP with the team, I couldn’t say no. To have a space so accessible to families and children, in such a spectacular and environmentally historical area, is a dream. To connect and bring local community into nature, onto the earth and to empower their understanding of the life cycle of food, is a privilege.
I am so proud of what our team has created thus far, and look forward to it continuing to flourish, with you, the community.”
Marco dos Santos
Co-Founder, Educational Program Developer & Creative Director
Marco is a creative designer/tech geek with a enormous “hunger” to education and innovation. He brings years of industry creative expertise to SWAMP.
“I love to pass and receive knowledge, and there is no better place than a community garden full of like-minded people! And I felt at home from day one, crafting my gardening skills while helping our team in developing the creative side of SWAMP.”
Woodie McClean
Co-Founder, MC Microbe | Arts Director & Waste Manager
A locally grown industrious musician and avid eco-warrior, MC Microbe brings an open mind and collaborative nature to represent the creative industries and the microbial macrocosm beneath our feet here on the Central Coast.
Here to support and re-connect local artists of all fields through a developed network of practicing professionals and regenerate soils coherently using biotechnologies, MC Microbe is a core member and an active volunteer with unabashed gratitude for SWAMP and it’s growing community.
Grahame & Sue Crough
Co-Founders, Garden Curator
We have now been growing food organically for our table from our home and community gardens for nearly 50 years. For us, being in a garden is being in a creative and happy place. Set in the wetlands, SWAMP is a creative, happy very special educational community garden where we can support opportunities for encountering the joys and benefits of being outside growing food, connecting with nature and people.
As a curator at the SWAMP, Grahame shares his experience of nurturing the soil and growing plants to help grow knowledge, confidence to give it a go, gardens and community. As a SWAMPY, Sue gives much of her time and her gardening experience to developing and maintaining the garden and encouraging and helping others to increase their knowledge and practical gardening skills.
Ray Milidoni
Marketing & Digital, From SoilConnect
Ray is a professional known for his expertise in problem-solving and his exceptional ability to get things done. He possesses a unique talent for multitasking, taking it to an entirely new level, and has an impressive track record of assisting others in developing their marketing strategies and expanding their marketing side of the businesses.
He possesses a keen analytical mind and is adept at thinking outside the box, enabling him to tackle complex problems with ease. His dedication to efficiency and effectiveness ensures that marketing tasks here at SWAMP are completed in a timely manner, driving positive results for himself, for SWAMP and those he assists.
His role as the founder and CEO of SoilConnect showcases his ability to turn ideas into reality and drive positive change within the regenerative space.