Tiwi students harvest knowledge from Darwin gardens

A group of Tiwi Islander students has explored the diversity of horticulture around Darwin as part of their horticulture training at Charles Darwin University.

The 13 Certificate II in Horticulture students saw first-hand the industry jobs their training could lead to during the four-day field trip.

Horticulture lecturers travelled to Bathurst and Melville islands throughout the year to provide training for the students, but this was the first time the students had visited the mainland as part of their course.

Vocational Education and Training lecturer Robyn Wing said the course aimed to help students develop skills in horticulture, which they could apply in their communities.

“This has been an excellent opportunity for the students to be exposed to different parts of the industry,” she said.

The group visited several horticultural facilities including the CDU Chinese Garden, Lakeside Drive Community Garden, Jingili Water Gardens, George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens, the Government House garden, farms at Humpty Doo and nurseries around Darwin.

Horticulture and Aquaculture acting team leader Chadd Mumme, remote VET coordinator Philip Kiragu, lecturer Samuel Kandiah, and customer service officer Amanda Watters assisted in organising the trip, which was supported with an Australian Government “Away From Base” grant.