One of the many participants at last weekends permablitz at the Paradise Street Community Gardens, Michael Ayala just wrote in with this wonderful story from the day:

On Sunday morning a large number of environmentally minded friends, neighbours and strangers came together with a common goal: to create an alternative space to fulfill some of the basic needs of humans - fresh food, a beautiful environment and social interaction.

It is at Paradise Park, in Highgate Hill where all these innovative urban gardeners are working to construct a collective dream, the dream of re-connecting community with its environment, the dream of re-connecting people with Mother Nature. Brisbane has good climatic conditions for growing most of the plants we need in our everyday diet. Vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, beetroot, turnip, beans, corn, sweet potatoes and capsicum are all on the list of healthy “goodies” that Brisbane residents can enjoy throughout the year. Just a little piece of earth, some compost, water, and the will to do some outdoor exercise is what we need to start the amazing experience of growing our own food.

It is not only the enjoyment of growing locally; but also the satisfaction of putting into practice a politically correct alternative that encourages food security and self reliance. Cities are growing organisms that need food to live and grow, but many of us have lost the tradition of growing what we eat. Permablitz provides cities and their inhabitants the opportunity to feed themselves again. Using permaculture principles we can recycle most of the nutrients that would otherwise be wasted in landfill, and transform them into rich compost to nourish the soil.

People of all ages and backgrounds, neighbours and friends, relatives and people just passing by, came together last Sunday to build this amazing project. After a long day of work, we all filled our stomachs, but also filled our minds and our hearts with this sustainable initiative. A relaxing massage after a full day of work was the best reward for all hard workers who came to give a hand in one of the most inspiring community garden projects in Brisbane.

Thanks to everyone for coming and for sharing your muscles, your smile, your conversation and your life. I look forward to participating in these events in the future.

Special thanks to Andrew for putting the video together and all the wonderful people who turned up for the day. We hope to see you all back there on the 16th to help finish off the earthbag construction and rendering. There are lots of photos up in the gallery already, with more to follow.

UPDATE: Another great video from Andrew Carter of the post-blitz Return to Paradise event from last weekend. Click here for the funk version.