History

After seeing the need for a gardening service with a difference, three Horticultural Therapy Association volunteers (Anne Shires, Kathleen Ciemiega and Henry Llewellyn), applied for a $1,500 grant from Ku-ring-gai Council.   In August 1988 they were granted the money and developed a six month pilot scheme that would help elderly and disabled pensioners to adapt their gardens to "easy care". This assisted them to remain in their own homes for as long as possible.

In February of the following year, Ku-ring-gai Easy Care Gardening is set up as an informal trust.   By now ECG had 31 clients needing help and only four volunteers carrying the load.    After assessing all the gardens, a roster system was established for monthly, bi-monthly and "ring when needed" service, with each client asked to donate $10 for each visit.

In 1990 the Premier's Community Award was given to Easy Care Gardening (ECG). A grant from Home and Community Care (HACC) assisted ECG to take over the clients from the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Home Handyman service, doubling the workload and increasing the service to now include Ku-ring-gai Municipality and Hornsby Shire. Another grant was received to establish a lawn mowing team.

By February 1991 ECG was granted incorporation as Easy Care Gardening Incorporated with the status of a Charity. A proper office was established in St Ives and further grants enabled one full-time and one part-time staff member to be employed.

With the organisation growing steadily by 1994, the office was relocated to Turramurra at the Ku-ring-gai Community Support Services Centre that is a HACC (Home and Community Care) office facility set up in conjunction with Ku-ring-gai Council. This move provided a more central location for the service.

In 1995 a greater emphasis was given to creating low maintenance gardens more quickly, with the gardening volunteers working in teams under the guidance of a leader. Other volunteers diversified from gardening to propagating, fundraising, office work, management committee and public relations. Some of ECG's regular volunteers have intellectual and disabilities.

By the beginning of 1998, ECG had 360 gardening clients, 140 lawn mowing clients and 150 volunteers, several of whom have received individual Premier's Awards for their service to volunteering.

In 2001, Shirley Stackhouse OAM, M.A.I.H., became ECG's Patron. Shirley has received the Silver Laurel Award from the Horticultural Media Association, the Horticulturist of the Year Award for NSW, and the Horticulturalist of the Year Award fro all Australia.

In August 2002, the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC) provided a grant to create a subsidised lawn mowing service, through contractors.   Community Assist Lawn Mowing (CALM) clients are located in the northern Sydney regions of Hornsby, Hunters Hill, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Manly, Mosman, North Sydney, Pittwater, Ryde, Warringah and Willoughby.

In 2007, ECG had 889 clients, serviced by 284 volunteers, completing a total of 18,910 gardening hours of work over the past 12 months.    CALM had 625 clients, who had had their lawns mowed a total of 5,982 times during that 12 months.

On 1st January, 2009, horticulturist and journalist, Jennifer Stackhouse, took over as Patron of Easy Care Gardening.    Jennifer follows in the footsteps of her mother, horticulturist and journalist Shirley Stackhouse, who recently retired as Easy Care Gardening's Patron.

Other Easy Care Gardening groups are now established in Sydney.    These are located in Manly/Warringah/Pittwater, Baulkham Hills, Canterbury/Leichhardt/Marrickville, Engadine/Jannali/Menai, Lower North Shore, Outer Western/Blue Mountains, St George/Rockdale and South East Sydney area.    This is clearly an indication of the need for this important community service.

Subject to the availability of adequate funds, volunteers and staff, and as the numbers in the ageing population continue to grow rapidly, the aim of ECG and CALM continues to be to help as many people as we can.