Margaret River Community Nursery opens on Clarke Road

A vital new resource for the region enjoyed its official opening on Friday with the new Margaret River Community Nursery on Clarke Road beside the community garden receiving applause from local dignitaries and volunteers.

The nursery will fill the gap in providing seedlings and tubestock for growers in the Augusta-Margaret River shire.

Group organiser Wayne Prangnell, a former Shire of Augusta-Margaret River infrastructure director, said the nursery was born out of the labour and passion of hardworking volunteers.

He told the Times more than 50 residents had got their hands dirty to get the project off the ground with the guidance of veteran horticulturist Jeremy Akerman who, with his wife Jackie, established the former tube nursery in Cowaramup.

The nursery features 28 nursery tables built between October and November alongside shade and greenhouses, Mr Prangnell said.

The nursery was growing more than 12,000 plants representing 58 species ready for winter planting.

The shire provided seed funding for the nursery and deputy shire president Tracey Muir was on hand for Friday’s opening along with Margaret River Regional Environment Centre co-ordinator Peta Goodwin.

Nominations for the site’s management committee of a minimum five people are now being sought and interested candidates can lodge their applications by March 21 via margaretrivercommuntynursery@gmail.com.

Mr Prangnell said more volunteers were welcome and said the nursery was seeking members with governance and business experience as well as horticultural expertise.