Have you seen the white plaque set in stone in the native bushland near the picnic area of the garden?
If you come closer you can read:
Marika (Sam) Baumann
20th May 2015
Founding member of this garden
In loving memory from family & friends
~~~
Marika passed away in 2015. Together with her loving husband George, the MBCG members decided to honour her by installing this stone in the native bushlands and surround it by colourful native plants.
Marika lived in the Mort Bay area for almost 30 years and she loved the area and had a special love for the garden.
She was one of the people who came up with the idea of a community garden and who were instrumental in making this idea a reality. She also was a member of the first committee.
She had always been a keen home gardener growing colourful flowers. Now, together with the other founding members, she began to search for a place to grow veggies.
We’d invited her family when we had a small ceremony at our working bee last September, after the stone was put in place. Speakers at this event remembered Marika as a lover of colour, a warm, friendly and artistic person who valued community.
The stone is a spot for George and their kids to go and remember her. Perfectly situated in the environment she loved and next to the garden she helped to become a reality.
The stone will keep all of us talking about this gentle, community minded woman and keep her spirit alive.
A memory that also keeps alive our appreciation of the great gift the garden is to all of us, as a place not only to grow healthy food, but also community in the beautiful environment of Mort Bay Park.