Formation
Julia Hancock started the Uki Garden Club in the village of Uki (in far Northern New South Wales) in 1998 by placing a notice in a local shop window. Eleven people attended the first meeting in Julia’s home. As a result, the club was formed to enable members to meet fellow gardeners and to learn about local plants and growing conditions.
Mission Statement
The Uki Garden Club was formed to promote friendships through gardening by gathering together like minded people to talk about all things gardening, particularly the local plants and growing conditions in the Tweed Caldera.
We do this by sharing the vast knowledge of our members, whose gardens range from suburban to acreage, cottage to rain forest, and we learn from guest speakers and by visiting member gardens.
Our interests include sustainability, organic and permaculture principles and identifying plant varieties suitable to local conditions.
The club recognises the support given to the wider community by the service organisations of the Tweed region and so supports the local community in a practical way, assisting in the gardens of Wedgetail Retreat and offering support to other community garden ventures as appropriate.
The Club Today
The Uki Garden Club has been welcoming people from all over the Tweed Valley and beyond for twenty years. We have over one hundred members from all walks of life and we meet twice each month in members’ private gardens. We are fortunate to often have a guest speaker at our meetings, and we organize fabulous day trips by bus, swap our excess produce and plants and help each other out with all things gardening.
Our club could be described as a gardening social club. We do not have benching and competitions but concentrate on the practical aspects of sharing our knowledge and learning about gardening in a social environment.
We have two meetings each month:
The Garden Gathering on a Saturday starting at 2:00 pm commences with a very brief business section followed by the gardening section, often with a guest speaker. We then have afternoon tea and a walk around the host’s garden.
The Food Group meeting on a Tuesday starts at 9:30 am. Although all things gardening can be discussed, the focus is on productive gardens and we give a brief update of what is happening in our gardens; something we all find interesting because it is helpful to know what is being achieved and what problems are being experienced. We then have morning tea and a walk around the host’s garden.
Members are free to attend one or both meetings depending on their interests and availability.
Visitors
Visitors are always welcome at our two monthly ordinary meetings usually held in a member’s home. Just look up the details on the Event Calendar and come along. Just so you know the process, we normally bring along our own chairs, cup and a plate but this is not necessary for visitors as we always have plenty. Please introduce yourself to one of the organisers upon arrival.
Membership
Annual membership is $20.00 for one or two people in the same household. Membership includes an emailed copy of the newsletter. Whilst we have and encourage younger members, the club caters for a more mature group and hence our membership fees reflect that, therefore we don’t give a “seniors discount”.
New Members Joining
You may complete a membership application in person at a club meeting, by downloading the form below or by completing online below.
Existing Members Annual Renewal
Please complete a form from the two options below and select the Renewal option.
MEMBERSHIP FORM