Community rallies after garden tools stolen
A group of dementia sufferers were forced to plant seedlings using sticks after a community garden shed was raided by thieves.
The Richmond Community Garden in Christchurch was burgled by ‘‘scum’’ on January 24, but garden coordinator Rachel Thwaites said ‘‘the negative has become the positive’’ after a surge of support for the project.
‘‘It was definitely a shock, but we put the message out, notified the police and put it out to other community groups,’’ she said.
‘‘We had about $500 worth of tools taken, so, forks, spades, hand tools and our watering equipment, which we had just got in October.
‘‘I mean, they’re just scum. Anyone who steals is scum in my book.’’
Thwaites said Dementia Canterbury clients visited the garden each month to help plant seedlings and carry out various activities around the site.
‘‘We had a lot of seedlings to plant out and we actually just gave them sticks to dig in the ground,’’ she said.
Since the incident, several local businesses had offered gift vouchers to replace tools and community members had come forward to offer support.
The garden is part of the Canterbury Community Gardens Association, a collection of over 30 gardens around the region.
‘‘We’ve got all our big tools back, but we still do need a lot more smaller hand tools,’’ Thwaites said.
‘‘We had an industrial hose that didn’t kink. We had everything you need, watering wise, for a garden.’’
Thwaites said the garden had a core group of about 15 volunteers, who collected vegetables for food banks, including Delta, the City Mission and the New Brighton Pantry.
They also ran regular community days on Wednesdays and Saturdays, as well as workshops including how to make raised garden beds from branches.
The original Richmond Community Garden was set up next to Avebury House before the earthquake. Thwaites said they approached Land Information New Zealand after the earthquake about occupying red zone land near River Rd.
‘‘We obtained a lease for two years to use it as a garden and a community space.’’
Thwaites said plans were under way to use some of the land for community events and to create a youth space.
A police spokeswoman said they were made aware of the theft.
‘‘Police assessed the case, however there were no lines of inquiry and the matter was filed pending any new information,’’ she said.
"I mean, they're just scum. Anyone who steals is scum in my book."
Garden coordinator Rachel Thwaites