With so much doom and gloom around at the moment, the little pocket of loveliness that is the Erindale Neighbourhood Garden wants to give the community something positive to look forward to.
Its annual Scarecrow Festival this year will be a tribute to frontline workers. Schools, families, churches, daycare centres, businesses are all encouraged to make a scarecrow in the image of their favourite frontline warrior.
The scarecrows will then be on display at the garden next to the Tuggeranong Uniting Church in Comrie Street, Wanniassa (opposite the Erindale shopping centre) during the festival from September 17 to 25.
There will also be a special drive-by display outside the garden from September 26 to 27, next to the Floriade Reimagined display at the church.
Erindale Neighbourhood Garden coordinator Dr Karen Macpherson, a retired education academic, said the scarecrow festival, now in its third year, would have the theme of resilience and renewal.
"Children and adults get really worried about the rolling bad news we've had this year - the bushfires, the toxic smoke, COVID, hailstorms, disruptions to schools, concerns about health and jobs," Dr Macpherson said.
"It's really important to give the community something positive to focus on to balance all the bad news and to help them express their feelings about something like COVID."
Dr Macpherson has encouraged other community organisations involved with the Floriade Reimagined sites to also adopt the scarecrow festival at their own location.
"All the people I've spoken to about the idea in those organisations absolutely love the idea of doing the scarecrows as well," she said.
"It doesn't have to be a community thing. Families at home can build a scarecrow and stick it in their front yard and have a display thanking a frontline worker.
"It could be a firefighter, it could be cleaners or shop assistants, healthcare workers. So many people are actually at risk all the time."
The scarecrow could also relate to something around the coronavirus pandemic, whether it was a safety message or something you did during lockdown such as participate in a couch choir or remote learning.
"Only limited by your imagination," Dr Macpherson said.
Scarecrows need to be built by Thursday, September 17.
Either drop them at the gardens or take advantage of its contactless pick-up service.
Entry forms are at erindaleneighbourhoodgarden.org
