mmg.com.au

He came, he saw, he was impressed, and he left a smile on everyone’s face.

That was the result of Gardening Australia host Costa Georgiadis’ visit to Seymour on Friday.

Georgiadis, popularly known by his first name, was in town to officially open the Seymour Community Garden. He was booked through his friendship with the garden’s Mark Padgett.

And Costa was effusive in his praise of the venture, which was first mooted in 2009 as a way to supply vegetables to the Salvation Army Pathways weekly community lunch. The Department of Human Services tipped in about $40000 along the way to establish the facility at the Salvation Army premises in Victoria St.

It got a push along when Mr Padgett got involved the following year.

‘‘You as a town are putting a serious stamp, a serious peg in the ground today,’’ Costa said.

‘‘(You’re) saying you value your food, you value your community and the culture you’re putting around the food.’’

And it didn’t stop there.

‘‘I don’t undervalue the power of what’s going on at the moment,’’ he said.

‘‘Every part of this change is made up of pieces like this. What’s most important about this change is this is Seymour. It’s got the heart and soul of Seymour in it and as it grows it builds that soul.

‘‘We’re going into some interesting times with food. For too long we’ve been handing our responsibilities for sustenance to an industrial supply system which has totally different priorities and it’s got to a point where our very survival is reliant on things far, far away.

‘‘This (gardening) is not rocket science. If I can learn it anyone can learn it. You’re also passing on a skill to kids.

‘‘This connects the habit with the most important thing we do every day, which is putting food in our mouth.’’

Mitchell Shire mayor Bill Melbourne said he encouraged more people to get involved in the garden and tend a plot, especially given issues such as the environment and peak oil.

‘‘With price rises daily on food and other necessities ... who knew that the mightiest act against global warming would be the simple act of planting a seed,’’ he said.

State Member for Seymour Cindy McLeish said the garden gave people the opportunity ‘‘to get out of the house and do something really productive’’.

‘‘It’s great to see people of all abilities here today,’’ she said.