There was plenty of floral activity at the Cobar Services Club on Saturday, with 24 participants buzzing around the tables creating colourful garlands, fashioning wreaths and swapping stories over cups of tea.
The Fl-Oral Histories workshop brought people together to learn new skills, get creative and, most importantly, harvest some cherished memories of gardens and gardening in Cobar.
Participants could make their own floral garland, wreath, posy or another creation of their choice using dried and preserved flowers, with plenty of creative freedom and no expectation to produce a “perfect” result.
Workshop facilitator Liz Whiteman said the workshop was designed to be a relaxed, crafty gathering where people could simply sit, chat and enjoy themselves.
“There’s no expectations,” she said.
The workshop attracted several mothers and daughters, including three generations of one family, with Liz’s mother-in-law Diane and her daughter Georgie also taking part.
“Georgie’s lending a hand by bending the barbed wire used to make wreaths for some of the older participants who find it difficult to shape themselves,” Liz said.
Liz said participants had plenty of different ideas to choose from, and she had even picked up a few new ideas that she was keen to try herself.
She said the dried and preserved flowers mean the creations should last for a couple of years if kept out of direct sunlight.
Workshop co-facilitator Kay Stingemore said the relaxed atmosphere allowed people to simply enjoy themselves while talking about what gardens meant to them.
“The whole point is, we do something really nice together,” Kay said.
“Create something, be creative, have a nice time. And at the same time, talk about what gardens mean to us.”
Stories about local private and public gardens were recorded on the day by Emma Hoy from Signal Creative, and captured participants’ memories of what it has been like to live in Cobar, both in the past and today.
Kay was impressed that one participant, who had lived in Cobar for four years, was taking part in an activity like this for the first time.
Following the success and enthusiasm generated by her first public workshop, Liz is already looking ahead to another seasonal creation and is keen to run a Christmas wreath workshop later this year.
She said the Services Club had provided a great venue, and she praised club staff along with friend Kate Joss for helping to bring the workshop together.
With flowers, stories and plenty of community spirit blooming, the Fl-Oral Histories workshop proved that sometimes the best memories can grow from simply sitting down together and having a chat.
