“No swathes of green grass, this is a garden for our times!”
area now requires just 1% of the water demands of the previous plantings.
The sun was now beating down and I was grateful for the cool of the coach as we headed just a few miles out of town to Geelong Grammar School, famed for having Prince Charles as one of its former pupils. We were treated to lunch in the splendid Hogwarts style, dining hall, joining the pupils and staff who were in a carefree mood as it was the last day before they broke up for Christmas.
It is a fee paying school, as
are many in Australia, with no less than 11 boarding homes in the grounds for pupils, and a smart row of new houses for the teachers. 1,000 pupils are based at the main campus, of which 700 are boarders. In total the grounds amount to 500 acres, of which 120 acres are classified as pitch and gardens, under the responsibility of the 8 grounds staff.
Our host at the school was Matthew Hanrahan, the Grounds Supervisor, who had also coordinated the whole of the day’s events. We were treated to a short tour of the school’s facilities including the impressive Persse library. The school, celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, is built very much along the lines of a Victorian English college with quadrangles and cloisters and, clearly, with the discipline to match. The pupils were immaculately dressed and well behaved.
The two main ovals, each
more than 2 hectares, are immediately in front of the school buildings overlooking Port Phillip Bay and the school’s boating centre. The ovals are used for cricket in the summer and Aussie rules in the winter. The whole of the areas are couch grass but the squares are oversown with a 3 way blend of rye grasses. Matthew had taken the top 20mm off the main square, re-seeded, and was getting good results with wicket preparation time less than half the previous. He has plans to do the same to the other square, and possibly taking more off.
He was just in the process of laying out a new football (soccer) area for 2 pitches because of the demand from pupils. Australia has just qualified for this year’s World Cup Finals and it has generated a lot of interest. The
area had been leveled, graded and seeded with couch grass called Laprima, a South African variety which will be cut to 12mm, and even lower. The take up has been very good and Matthew is confident of having a good surface for the start of the football (soccer) season in March.
The school has leased a small area of the site to a green waste company. As part of the deal the company takes all the
school’s green waste free of charge and then allows the school to have the decomposed waste for use as mulch, again free of charge. It's a mutually beneficial deal and environmentally friendly.
THE tour over I returned to the coach, weary but very impressed. Around 70 members of the TGAA had made the trip and, as with any similar grouping in the UK,
they consisted of all ages, all shapes and sizes, some in uniform logo polo shirts, some in shorts and boots, from schools, colleges, sports clubs, companies and local authorities, all different but all had that unmistakable common bond - a passion for sports turf. It was a pleasure and a privilege to have spent a day with them, and my thanks to Rob, Matthew and the rest for making me feel so welcome.
Take thatch out - put sand in Brand new concept to the Graden range
Now there is a machine which not only grooves to remove thatch but also injects sand - right into the bottom of the groove.
• Amendments can be added to sand, such as Zeolite, Profile and Axis
• Can be used any time of year - even in damp conditions • Firms the surface • No loss of stability
Clean up process on wet green
Phone us for more details about this revolutionary new process
R& K Kensett, 4 Leazes Avenue, Chaldon, Caterham, Surrey CR3 5AH Tel: +44 (0) 1883 342632 Web:
www.kensettsports.com
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