By Tia Priest-Willimott 

An unconventional suburban layout in Curtin’s Radburn precinct has houses backing straight on to a public green open space.

The National Capital Development Commission designed the experimental town-planning layout in 1961-62.

This pedestrian-friendly housing experiment featured homes facing shared green spaces with roads and garages kept to the rear.

The original residents had called for additional trees in the area, but when asked if they were prepared to contribute to the maintenance of the green space, they apparently demurred.

Fifty years on, Curtin residents have come together to successfully re-vegetate open spaces with native plants in the Radburn area around Dawson and Gillies streets.

Evan Mann and Richard Bush have been leading the Curtin Trees and Gardens Group (CTAGG) in the revegetation process. 

They were inspired to revegetate the area after they decided that the John Curtin Garden should be a commemorative garden to announce the suburb and shopping centre’s presence.

“Richard and I started by getting a grant for two bits of it – the first part of the garden and then these trees that we planted,” Evan says. 

“To do that, we needed to develop a decent plan for the areas, so we discussed it with people who live around here.”

The trees – Evan’s primary focus – were planted in April 2020, supported by the first of two major grants from the ACT Government. 

Thanks to the Adopt-a-Park Program, CTAGG successfully planted around 100 trees and re-vegetated two small sections of a Scout hall plot in Radburn.

“One of our aims was to replace trees that had died, but we also wanted a mixture of exotic and native trees and by and large it worked. Most of the things have survived,” Evan says.

“We had about 10 people involved in the planting, but never all together because of covid.”

As the project was in part with the ACT Government, all plans were run by them first, but Evan was the mastermind behind the vision. 

“We cleared the plan with City Services… they like to know what the trees are because they map them,” Evan says.

“So, there’s a map of this area which indicates what species of trees have been planted.”

Three years on and a joint application was made in 2023 under the ACT Environment Grants Program to revegetate another area. 

The application was successful and the plantings were undertaken in autumn of 2024 and the following spring and summer. 

The grant was a joint effort with Dawson Street Gardens to plant a total of 220 square metres of native plants – half in Dawson Street and half to fill out the 2020 Scout hall plot. 

Richard went through the process of choosing plants for the native garden in the middle of the suburb at the entry of Radburn. 

Before planting, he created a plan of what the area would look like and submitted it to the ACT Government for the tick of approval.

“I did up a design and chose all native plants that I knew the government would find acceptable and submitted it to them and then they ticked off on it,” Richard says.

“Over the years since, we’ve had frosts and some plants haven’t done well so it looks a bit different now from when we started, but knowing what the government likes to have planted – I’ve stuck to those native, slow-growing plants and grasses.”

From there, the group has continued with tree planting and tree maintenance in the Radburn area, re-vegetated plots in the park behind the Fred Ward Aged Care Centre and, most recently, on the slopes forming the Carruthers Street northern underpass.

Not only have their efforts transformed dull areas of weedy, compacted grass into vibrant areas of trees, shrubs and flowering forbs, but it has also created connection within Curtin residents. 

“Evan was able to marshal the volunteers in the Curtin Trees and Garden Group and it was not only valuable in getting all the work done but it was valuable for us all to get together and enjoy each other’s company while getting close to nature,” Richard says.

“There’s a lot of negativity around these days and this community garden has so many connections and chances to get away from the negativity.” 

The Curtin Trees and Garden Group is always keen to welcome more people, with regular meet ups to tend to the work that’s already been done and to continue revegetating the area.

To be part of the team email ejm1397@gmail.com, or have a chat to the group when they’re next out in the gardens.

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