SOWN and Queensland Corrective Services (QCS) have had a nursery partnership program since 2010. Through the partnership, high-demand native species are propagated and grown on at QCS Training and Correctional Centres.

In particular Lomandra sp. are propagated in large quantities. SOWN volunteers collect and process the seed, liaise with QCS staff and then transport the plants back to the SOWN Nursery.

If you are interested in collecting Lomandra seed for this program go to the page Collecting and processing Lomandra seed.

The project was originally set up at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre (AGCC) in 2010, where it ran until 2022. It transferred to Borallon Training and Correctional Centre (BTCC) in 2022 and Palen Creek Correctional and Training Centre (PCCC) was added to the program in 2023.

The SOWN-QCS Nursery Partnership is mutually beneficial. It benefits SOWN by the provision of large quantities of lomandras and other native species. It benefits the QCS by providing purposeful activities and hands-on training for prisoners.

Background and AGCC

A nursery partnership was first trialled in 2009 by Brisbane City Council to supply native plants to Habitat Brisbane groups. In 2010 SOWN became involved at AGCC and since then a small group of staff and inmates worked with SOWN to expand the nursery, increasing propagation capacity and variety of plants. SOWN nursery manager, Dick Harding ran the partnership program with Kobus Havenga from QCS until 2022.

In 2014, the AGCC program won the Healthy Waterways community award and the overall Minister’s prize. During the 12-year life of the project at AGCC, the workshop also made native wildlife nesting boxes, bred red-claw crayfish for Australia Zoo, grown koala food plants, and made steel benches and wire mesh trays for carrying tubestock for SOWN.

The last collection of plants from AGCC was in September 2022. This brought the number of native plants propagated at AGCC for SOWN to a total of over 850,000 plants. Well done Dick and Kobus!

SOWN volunteers collect seeds from a variety of local native plants. Some of these are germinated at SOWN’s nursery and taken to the correctional centre as seedlings to be transferred to 5cm tubes – so called ‘potting-on’. Other seed is supplied direct to the prison to germinate in their greenhouse. When the tubestock plants are ready to plant, SOWN volunteers visit the prison to collect and deliver them to the SOWN nursery and other catchment groups. 

A large proportion of the plants propagated are Lomandra sp. which are in high demand for SOWN planting projects. These hardy native plants help stabilise creek banks and create a buffer to filter water as it flows into the creek. With the QCS partnership program handling most of our lomandra production, SOWN volunteers are able to concentrate on seed collection, cuttings and other strategies to increase the nursery’s biodiversity.

The benefits of this partnership for both the prison community and SOWN make it a multi-dimensional project with huge benefits to the South-East Queensland community and the environment. Doing something worthwhile and making a contribution to the community gives prisoners a boost. Inmates involved in the nursery program have the opportunity to gain formal qualifications in horticulture.

Funding

In the first few years of operation, SOWN substantially funded the nursery partnership program. Subsequent discussions with Queensland Corrective Services have secured ongoing yearly funding from the State Government for the expenses of the partnership.

In 2019, SOWN purchased a purpose-designed trailer, in conjunction with Paten Park Native Nursery, to transport plants from the prisons to our nursery. Funding from Brisbane City Council’s Environmental Grants program contributed significantly to the purchase of the trailer.

Moving to BTCC and PCCC

In 2021, SOWN was advised that the nursery at AGCC would have to close as security at the prison was being upgraded. After negotiations, it was agreed that the SOWN nursery would move to Borallon Training and Correctional Centre (BTCC). SOWN operations at BTCC commenced in October 2022 with horticulture training for selected prisoners. The first collection of SOWN plants from BTCC occurred in February 2023.

Palen Creek Correctional Centre (PCCC), a low security prison, was added to the nursery partnership program in February 2024 with the erection of a new greenhouse for SOWN.