Maryann Anderson
Highlands Hero, May 2025
Audrey Hepburn once said, “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow”, a quote that beautifully captures the hopeful nature of gardening and the joy and connection it can bring.
This kind of optimism and community mindedness is at the heart of the Yerrinbool Village Group, founded by our latest Highlands Hero, Maryann Anderson. When Maryann moved to Yerrinbool from Sydney in 2017, she wanted to be part of a community and while the Highlands provided plenty of things to do just a train ride away, she found a lack of options to get outdoors and meet people on her own doorstep.
“There was no gathering spot in Yerrinbool, no community centre, no church and the general store had long since closed. I thought, if I’m feeling a bit isolated, I can’t be the only one, so I took it upon myself to make something happen!” Maryann said, “I’ve always been passionate about gardening and being busy outdoors and after meeting Jan (Heslep, another keen gardener and co-founder of the group), we took it upon ourselves to start improving the Railway Garden.”
Pull a weed, put in a cutting, watch it grow!
“To begin with, this is what we did. Walking the length of the garden, chatting and planning and starting small. Soon though, we saw a bigger opportunity, a beautiful community garden to bring people out of their homes and get us all working together on a project for the benefit of everyone in the village. In 2018, we founded the Yerrinbool Village Group as a way of connecting people through endeavours and formalised our plan for the beautification of the Railway Garden.”
Over the next few years, through the dedication of volunteers and a combination of donations, grants and their own funds, the Railway Garden began to take shape. In fact, much like the seedlings, the garden flourished and expanded left and right with dedicated spaces nurtured for natives, roses, edibles and even a blue tree in support of mental health awareness. A key aspect of the growing community space was that the ongoing work established a pattern for the week, with the group meeting every Monday morning to work on the garden and catch up for morning tea and a chat.
Emma Calver, SHCF Chair of External Relations said;
“Maryann has been such driving force for change in Yerrinbool with initiatives like the Railway Garden, regular art/craft sessions and monthly group lunches instilling a deep sense of pride and connection. These initiatives, aimed at reducing social isolation and encouraging residents to communicate, contribute and participate are what really stood out to us. We feel that Maryann and all the members of the Yerrinbool Village Group are shining examples of what grassroots initiatives can achieve.”
“Maryann is a dynamo; she’s a real leader. From the outset she included anyone who wanted to be involved in whatever capacity they could, helping them to flourish in their own way.”
Bruce Diggins, Yerrinbool Village Group member
What’s next?
Winners of the SHCF Highlands Heroes award receive a $5,000 grant for their organisation. Maryann is planning to invest in a trailer to keep all the Railway Garden tools and equipment stored safely, mobile so that it can be driven in each Monday. This will allow the Yerrinbool Village Group to keep going, investing in this beautiful community space to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
Highlands Heroes
The SHCF Highlands Heroes award aims to recognise and reward the work of individuals who work tirelessly in our community as volunteers. Find out more about the program, past winners or how to nominate an unsung hero.
