Category: Skirmishes

When I received this in my email for 2022 and 2023, I got planning. When I received my victims of crime compensation in 2024 I began to build my garden for myself and the complex as a communal garden

The My Home Awards celebrates connections to home, community and culture, and the positive contributions of Queensland public housing tenants.

The awards encourage tenants to keep active, connect with their neighbours and community, and share their stories and creativity.

Thank you to all the entrants in the 2024 My Home Awards and the contributions you make to your communities; we enjoyed visiting your gardens, hearing your stories and sharing in your passions and talents.

Read about some of this year’s prize winners.

Carmel’s garden paradise

Regular Gold Coast entrant and multi-award winner Carmel, 80, nurtures her garden as well as those across her social housing complex.

‘I like to live in a nice place, we all do, and gardens are a big part of that.

‘I came here with two pot plants and couldn’t tell you how many I’ve got now!

‘The first weekend I moved in, I shifted 13 wheelbarrows of soil into my garden – and I can still lift bags of soil and use a mattock now,’ Carmel said.

‘I tell everyone here that gardening is my family, and I do it for my health.

‘If I sit inside, I’m full of pain, but going outside and losing myself in the garden keeps me healthy and strong.’

Carmel won first prize in the communal garden category in the 2024 My Home Awards for the Gold Coast area.

Creativity shines though in Sharyn and Gary’s Sunshine Coast garden

Sharyn and Gary won multiple prizes in the 2024 My Home Awards, including first prize in the house garden category and runner up in the water wise garden category for the Sunshine Coast area.

For Sharyn and Gary, gardening is a labour of love – for the plants they propagate and the mosaics Sharyn creates in memory of her late mum Ivy.

Their impressive garden features about 200 varieties of succulents and stunning mosaics, some of which include treasured china owned by Ivy.

‘My mum was a really big plant lover, so she and I used to spend a lot of time outside.

‘I like being able to use her things, that were special to her and put them into a mosaic that I can put back out into the garden,’ Sharyn says.

‘The mosaics and the garden help keep Mum with me in life.

‘When I’m outside and I see different things, I can hear mum’s voice talking to me, hear her talking about those things. I find comfort in it.’

Katherine’s art inspired by tradition and connection to country

Katherine’s exceptional talent was honoured with a first prize in the celebrating culture category (Brisbane Region).

‘My paintings represent country, walking on land, the old way, hunting, and tracking. Whatever comes to mind flows onto the canvas,’ Katherine said.

Katherine’s creative process is deeply thoughtful, often spanning months as she works on multiple projects at once, taking her time to let each piece evolve naturally without rushing.

Heather shares her garden with local birdlife

Manoora resident, Heather, won first prize in the house garden category in the 2024 My Home Awards (Cairns area).

‘I love my garden. It’s bigger than some people’s houses! I’ve got everything in plants here; you name it, I’ve got it.

‘I’ve got 2 bird baths and 3 bird feeders, so the birds come in while I’m having my brekkie. If I haven’t got my door open by 7am, they’re tweeting at the front door.

‘And a couple of the birds, if there’s a couple of leaves or bark off the willow tree in the water, they look at me and say hurry up and clean it!

‘The My Home Awards ceremony is a great opportunity to connect with other gardeners.

‘The recognition is lovely and it’s nice to see photos of their gardens and to swap little bits of information,’ she said.