Kenya, feel the love tonight: Why there’s an African garden gallery at Callington

This post was contributed by Peter Crowley.

This month, the Murray Bridge Garden and Floral Art Club held its first monthly meeting for the year, with guest speakers from Callington’s African Garden Gallery.

The club has a monthly guest speaker, with speakers not only addressing the club on gardening but on a whole range of other interesting topics.

This month, the speakers were Cheryl and Bob Kovarskis, proprietors of the Elephants Rest African garden gallery at Callington.

“What do we say about ourselves?” commenced Mrs Kovarskis.

“Well, I guess together we are on a lifetime adventure.

“Since I was a small child, animals have always been my trusted friends, and since seeing the movie Born Free way back in the 1960s, I knew that the African bush was the place for me.

“Married since 1975, it’s fair to say our best years have been the last years, as together we have both become passionate about the same thing: our love for Africa.

“We love to go out bush, pitch a tent, live among the wildlife and help the local people.

“My husband Bob worked for 32 years in the oil and gas industry – the last nine years as supervisor for Santos – but since his retirement, we have been able to devote our time and energies towards both the Maasai people of Kenya and to endangered wildlife, both the African elephant and rhino.

“Our love of Africa has seen us sponsor rescued baby African elephants and baby rhinos.

“On our trips to Kenya in particular, we go to Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage, which is run by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, based in Nairobi, with its field headquarters bordering Tsavo East National Park.

“Our hearts just go out to the baby elephants and rhinos, especially to those we have sponsored.

“Many people ask us what we do when we go to Africa each year, and they are quite surprised when they hear that we live with and support a Maasai community among other things.

“Our help started back around 2000 while we were initially supporting a Kikuyu girl through World Vision.

“Having met both the Kikuyu and then the Maasai families that year, we started managing our own personal support, which was the beginning of how and why our gallery became part of our fundraising efforts.

“Our work with these families has seen us provide funds and assistance to the education of children and support for medical clinics.

“Over the past years, with the help of work colleagues and friends, it’s fair to say that we have made a difference to quite a few people – nothing great, but with the help of our fundraising campaigns, we have been able to help the doctor’s clinic in Aitong with various medical equipment, baby scales, microscope, centrifuge, solar power and refrigeration.

“At the school, we have built a classroom, cemented floors, supplied various books and stationery, repaired rooms, supplied desks and recently had solar power installed and brick squats over toilets built,” the Kovarskis said.

“Each October to end of April on the weekends between 11am to 5pm, we open our home and garden, the Elephants Rest in Callington, to the public, with entrance being free.

“This is our way of raising funds for Sheldrick Wildlife Trust,” Mrs Kovarskis said.

“Our African Garden Gallery is often referred to as a secret oasis: It is a relaxing place to enjoy some hot or cold drinks and bites or enjoy a beer or wine from our bar.

“We offer Devonshire tea, plunger coffee, iced coffee/chocolate et cetera, scones, cakes, as well as hot samosas.

“We love to stop and have a chat, and you can even browse through any of our personal travel coffee table books,” the Kovarskis concluded.

Garden and floral art club is growing

The Murray Bridge Garden and Floral Art Club meets on the first Wednesday of the month and holds its meetings at the Seventh Day Adventist Church Hall in Myall Avenue, Murray Bridge.

Also at this month’s meeting, club president Rob Butcher welcomed members back after the January break, saying that 2022, despite the challenges of COVID still facing the community, was a good year, with regular meetings held and wonderful exhibits of plants, flowers, fruit and vegetables, as well as craft from the members.

“As president, I am really delighted that the Murray Bridge Garden and Floral Art Club has retained its membership plus new people joining the club,” Mr Butcher said.

The annual Christmas raffle raised a record amount of money for the club, with selling tickets at the Murray Bridge Marketplace a very successful venture.

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