Introduction
Walk from Greyhouse Walk and turn left. Walk past the Pavillion and Gymnasium down the path. Keep on walking until the path transitions to dirt.Pymble Ladies College boasts an extensive Agriculture program which has allowed our girls to fully immerse themselves - through science-based, plant-based studies, as well as hands-on experiences with animals. The Agriculture Plot has been such a large part of Pymble and it has been an HSC subject since 1967. There are many practical elements of Agriculture, and it is a subject available to girls from years 9-12.The Tour captures the layout and story of the Ag Plot c2020, for the future, an Archive Volunteer Duke of Edinburgh project.
Paddock 1: Cattle
The first paddock on the left.Pymble currently has two steers - Quinn and Quoll, both donated by the Laurie family. They have donated a total of 22 steers so far, and Farmer Dave has framed the tags from all of the past steers so that when visiting the Ag plot, you can see all the names of the animals who used to live here.
Paddock 2: Chickens and Ducks
First paddock on the right. Enter through the ag plot classroom.There are currently 21 chickens, some favourites being Chanel, Moppet, Peewee and Rosie, and there are 13 ducks. The famous duck Rocky came from the Prep School, and he has just one eye. Every time you go to the Ag plot, he comes right up and greets you. Mr Grumbles is another duck that Pymble has, and he is always grumpy, hence the name. Bruce the Rooster lived to the age of 14 years and passed away in January 2020. Loved by all the girls, Bruce appeared to be mean and unfriendly, but would always let everyone cuddle him. Most of the chickens eat scratch mix and duck grain, and the 4 new ducks quite enjoy eating peas!Pymble enters into the Easter Show every year, often winning 2nd and 3rd prizes. Chickens are given to the College 40 days prior, and the girls record their growth and ensure that they are in good condition for the show.
Paddock 3: Garden
It is located next to the sheep. Enter through the outdoor classroom – there are eye-catching white covers over the plants.The Pymble girls participating in Agriculture as a subject grow plants as a part of their learning. It covers the science influenced part of their learning as well as plant-based learning. This program has been running for more than ten years. Students can choose which plants they want to grow – some students grow vegetables, and some students grow flowers. Currently, there are pumpkins, potatoes, wheat, broccoli and flowers growing in the garden.
Paddock 4: Sheep and Goats
Enter through the outdoor classroom.Pymble’s Agriculture program truly prides itself on the sheep and goats. Grazing amongst multiple paddocks, we have a total of 8 sheep and 4 goats. Our sheep have been kindly donated by Pymble families. Our sheep consists of Larry, Frankie, Billie, Lamington, Winston, Maple, Syrup and Pancake. Our most renowned sheep would most definitely be Larry who has shared many memories with our Pymble girls. He also has the best smile which makes him the fan favourite! We also have 4 goats. This includes Nana and Susie who are both 14 years old, Feta (who loves to stand up against the fence to get pats from the girls) and Halloumi. Another goat that is renowned is H.G. who unfortunately passed away. He lived with Nana and Susie and lived his whole life with the Pymble girls. He even has an alumni Facebook page!
The End
Thank you for taking the time to complete this tour of our Ag Plot.Thank you to 2020 Duke of Edinburgh Archive volunteers; Martin Chin (Y9), Sophie Christopher (Y9) and Angel Yu (Y9), who researched and built this tour. Thank you also to the Co-Curricular Photography students, whose work is featured throughout the tour. And to David Goodwin who cares for the Ag Plot and provided the insights and history on the animals for this tour.
