MHEN Fairfield City Farm Excursion - Friday 31st March, 2006

The excursion held at Fairfield City farm proceeded along nicely with comfortable mild weather Allhumdulilah. The day starting off as overcast turned out to be blue skies with a slight breeze. (Great Hijab Weather - Allhumdulilah)

On the day we started off with a tour of the venue and the children learnt about the herbs and vegetables that were growing and were given pots in which they took turns in filling with soil, planting a seed and giving it some water.

They looked at the different farm animals as the guide gave a talk on each of the animals we encountered. They patted a baby turtle and koala, milked a pregnant cow, patted the baby farm animals in the barn yard area.

Saw a baby rabbit that was only 3 weeks old-the size of a mouse! Went to the kangaroo area and patted friendly kangaroos, watched emu`s that had a fetish for green baby spoons (!), saw some ducks-one particular duck having a very interesting `quack`, saw the superb stock whip demonstrations, watched the sheep shearing show (the children were each given a sample of wool to take home) and also the working dogs rounding up the sheep.

It was a day that at first thought was a day for the children, however, it was even enjoyable for the mums. The place is designed to appeal to persons of all ages.

It`s on 580 acres, however, with clever planning, the pastures are located on the outer regions of the venue and the animals, talks, feeding animals section, talks, shearing etc, were all located centrally so there was not too much walking at all for the children.

However, one of the best parts was the Cappuccinos. Drinking that at the closing of the day was relaxing as the kids ran around on the open grassed area or in the park area which had play equipment.

The good thing about the venue is that there is no way the children can get lost. That made it a more relaxing experience and the children, tabarak`Allah, were very well behaved and relaxed.

At the end of the day, the children were presented with stationary sets (choosing either a set with a cow, horse, pig or sheep). The children really liked those. They were also given a planter box with some seeds to plant when they get home, so some of what they learnt that day can be carried on at home.

The excursion was a great success - with the children commenting on how much they had learned about the farm and all its animals.

The Kids just loved It!

We thank Allah (swt) for giving us this opportunity to show our children the wonders of His creation.

Feedback from the Kids about the Day:

Hamzah

When we went to Fairfield City Farm we saw chicks ,pigs ,goats ,chickens and sheep. We saw a sheep shearing show. The name of the sheep was Baaa bara. That was funny. We saw a whip cracking show that was really cool. I played with Faisal in the park. It was lots of fun.

Aishah

The Fairfield farm was fun! We saw baby rabbits, sheep and goats. There were chickens, pigs, kangaroos and working dogs. We planted sunflower seeds, and watched a sheep shearing show, and got to take home some wool from the sheep.We learnt a lot about different farm animals. There was a baby turtle as well, and we found out that the turtles back is made of the same material as our fingernails, subhanallah.

We ate icypoles, and played in the park. We had a really great day!.

Maryam

I saw the dogs working the sheep. The dogs name was Dodge. He chased them into a pack, until the man was able to catch one.

We saw the chickens and one of them was like our black chicken. We saw some sheep in a barn, and a baby rabbit that was so little. We got to pat the tiny little rabbit. We also patted a baby duck. We saw talking birds too. They had some horses and cows. I milked a cow. It was a brown cow. I had lots of fun. Farmer Lily was helpful and nice.

Some information about Fairfield City Farm:

Fairfield City Farm is a farm-based attraction, close to the heart of Sydney, a place where children and adults can enjoy a variety of exciting shows and exhibits. Get up close to a range of native and farmyard animals.

A brief history of Fairfield City Farm:

• before 1806 - land was home territory to the people of the Dharuk tribe.
• 1806 - Land Grant of 80 hectares to John Jamieson (born 1772), a Scottish immigrant, who was the Superintendent of Government Stock. He named the property Coulmesly Hill, but the spelling was later changed to Calmsley Hill.
• 1809 - a further Land Grant of 120 hectares at Calmsley Hill to John Jamieson.
• 1823 - a further Land Grant of 40 hectares at Calmesly Hill to John Jamieson. Cattle and sheep grazed on
  the land.
• 1826 - 3 huts and a dairy were built on the farm at a cost of £100.
• 1850 - John Jamieson died. Calmesly Hill farm was taken over by William Jamieson (born 1828), a
  Grandson of John.
• 1851 John Dengate of Coomsley Hill bought the farm for £1,300 and farmed the land until his death
  in 1886. The land passed to his executors Edwin and Henry Dengate.
• 1904 - Patrick James Cashman of Fivedock bought the property for £3,000.
• 1908 - James Clarke of Dulwich Hill bought the property for £3,500.
• 1909 - James Clarke died, and his executors sold the property back to Patrick James Cashman for £3,145.
• 1920 - Patrick James Cashman died, and his widow, Mary, sold the farm to Robert McIntyre for £4,500 in 1921.
• 1929 - John Maurice Garnock, a wool and skin merchant, purchased the farm for £5,700.
• 1929 - As the Great Depression set in, Garnock sold his equity in the farm to James White of Coonamble
  for £2,400.
• 1934 - Calmsley Hill was sold to Edward Dryland Horden, one of the Anthony Horden dynasty of
  merchants, for £6,450. Two of the trees on the farm, a Peppercorn tree and a Moreton Bay Fig, are
  believed to have been planted by the Horden family.
• 1947 - Calmsley Hill was sold to the Big Brother Movement for £12,750. The Big Brother Movement was established in 1925 as a scheme to help young British migrants settle in Australia. The farm served as a reception and accommodation area for groups of up to 40 young men at a time who were trained in farm work. The Big Brother Movement built up the dairy herd, established a piggery, poultry farm, orchard and market garden under irrigation, and built a steel water tower which still exists on the City Farm.
• 1971 - the land was zoned as open space in the state government's Sydney Regional Outline Plan.
• 1972 - the Big Brother Movement sold most of the farm to the State Planning Authority. The land became part of the Horsley Park Services Corridor, bringing electricity, gas and water to western Sydney. Parts of
  the farm were also leased for dairy farming.
• 1984 - Fairfield City Council took up the lease on the land and created Fairfield City Farm which conducted educational programs.
• 1989 - a soil conservation education program was started.
• 1995 - the City Landcare in Your Own Backyard garden was opened, which is now commonly referred to
  as the Permaculture Garden.
• 2000 - Sydney Olympics 2000 Mountain Bike competition was staged at the City Farm.

Contact Details for other Home Schooling Famillies:

By mail:
Fairfield City Farm
31 Darling Street
Abbotsbury NSW 2176

By Telephone:
(02) 9823 3222

By Fax:
(02) 9823 4067

By email:
cityfarm@fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au