Dirty job, great returns
GENERALLY mums and dads don't encourage their kids to play in the mud, but the parents of students at Harwood Island Public are only too happy to see their offspring get busy in the dirt.
Helpers of all ages will be kitted out in their gum boots, shovelling that brown stuff into sacks for the school's annual fundraiser this Sunday.
The mud in question is a special 'mill' variety which comes from the sugar refinery which helps make your garden grow along with that of the P& C Association's piggy bank.
And this mud is popular, with orders already flowing in for the estimated 1000 bags up for sale.
The annual Mill Mud Drive has been going for more than 20 years thanks to the generosity of the NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative's Harwood Mill, which donates approximately 30 tonnes to the school every year.
The mud is a by-product of the milling process and is the soil that comes into the mill with the harvested cane.
It is rich in organic matter, phosphorous and nitrogen, so is an ideal conditioner which improves moisture retention in sandy soils and helps to break up clay soils.
It is also great for top dressing, pot plants and vegetable gardens.
Funds from past drives have allowed the P&C to provide the students with a sun-safe cover for the playground, six table and chair lunch settings and a new entrance structure that it used as an all-weather multipurpose educational and play area.
Not a bad exchange for a pile of dirt.
