Costa the Garden Gnome plants seedlings for the future in Utju

In the garden of a yellow house near Utju / Areyonga, Joy Kunia shows a spot where she hopes to plant a fruit tree in the future. Her garden employs recycled washing machine tubs and the bottoms of wheelie bins as planters, showcasing a mini circular economy within the expansive West MacDonnell Ranges, situated 200km west of Alice Springs.

The land once bore the garden of the late Lutheran Pastor Leo Kelleske, famous for his grape vines and date trees, remembered fondly by the older residents. Costa, known as Australian gardening expert Costa Georgiadis, visits the community to help revive those memories through the Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures program alongside his fellow television personality, scrapboy.

The duo are spreading the Healthy Kids, Healthy Futures program and MacDonnell Regional Council's efforts in remote Aboriginal communities. They bring avocado, fig, and mulberry seedlings to plant in the ground, making fresh fruit and vegetables more accessible in the remote communities. Georgiadis is enthusiastic about introducing these concepts, which the elders and families can build upon.

At a two-ways learning school teaching in both Pitjantjatjara and English since 1973, Georgiadis engages about 15 children in singing and games in the schoolyard, demonstrating the process of releasing roots from seedlings. The MacDonnell Regional Council works on sourcing new planter pots, designed for sandy deserts of the United Arab Emirates to conserve water.

Area manager Stuart Millar hopes to see more fruit trees planted in the community's front yards, emphasizing the importance of self-sufficiency in the desert environment. Local authority chairperson Sarah Gallagher, born and raised in Areyonga, shares the children's excitement about the project, emphasizing the importance of water, community, and growth in Pitjantjatjara language.