“We can grow so much in gardens; sometimes it’s a garden of the mind, sometimes it’s a garden of spirit. Other times it’s a physical garden, like this one [at the nursery in Bega],” Mr Georgiadis said. 

“It’s generating seeds, it’s growing plants and business connections.” 

He said he has often returned to the Bega Valley for events and projects as it was a “wonderful example of a small community punching above its weight”. 

Programs in rural communities such as FOGO had the ability to influence what happened in cities, he said.