You may or may not know about the Reading Landscape documentary film project. A collaboration between PA Patron David Holmgren, film-maker Dave Meagher, and PA member Dan Palmer, that will shine a light on the foundational aspect of permaculture design. The project emerged from Dan’s fascination with David’s extraordinary capacity to unpack a landscape through direct observation. Featuring footage of David reading landscapes ranging from national parks, farms, botanical gardens, abandoned arboretums, and suburban backyards, the film aims to firmly establish the reading of landscape as a fundamental human skill and a core foundation of permaculture design. Find out more in our interview with Dan below.
“We are creating a compelling, accessible and beautiful film about reading landscape and deepening connection to place, in a way that generates excitement, catalyzes learning journeys, and contributes to re-embedding reading landscape into our cultures as a known and fundamental human capacity,” Dan Palmer
Tell us about yourself Dan, for those who don’t know about you and your multitude of projects!
I’m a passionate student of permaculture and indeed any processes that bring people and places more alive. With my wife and two daughters I live on a small homestead in a 1965 two-story Bedford House bus in Aotearoa New Zealand’s aptly-named Bay of Plenty. As well as co-directing Very Edible Gardens with my friend Adam Grubb, I am creating a podcast called Making Permaculture Stronger, online courses on Holistic Decision Making, a book about Living Design Process, and a film aboutReading Landscape with David Holmgren.
So many great projects! Tell us a bit more about your new project – Reading Landscape. Why is reading the landscape such an important skill to share to make permaculture stronger?
We are creating a compelling, accessible and beautiful film about reading landscape and deepening connection to place, in a way that generates excitement, catalyzes learning journeys, and contributes to re-embedding reading landscape into our cultures as a known and fundamental human capacity.
For me, reading landscape is a foundational human capacity, that for most of our time on the planet was essential to everyday life. While for most of us it has since atrophied, it is a skill we can practice and redevelop. Not only for the sheer joy of it, but as a key stepping stone toward becoming re-nested within the wider ecologies we are but one expression of. To me it is impossible to imagine a permaculture that is not grounded in reading landscape, and I am excited to be helping highlight its relevance and importance within permaculture in this film. This project started with me inviting David Holmgren to come and read landscape on some of my design consultancy projects. I was just fascinated with David’s uncanny abilities to unpack a place through direct observation. Initially we recorded rough footage as an extra resource for the clients, who would struggle to process everything David was sharing at the time. Then, after several such visits, it occurred to me that it would be a tragedy not to somehow capture and share more widely the experience of reading landscape with David. I invited my filmmaker mate Dave to tag along, and it was only a bit later the idea of making a film emerged, for me almost in the sense of an obligation, or at the very least the right thing to do.
Your project mission/goal refers to First Nations knowledge sharing – can you tell me more about how this?
As the film slowly started to take on some kind of overall shape, it was clear to us that the landscapes we were reading, and indeed pretty much any landscape around the world, has been read or deeply engaged with for a very, very long time. Hence our desire to honor the fact that for tens of thousands of years, the landscapes featuring in the film have been known and cared for by Indigenous peoples to a degree most of us can only dream of. We are currently pursuing conversations with Indigenous readers of landscape toward including their voice as a central theme.
How can folks get involved and support with the project?
You can subscribe to the (very occasional) project newsletter on the website. At this stage a primary focus is raising the $35K we estimate completing this film to our desired standard will take. So if anyone believes in this project anywhere near as much as we do, please consider donating or letting a friend who might be interested know about it. Our dream is to raise the necessary funds in an in-house crowd funding campaign from mid July through the end of August, and then to be able to share the finished film as a gift to the permaculture movement and beyond. Help us make it so!
Dan Palmer is a PA Professional Member and David Holmgren is a PA Life Member and Patron of Permaculture Australia. Join up as a member of PA here and join Dan, David and hundreds of members across Australia advocating for permaculture solutions and making positive change.
“Now as the PA Patron, I see my role as more actively contributing my conceptual and historical perspectives within the movement to support Permaculture Australia’s various priorities and projects towards the vision of an Australia enlivened by permaculture ethics and design principles. As patron I will continue to highlight the lineage from and respect for Indigenous and traditional ways of being inherent in permaculture that can help all Australians come to terms with history and rekindle a shared connection to country.”
David Holmgren, Co-originator of permaculture & Patron, Permaculture Australia
We were thrilled to announce David Holmgren, as the first Patron of Permaculture Australia at the Australasian Permaculture Convergence earlier this year. Here are some words from David on why he agreed to become our Patron and how we hopes his role will support Permaculture Australia and the continual growth of permaculture.
“Popularly seen as a ‘cool’ form of organic gardening, permaculture is better described as a design system for resilient living and land use based on universal ethics and ecological design principles. Although the primary focus of permaculture has been the redesign of gardening, farming, animal husbandry and forestry, the same ethics and principles apply to design of buildings, tools and technology. Applying permaculture ethics and principles in our gardens and homes inevitably leads us towards redesigning our ways of living so as to be more in tune with local surpluses and limits. Beyond the household scale diverse expressions of “social permaculture” are influencing decision making and organisational processes at the community and enterprise scale.
Permaculture is also a global movement of individuals, groups and networks working to create the world we want, by providing for our needs and organising our lives in harmony with nature. The movement is active across the globe in the most privileged and the most destitute communities and countries. Permaculture may be Australia’s most significant export for humanity facing a world of limits. The movement sprang up following the publication of Permaculture One in 1978 and has been a positive agent of influence on grass roots environmental and social innovation for nearly half a century, especially in its country of origin Australia. However the influence of permaculture is still not well understood by the media, policy makers or the general public.
Permaculture Australia is a national member based organisation that has illustrated the permaculture design principle of “Small and Slow Solutions” as it evolved over the decades. It has a track record in media and communications, accredited training, overseas development assistance and self governance that makes it ready to take on the mantle of truly representing this broad, diverse and deeply influential social movement.
“If a critical mass of Australian local permaculture groups, designers, teachers, activists and everyday practitioners join Permaculture Australia for the benefits of membership then that membership base could trigger much greater benefits here and abroad. With that critical mass of members and resources Permaculture Australia could give voice to permaculture ethics, design principles and solutions as being relevant to how all Australians navigate the climate, pandemic and associated emergencies that are taking over our individual and collective lives.”
It could highlight how permaculture draws on the wisdom of indigenous and traditional cultures everywhere, recognising the value of old timer and new comer flora and fauna diversity and using the best from our shared global culture of science and modernity to craft new ways of living in tune with nature’s rhythms. Further it could speak truth to power about removing the constraints and impediment to the self organised flourishing of our nation’s households and communities.
As the co-originator of the permaculture concept, I have never been an “organisation person” but have always supported Permaculture Australia for the work it has done over the years and for the potential outlined above. It is often said that trying to get permies to align around a collective process is like trying to herd cats. However I believe Permaculture Australia, can provide that rallying point while respecting the benefits of our anarchic diversity.”
More information:
Not a member of Permaculture Australia? Join us today here and help us strengthen our collective national permaculture voice and advocacy activities.
“My garden is an evolving work where I am constantly experimenting and creating. I love sharing what I have learnt and I am always willing to help others create their own garden as a space which is as regenerative for the gardener as it is for the plants they grow. I’m looking forward to the Samford Edible Garden Trail and hope my experience and passion inspires others to give gardening a go.” Jenny Kato, PA member and Samford Edible Garden Trail Committee
In 2020, a group of four Samford Mums had an idea to approach some of the gardeners in Samford Valley who we knew had amazing private backyard edible gardens – and ask them if they would open up their garden to the public for one day. We hoped they would share their inside knowledge about growing food in our area, and in the process inspire more of us to give it a go. However, 2020 lockdowns put a hold on our plans. Rather than be deterred from our vision, we grabbed our phones, and in an appropriately socially distanced way, we visited each of the gardens ourselves – and filmed it.
We posted the videos up online on our Facebook and YouTube sites. We were blown away by the support we received, and we had viewers from all around Australia and even abroad following the Trail. With a resurgence of popularity in cultivating gardens to grow food by people of all ages, people were buying seeds and wanting to plant gardens and yet many were stuck on where to start! Fast forward to May 2021, we are still filming and posting our virtual tours online, AND are getting ready to open the doors to nine inspiring edible gardens for the inaugural Open Day on May 16 2021.
“Over the years I’ve become passionate about how we can reduce food miles by growing more food ourselves. I wanted to inspire other people to try growing food and the idea of visiting a local garden to see what grows well in the area, just seemed like the best way to do it. I put a message out to see if anybody else thought it was a good idea too, suddenly we had a committee, and now the inaugural Samford Edible Garden Trail Open Day!” Susanne Engelhard, Co-organiser
These are just some of the things you will see in the Gardens on the Open Day on May 16th:
a suburban back and front yard fully converted into raised garden beds
a stunning permaculture garden blending perennial vegetables, fruits, and flowering plants
a ten year old subtropical food forest built on what was some of the poorest soil in the region
a tradie’s garden complete with mini swale vegetable garden and orchard built on a slope
a tree changer couple’s cottage garden, complete with vegies, orchard, a herbal tea garden and of course… chickens
clever landscaping to capture water run off into swales of dwarf bananas
a sustainable house and garden, with 220 trees, 80 bush tucker trees, and an aquaponics system you won’t believe
plus two of our local farmers showcasing their small scale diversified organic farming methods.
How can I attend?
Ticket sales for the Event on Sunday May 16th, running from 9am-3pm can be found here. The event is an amazing opportunity to sample the delights that can be found in the beautiful Samford Valley, only 40 minutes drive from the Brisbane CBD in the stunning Moreton Bay Shire. There will be offers for ticket holders, cooking demonstrations, a craft and local produce market. Tickets are limited, so don’t miss out!
More information:
The Samford Edible Garden Trail is a not-for-profit, and (the Trail) was started in 2020 by Susanne Engelhard and her small volunteer team of local residents local to the beautiful Samford Valley and surrounds. Connect with the Samford Edible Garden Trail Facebook page, our Instagram Account, or our YouTube channel to join in the fun, learn more about growing your own food, and let’s all grow together!
This was part of the Permaculture Elders Award acceptance speech by Mark Brown, recalling completing his Permaculture Design Course with Bill Mollison. PA members Mark and partner Kate Beveridge, who run Purple Pear Farm, and PA member Julianne Hartman comprised three of the ten Permaculture Elder Award recipients.
PA members were well represented in the Community Service award recipients, including Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar (Milkwood Permaculture), Hannah Maloney (Good Life Permaculture), Lis Bastian (The Big Fix/Permaculture Blue Mountains), Dan Palmer (Making Permaculture Stronger) and Richard Telford, Permaculture Principles.
We are thrilled to announce that PA Board Director Wendy Marchment (pictured above right), also received a Permaculture Community Service Award, which includes her service with Permaculture Australia and previously with Northey Street City Farm.
Finally, congratulations to Virginia Solomon, outgoing PA Board Director and Permaculture Elder who was awarded a Community Service Award for her outstanding commitment to permaculture education and Permaculture Australia.
The full list of the 2021 Community Service awardees are listed below.
2021 Permaculture Elders Award recipients
Jill Jordan
Jane Scott
Rob Swain
David Arnold
Kate Beveridge
Mark Brown
Steve Cran
Julianne Hartman
Hans Erken
Penny Pyett.
2021 Community Service Award recipients
Lis Bastian
Kirsten Bradley
Cally Brennan
Bunya Halasz
Penny Kothe
Hannah Maloney
Wendy Marchment
Dan Palmer
Nick Ritar
Virginia Solomon
Richard Telford.
A huge congratulations to all those who received awards and for their commitment and support to permaculture in Australia and globally.
The 2021 Permaculture Australia Annual General Meeting was held on the 13th April 2021 at the Australasian Permaculture Convergence in Brisbane.
Congratulations to the following Board of Directors who have been appointed for 2021/2022:
Wendy Marchment, Victoria
Donna Morawiak, Queensland
Greg Rodwell, Victoria
Sophie Thompson, Queensland
Jed Walker, New South Wales
A huge thank you to our outgoing Board of Directors Greta Carroll, April Sampson-Kelly and Virginia Solomon, and also to Robyn Francis as the appointed Chair for the AGM.
Finally we are thrilled to announce David Holmgren, the co-originator of permaculture, has been appointed a Patron of Permaculture Australia. This is an enormous honor for Permaculture Australia and we look forward to working with David and the team at Holmgren Designs to further advocate for permaculture solutions.
(L-R) Kiran Charlie (PA Webmaster), April Sampson-Kelly (Outgoing Director), Robyn Francis (AGM Chair) Sophie Thompson (PA Board Director), Wendy Marchment (PA Board Director), Donna Morawiak (PA Board Director) Jed Walker (PA Board Director), David Holmgren (PA Patron), Virginia Solomon (Outgoing PA Chair) and Kym Blechynden (PA Membership & Marketing Manager).
Permaculture Australia is seeking Expressions of Interest to host the 16th Australasian Permaculture Convergence, to be held in April/May 2023. Traditionally an organisation from a different state or territory has hosted each time in rotation. A full list of past locations is listed below.
Pappinbara, New South Wales (NSW)
Otford, NSW
Yarrahapinni, NSW
Albury, NSW
Crystal Waters, Queensland
Roseworthy, South Australia
Nimbin, NSW
Eltham, Victoria
Sydney, NSW
Cairns, Queensland
Turangi, New Zealand
Penguin, Tasmania
Perth, Western Australia
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Brisbane, Queensland
Open for submissions.
How to apply
Interested organisation(s) should completed an EOI submission describing:
the vision for the APC
possible venues for the APC, including a pre/post permaculture festival event
the format of the event
the organising group/committee and experience in event management.
The one page submission should be submitted to hello@permacultureaustralia.org.au before 5th April 2021
Next steps
All submissions received will be made public on the Permaculture Australia website following the closing date. Applicants will then be invited to speak to their application at the upcoming Australasian Permaculture Convergence, either in person or via web-link for those that aren’t present.
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