These reflections are my own of events that occurred in the lead up to the formation of the trading name ‘Permaculture Australia’. It’s intended as background information as we gather in Adelaide at Convergence that includes a really important AGM. Members of PA can elect 7 people to the Board…..people with passion, skills, commitment and the time available to project this organisation into the huge potential it has to represent the movement.”
“The survey conducted by the Amigo Troika ( Bruce Zell, Ian Lillington & myself) is now 13 years old and represents a moment in time. If conducted today….what would it look like? As we elect 7 Board members soon, maybe its time to ask the membership, ask the movement what they vision a Peak Body to do into the future ?”
The Permaculture Australia Annual General Meeting (AGM) is to be held on Sunday 28th May 2023, 4pm AEST via Zoom. The meeting is set for auto record and auto silence on joining, you will also require the passcode so that we can make a note of who is in attendance.
Online voting will OPEN at 7am Friday 26th May and will close when the 2022 board roles are declared vacant by the Returning Officer – Item 8 on the Agenda
Nominations to the Board – Members can nominate themselves or another member they think is suitable and willing to serve on the Board*. People nominated must hold a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) certificate or VET Permaculture Cert III or higher, and confirm they are willing to stand and are familiar with or will become familiar with the responsibilities/time commitment outlined in the document ‘What Does Board Membership Involve’.
Under the Permaculture Australia Constitution, members who wish to stand for election to the Board must be nominated by at least 2 other members*. If you wish to self-nominate and don’t know any PA members, then include a couple of references from people who know what relevant skills you have to offer PA in your nomination information. PA members attending the AGM can nominate during the AGM if they feel they have enough information about you (you are also entitled to speak to the meeting in support of your self-nomination).
* All nominations must be submitted by a current financial member of PA.
We look forward to receiving your responses/nominations and are happy to answer any questions you may have. In fact, we encourage anyone who’s considering nominating to chat with a current Director/s.
Many would say Permaculture is simply about making beneficial connections…..in all sorts of ways. Here at Permafund we want to make a connection to International Permaculture Day. It’s a day each year to celebrate and promote the many and varied aspects of Permaculture to the wider community all over the world.
It’s always on the first Sunday of May and was the founder of the movement’s birthday, so is also an opportunity to honour Bill Mollison for his enormous contribution and vision.
Why not use this day to put on an event and raise funds for Permafund?
Permafund is the name of our 8-person volunteer group who manage Permaculture Australia’s tax deductible fund. We receive funds in the form of gifts and donations…..then we send them out to needy permaculture projects through small grant rounds. As a group we’ve been together for just over 10 years and in that time have funded 64 projects in 16 countries.
This is where we need your help. We need to raise more funds so more can be done. If you are a Permaculture group, a business or a caring individual, why not consider organising a fundraiser for Permafund for International Permaculture Day?
Here at Brogo Permaculture Gardens on the far south coast of NSW we have an Open Day with all proceeds to Permafund. We open our home and property to the public with guided tours, a cuppa and a delicious lemon muffin. There’s lots of good chat and information shared.
Tickets are $35 per adult with around 30 people coming to each tour which raises almost $1000 for Permafund. That’s half a $2,000 Permafund grant for a needy community project
Making connections again, celebrating Bill by giving your time to educate the public that then benefits a project is a Win! Win! Win scenario.
There are lots of creative ways to raise funds…..limited only by your imagination!
With this year’s International Permaculure Day being on Sunday May 7th, we have 3 and a half months to plan something…..please. We here at Permafund want to also make a connection and appeal to Permaculture Australia groups, businesses, members and the broad Permaculture Movement to do something beneficial together and assist those that need a hand. It sure would put a smile on Bill’s dial.
Australian Permaculture Convergence (APC) 15 — Date Claimer! An entry for your diaries/calendars:
Sunday 19th April 2020 – Permaculture Festival at Northey Street City Farm (Brisbane, QLD)
Monday – Thursday 20-23 April 2020 – Australian Permaculture Convergence at Redland Bay, South Moreton Bay (35 mins from Brisbane – accessible by public transport).
Tours of Northern NSW and Southeast QLD will follow the convergence.
Canberra in autumn. It might have started overcast, cold and blowy but the skies brightened, the wind dissipated and the cold vanished as APC14 — the 14th Australasian permaculture Convergence — got underway.
Here’s a-photo essay of the event… SaveSave
Story and photos by PA member, Robin Clayfield, January 2018
The IPC in India recently was a feast of colour, culture and fabulous Indian cuisine with interesting presentations, much networking and diverse learning opportunities as 1200 people from over 70 countries gathered for the week near Hyderabad.
The two day Conference was held at an agricultural research college on the edge of the city and was brimming with Indian farmers. 350 people had travelled around the globe to be be part of the event and other came from all over India. Robin set up a small stall with her books, card games and resources and get to be set up in between Indian seed sellers and traders of Indian crafts and baskets.
She also made a valuable contribution to the Conference by presenting a panel titled ‘Are Women Leading the Change’ as the finale program item for the weekend. One of the sub themes of IPC was ‘Women Leading the Change’ so, as a female pioneer in Permaculture and Social Permaculutre Robin felt well placed to gather key women from different cultures and backgrounds and address this interesting question. The panel that joined Robin was made up of Starhawk, Vandana Shiva, Rowe Morrow, Robina McCurdy, Padma Koppula and Beatriz Ramirez Cruz and was later joined by Robyn Francis and two Indian Women Farmers who’s names aren’t with us to be published.
Robin began by inviting the audience to stand up, thank each other and acknowledge the positive change they were already involved in creating, even if it were just by being there at the Conference and taking the good energy and learnings home. Robin then asked the panel to share on three points:
one way they felt they were personally contributing to change in the world
areas where they felt women were leading the change
comment about the qualities being modelled by women that they felt were vitally important to positive change
The whole session was inspired by Robin contemplating the theme of ‘Women Leading the Change’ and noticing that a very high percentage of the acknowledged pioneers of Social Permaculture around the globe were women, so they are the ones she invited to join her.
The Indian women farmers were magnificent at modelling the empowerment and passion of women who are standing up in India and now becoming more able to be heard.
Robin ended the session by asking everyone in the audience to contemplate one word that described a quality they heard expressed by the panel that they felt was really important to them. She then counted to three and everyone called them out all at once, inviting more of those qualities in the world, in their lives and in their home communities. A great end to the Conference. Look out for a link that will be available soon of the Live to Air Telecast of the panel session.
Robin and Andy Goldring facilitating
The Convergence was held at Polam Farm, a two year old Permaculture designed system that has received much support from volunteers to establish, especially in the months leading up to IPC. For five days 450 people were feed, housed in tents, cared for and given so much access to workshops, talks, panels, demonstrations, traditional living skills, films and networking time as well as many amazing and diverse cultural performances in the evenings.
Robin was kept very busy with offering or being part of many sessions including a workshop on ‘Teaching Permaculture Creatively as a Grassroots Action’ which saw the smallish thatched roof workshop space bulging with about 60 people.
She was on the panel for ‘Open Government and Sociocracy’, was a lead facilitator in the three CoLab afternoon sessions (which drew together those interested in an ongoing collaboration of people wanting to better respond strategically and collectively as a global movement) and also offered the now traditional ‘Jumping’ session as a finale for the Convergence. There is a photo here of Robin and Andy Goldring facilitating the first CoLab session using a ‘web of connection’ and also one of Narsanna, the principal organiser of IPC India, JUMPING his intention for future Permaculture Involvement.
Robin with several of the Australians and Ego Lemas from Timor Leste at IPC India.
Robin Clayfield is an international teacher, facilitator and author who is passionate about healthy groups, organisations and communities, their structures and governance and most importantly, their facilitation and group dynamics.
She presents and consults all around the world to support global health, well-being and whole systems change through using Permaculture, Social Permaculture and ‘Dynamic Groups’ methodology.
Robin is a Permaculture Pioneer and Elder who has lived at Crystal Waters Permaculture Eco-Village in SE Queensland, Australia since 1988. Her books and resources include ‘You Can Have Your Permaculture and Eat It Too’, ‘The New Permaculture Principles Card Game’, ‘The Creative Community Governance and Decision Making Resource Kit’ and the ‘Creative Process Wild Cards’.
She is also the co-author (with Skye in 1995) of ‘The Manual for Teaching Permaculture Creatively’ plus several resources and card games for teachers and facilitators.
Robin set up a small stall with her books, card games and resources and get to be set up in between Indian seed sellers and traders of Indian crafts and baskets.
Robin then asked the panel to share on three points:
