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News
Update from Djanbung Gardens
Please
email robyn@permaculture.com.au
if you would like to receive these updates to your email
address.
Permaculture Design Courses (PDC) 2005
October 31-Nov 18, 3-week intensive PDC at
Djanbung Gardens
with Robyn Francis, Janelle Schafer & Peter Hardwick
The
next newsletter will have details for future workshops and courses for the
remainder of 2005 – the detailed planning has been on hold until other
commitments are confirmed and the full-time training is on-track and students
have selected their study streams.
Bookings are coming in from other groups for tours and hiring our beautiful
venue for workshops and meditation retreats. The full-time training uses the
main building Monday am thru to Thursday afternoons, so the space is available
Fridays and weekends for private functions, workshops and other events. Djanbung
Gardens takes bookings for special lunches or dinner parties providing some
of the best gourmet organic cuisine in the area in a very special environment.
We also have a large screen, projector & DVD player for film nights which
can be held out-of-doors, on the large verandah or in the main room depending
on weather and personal preference. Indoor/undercover seating for films can
cater for groups of up to 70. Please don’t hesitate to enquire about
options.
Accredited Courses Underway
One
of the aims for this year is to lay the groundwork for a Bioregional Campus
to link in with the wealth of expertise and innovative alternative enterprises
in the area. Wednesday nights we’ll be inviting guests to a garden feast
to talk about their work and discuss opportunities for students to volunteer
or do workplace experience with them. We will also be organising excursions
to visit eco-enterprises and organisations in the area. Do contact us if you’d
like to share your work and experience with the group or host a visit or work
experience placement.
Our first Wednesday evening guest was Claire Clarity visiting from the USA.
Claire had a magnificent slide show on earth building and inspiring workshops
she conducts with school children making clay models of houses and ecovillages.
Our Wednesday garden feast featured freshly harvested Asper bamboo shoots
cooked Balinese-style with authentic fresh garden spices – yummm.....
Future newsletters will include writings from the APT team about their experiences
and life at Djanbung.
Ecovillage News
Things
are starting to move forward on the ecovillage front in Nimbin. Nigel Reid
is preparing to build 2 demonstration houses for Rivendell Village and hopes
to have the final Development Application ready to submit to Council in the
near future.
The Nimbin Ecovillage project is back on track with the new owner, John Callanan,
finalising details to submit plans to Council for the first stage of lots
in Cecil Street. I will be consulting on the landscape design for a major
open space area involving an interesting gully system with potential for wetland
and water features, bushfoods, rainforest regen and recreational use. The
area forms part of Nimbin’s planned Cultural Walk and the design will
focus on local Bundjalung cultural plantings in the ecovillage section. Some
areas will feature non-invasive, exotics such as clumping bamboos, and carefully
selected fruit and nut trees.
Djanbung Gardens Co-housing has had some interested enquirers – at present
time is the limiting factor in terms of developing concepts further in written
form for email communications. I recommend anyone seriously interested to
visit and make a time to discuss options and check out the land. There’s
a number of ways things could proceed and which option will largely depend
on the initial folk seriously interested in joining.
Permaculture News
Permaculture Tsunami Effort
The permaculture
group in Indonesia, IDEP, have been in the forefront of Tsunami relief in
North Sumatra. IDEP was formed during the PDC I taught in Bali in 1999, and
have already developed an amazing track-record as an NGO par excellence, doing
amazing work throughout Indonesia and supporting permaculture efforts in East
Timor.
IDEP was quick to respond after the Bali Bombing and this experience with disaster relief has proved to be invaluable for a fast, professional response to the tsunami. I’ve been receiving the regular updates from Petra in Bali and urge you to check out their website and support their effort in any way you can.
Permaculture International Ltd is accepting donations (tax deductible in Australia) into the PermaFund to support IDEP’s incredible effort in Ache. IDEP was featured in an SBS-TV documentary recently and the journalists were most impressed with their practical and pragmatic approach.
More about IDEP,
the tsunami effort & direct donations visit www.idepfoundation.org
Tax deductible donations via Permafund see www.permacultureinternational.org
Permaculture International Ltd (PIL)
PIL, Australia’s only national membership-based
organisation, is alive and well and restructuring for a new era of permaculture
growth. PIL provides a vital service networking permaculturists throughout
Australia and internationally, and provides support for projects in developing
countries.
PIL owns the Accredited Permaculture Training (APT), manages the register
of approved APT trainers, administers permaculture’s tax-deductible charitable
fund, PermaFund, initiated the Permaculture-oceania listserve and publishes
a regular newsletter, The Planet, for members. Full voting membership is open
to people who have completed a PDC, associate membership is open to all people
and organisations interesting in supporting PIL’s work.
Visit
PIL’s website for membership details and making donations to PermaFund
www.permacultureinternational.org
Thank
you for taking the time to read this update – your support is appreciated.
Wishing you all abundance, peace and joy
Ciao
Robyn
New pathways
to sustainability... education & design services
Djanbung Gardens Permaculture Education
& ERDA Institute Trust
PO Box 379 Nimbin NSW 2480 Australia
www.permaculture.com.au
Contact: Robyn Francis
PH 02-6689 1755
Mob 0429 147 138
robyn@permaculture.com.au
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