Category: Events

Events, Permablitz

Navigators Permablitz November 2022

Barry Gibson

Please join us on Sunday 27 November for a day of connection with other like-minded people. We have a great range of tasks on offer and new skills to learn such as sheet mulching, natural fencing, chicken tractor creation, wicking bed creation and plant guilds. This is an opportunity to be involved at the beginning, in what it very much a work in progress.

Our hosts Barry and Melissa and their three children Charlotte, Emily and Freddy live on a small farm that has a range of animals and plants for both produce and lifestyle purposes including bees, sheep, horses and chickens. They are slowly restoring an old orchard and developing an overgrown berry run into a food garden. They are attempting to introduce permaculture and regenerative farming techniques in order to leave their small farm and surrounding community in a better place socially and ecologically than it was when they moved there.

Children are welcome to participate and interact with the farm animals. However please be aware that there are two large dams and other general farm hazards on the property, and children will need to be supervised across the day.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided by the hosts, so registration is essential for catering purposes. Please register a FREE ticket for each attendee (including children) and advise any dietary requirements.

Tickets are available at:
https://events.humanitix.com/ballarat-community-permablitz

What to bring:

gardening gloves
sun gear (hat, sunscreen, long sleeved shirt etc)
covered shoes
water bottle

Want to know more about Permablitz?

Permablitz is about people helping people, learning skills and seeing permaculture designs in action.  Don't know what a Permablitz is and if it is for you? Watch this video from Gardening Australia with the awesome Hannah running one in Tasmania.

Events, News

Thank you to all that attended our AGM and social night

Barry Gibson

What a great evening with our AGM and a chance to catch up with many of our Permaculture friends.

Congratulations to our newly elected Committee

President: James Hosking
Vice President: Fiona Williamson
Secretary: Rhea Thorn
Treasurer: Stephen Taylor
Ordinary members:
Barry Gibson
Ellen Burns
Hoang Nguyen
Michael McKenna
René de Jong
Steve Burns

A big thank you to our outgoing Committee member and Treasurer Jean Watson

Following the committee meeting we were delighted to announce our inaugural life-time members Karen Fitzpatrick and Mick and Jackie O'Meara.

Thank you to all those that helped with the organisation and Sara Kittelty for the amazing catering, Michael Unwin Wines for a great selection of local wine, and Ellen and Michael for the punch and glassware.

Events, News

2022 AGM and social night – 15 Nov 2022

Barry Gibson

Join the Ballarat Permaculture Guild for their Annual General Meeting and social night!

We are meeting at 5:30pm on Tuesday 15 Nov 2022 at the Uniting building on the corner of Queen St and Dyte Parade, opposite the central Ballarat Community Garden.

After some drinks, food and music, the BPG committee and financial members will go into a meeting room to conduct the official AGM proceedings.

This will include the annual reports, election of office bearers, and presentation of life membership - a brand new initiative!

Non-members are able to stick around socialising while the AGM is completed.

The AGM should be complete by around 7pm, after which time we can continue socialising together.There's no better time to get to know our members and see what we've been up to this year.

We hope to see you there!

AGM Resources:

Agenda

  1. to confirm the minutes of the previous annual general meeting and of any special general meeting held since then;
  2. to receive and consider -
    1. the annual report of the Committee on the activities of the Association during the preceding financial year; and
    2. the financial statements of the Association for the preceding financial year submitted by the Committee in accordance with Part 7 of the Act;
  3.  to elect the members of the Committee;
  4.  to confirm or vary the amounts (if any) of the annual subscription and joining fee.

Resources

AGM Minutes Nov 2021Download
BPG Annual Report 2022Download
Events

What an amazing workshop with Ben Habib

Barry Gibson

On Saturday May 7, BPG hosted Dr Ben Habib Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations (La Trobe University) for a fascinating workshop titled “Community resilience building” Part of the focus of the workshop was “sifting for gems in the rubble of COVID” so that we could learn from the previous two years as we adapt to the climate crisis.

Ben challenged permaculture to realise its potential and go beyond small scale, local inititatives. As he said, “The forces destroying our planet are global – acting local isn't good enough!”

Much of the workshop consisted of small group discussion following personal reflections. Some of the tasks & questions included:

  • Draw a picture to represent the pandemic
  • What did the pandemic force you to face about yourself?
  • How did you adapt to COVID restrictions? (what worked for you? what didn't?)
  • What worked for your community?
  • How do we constructively work with diverse people?
  • What does climate change adaptation mean for you? For your community? For Australia? For the world?
  • Who are your climate allies? [how do you work with them? How often do you interact with them?]
The focus on community responses during the pandemic brought out many issues – the impact of corrosive minorities and anger, the danger of silo thinking, the need to see the humanity in all, the fact that working at different levels of scale requires different tactics and strategies.

This thoughtful and challenging material was delivered within a gentle, interactive framework that catered for participants at all levels. After the event, half the class joined Ben & organisers at a local Indian restaurant to continue the discussion!

[Ben Habib is a futured presenter during the BPG Permaculture Design Course. We highly recommend attending any of Ben's classes or talks!]

Events

BPG Book club – Term 2, 2022 RETROSUBURBIA by David Holmgren

Steve Burns

RETROSUBURBIA is the latest book by Permaculture founder David Holmgren and considered by many as his most accessible and broadly relevant. In it, he outlines why retrofitting the suburbs is the key to sustainable humansettlement in a low-carbon, post peak-oil world. With numerous case studies based in central Victoria, this book is practical and highly relevant to our area.  The book club is FREE and open to all who are interested and able to commit to the reading and participation in the club.

RETROSUBURBIA discusses creating a simple but rich & abundant lifestyle by working through three main themes: built, biological and behavioural. We will meet over the 9 weeks of Term 2, commencing on April 27 and concluding on June 22.  You don't have to have read the book before April 27 but you do need to commit to reading during the term! 

Our time each week will focus on small group discussions of questions arising from the chapters discussed. Each week we discuss several chapters of the book. No need to purchase: there are 16 copies of the book available for loan. [Further information about the book:www.retrosuburbia.com]

This is an in-person bookclub, to be held at Chestnut Farm, Invermay (10 mins from Ballarat Town Hall) from 7 - 9 pm each week.  Zoom may be an option for those who don't live locally, are not vaccinated or who cannot attend particular nights due to family responsibilities, illness, etc.  You will not usually be able to join the group after the term has started, so please sign up NOW!    The club will be facilitated by BPG President & long-term permie Steve Burns, but Steve's role is wrangling the discussion rather than presenting.  Previous RS bookclubs have featured very lively group discussion.  The issues, topics and case studies are highly engaging and the group usually wants to talk all night!  Look forward to a fun night that will also stimulate serious thinking about life direction & choices.

FREE event but you must book here:

Session plan:

April 27 - Introductions & agreements, Retrosuburbia talk by David Holmgren

May 4 - Chapters 1 - 3 Setting the Scene

May 11 - Ch 4 - 7 Built environment strategies, case studies & group discussion

May 18 - Ch 8 - 13 Built environment strategies, case studies & group discussion

May 25 Ch 14 - 18 Built environment strategies, case studies & group discussion

June 1 Ch 19 - 23  Biological environment (aka garden & farm!) strategies, case studies & group discussion

June 8 - Ch 24 - 28 Behavioural environment strategies  case studies & group discussion (where the rubber hits the road)

June 15 - Ch 29 - 34 Behavioural strategies continued

June 22 - Group & personal reflections and goal setting.  What is your RS vision?  Action Plan?