DATE-CLAIMERS

ALLOTMENT GARDENS LAUNCH – Saturday 22 October

Morning tea provided – ALL WELCOME – rock up any time from 7:30am to 11:00am

More than half of the 47 plots are already reserved! If you’d like to become an active member of our garden community and you haven’t got access to your own garden plot, send your expression of interest as soon as possible (name, email and/or postal address, phone no.) to Murray at: allotments.nscf@gmail.com.

For thousands of years growing food has been the foundation of our communities, yet most of us living in the city have lost this connection. The farm has recently created 47 garden plots to be made available for a small rental per year. This opportunity is ideal for people who are interested in gardening and producing their own food but lack the space to do it. It’s also an opportunity to become part of a community, share ideas and contribute to the development of the allotment gardens project… and enjoy the harvest!

MESSAGE FROM MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE COORDINATOR – FARM ROLES AND TEAM REVIEW

This calendar year has served its fair share of challenges at Northey Street City Farm. In light of this and the current environmental and economical challenges, the focus has necessarily sharpened on securing the Farm’s smooth operation and prosperity. A key part of this focus is an examination of the Farm’s supporting structure to ensure it continues to focus on our mission to be a dynamic, creative and diverse community city farm based on mutuality, innovation and environmental sustainability.

This is an exciting time in the development of NSCF and so to this end the Management Committee is facilitating a ‘Roles Review’  scheduled for October/November 2011 as one part of a ‘Whole of Farm’ review of the overall structure and smooth running of the farm. The purpose of the review is to understand the best structure of employed and volunteer roles to encourage growth and to ensure we continue as a viable not-for-profit entity that brings Permaculture to the community.

This review will include an examination of the overall picture of all roles and positions, both employed and voluntary at the Farm,  including purpose, objectives, hours, rates of  pay, teams, committees, overall cost, relationship to the Farm’s objectives and (the) positions in relationship to other similar roles. It is designed to be an open and transparent process. Management Committee is committed to an open dialogue with the Community and will therefore provide sufficient updates during this period.

We look forward to everyone’s cooperation during this time of change as we seek to support the Farm’s mission and move into the next phase of development and the value it will bring to the community.

- Mal Teggins, Management Committee

NSCF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – Saturday 12th November

Our AGM is scheduled for 3pm on Saturday 12th November 2011.  All current financial members will be sent out formal notification of this. FYI though, please find all relevant information linked below. We’d love your involvement, and encourage you to read the recruitment letter below. Please note that all nominations or new membership applications are due by Saturday 29th October.

• AGM Notification
• Management Committee Nomination Form
• Management Committee Nominee Recruitment Letter
• AGM Proxy Form
• Membership Form

EDUCATION PROGRAM: WORKSHOPS

We are in full swing with a diverse range of one-day workshops over the coming months, with some new offerings list below. Spaces are limited, so get in early. Full details on all Sustainable Living Workshops here

29 October, 8am – 12 noon: Keeping Chooks in the City – Getting Started
Saturdays 5-26 November: Organic Herbs and Vegies Permaculture Basics: Spring and Summer. This four-week course will help you understand and enrich your soil with your own compost, worms and tonics; and grow herbs and vegies for healthy, year-round harvests.
26 November, 9am – 1pm: Establishing a Bee Hive

PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSES (PDC) FOR 2012

We are pleased to announce our dates for an exciting Permaculture Design Program for next year. Booking forms available here.

• PDC #1      Thursdays 16 February – 24th May
• PDC #2      Saturdays, 21 April – 28 July
• PDC #3      Fridays 3 August – 9 November
• PDC #4      (2-week Intensive, school holidays) 10 September – 6 October

VOLUNTEERS’ THANK-YOU BRUNCH

Here’s a date-claimer for all the wonderful people who have contributed their time and energy to the farm over the last year or so. We will be celebrating our volunteers at the farm over a free brunch on Saturday 12 November, from 11am. This will precede our AGM on the same day. Please let your fellow volunteers know, and keep this time free, as we look forward to honouring and celebrating your contribution to this community. Full details in the next eNews and on our noticeboards from the beginning of November.

BUSH DANCE

Yes, we intend to have our annual bushdance – but we need some help! Our wonderful band from last year, Humpin’ old Bluey aren’t available. However we do have an experienced guitarist who knows the tunes, (maybe) a fiddle player and an experienced dance caller. This is a good start, and we’re looking for people in our farm community to complete the band. A bass player would be great, and a whistle/flute player- or even another fiddle, or singer.  Please let us know through community@nscf.org.au or phone 0428364103 if you have experience and skill in this field, and would enjoy a few rehearsals and performance around mid-November here at the farm.

POSITIONS FILLED:

We welcome the following new staff members to our farm:

• CHAI CAFE COORDINATORS: The Chai Cafe would like to introduce two new co-coordinators, Katherine (aka Kat) and Susannah. We wish them the best in their roles.
• EDUCATION COORDINATOR: Emma Maltby has been appointed as Education Coordinator for the remainder of the year. She’s heading overseas after that, but we look forward to her passion and expertise until then. She can be contacted directly on education.nscf@gmail.com
• WORK for the DOLE (WFD) COORDINATOR: We welcome Tom Campbell as our new Coordinator. WFD program is a 6 month project, with the current program going through to March next year.
• MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: We thank Judith Stow for taking on this important role, and for her general assistance in the office!

DEPARTING STAFF MEMBERS:

We acknowledge and thank the following departing staff members here at the farm. Some have been here for several years and all of their contributions have been significant. We wish them well in their next adventures!

• Wendy Marchment: Wendy has had a huge role here at the farm as Education Team Coordinator, and moves onto a full-time job
• Kym Burnell-Jones: Kym was a teacher and promotions officer and  for several years, and moves north to greener pastures
• Taia Campbell: Taia was our WFD supervisor for 12 months. She returns north to go fishing!
• Andrea Cameron: Stepping aside from the Chai Cafe for study reasons. It’s great that she’ll still be around though
• Belinda Norris: Bella has completed her supervisory role with the successful recent Green Army Program
• Meg Mansell: Likewise, Meg’s Coordination role was with the Green Army project, though we may see her at the farm with follow-up activities
• Kathy Fox: Kathy was our volunteer Membership Secretary, upgrading all aspects of the program

SOME EXCITING NEWS FROM THE SUNDAY MARKETS:

• ATM at the Markets! Yes, bring your plastic cards to the markets, as we have a vendor who will then help you to buy all those organic goodies!
• Cold drinks at the Chai Cafe! Yes, worthy of another explanation mark, because along with our Yummy Chai and Montville Organic Coffee, the Chai Cafe is now selling red dragon inn drinks, ginger beer, living elixir (turmeric and herbal brewed). Come on in, meet our new coordinators and enjoy a refreshing cool drink over summer.

VOLUNTEERS UPDATE

We continue to have great volunteers come in and offer their skills and services, and we look forward to seeing more of them at the Farm in the future. Some of our immediate needs include:

• Volunteer cook(s) on a Tuesday roster. The Farm provides a free lunch to all volunteers Tuesday – Thursday
• Someone to oversee the Kitchen: food, rosters, equipment etc, and to support Maria on Thursdays, the Planting for Pizzas program on Wednesday, Karen’s pantry role …. and the gardeners
• Assistance with summer garden and grounds maintenance. With the warmth and rain, the grass and weeds will grow!
• We also need volunteers to be trained up to work on the info stall at the markets. If you have interest in meeting new people and spreading the word about permaculture and our activities at the farm, get in touch with the Volunteer Coordinator.
• Do you have some interest or experience in grant writing?  We are forming a working party by the end of October to research and apply for grants for the farm, some training will be provided and it’s a great opportunity to find out more about the Farm.

RETREATS, WALKS AND EVENTS FROM OUR MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS AND PARTNERS…

• GROWING ROOTS RETREAT: Bunya and Anaheke are running an Inaugural Bellbunya Growing Roots Retreat  from October 14-16. All welcome. Full details here.
• CRYSTAL WATERS: HANDS-ON PERMACULTURE WORKSHOPS: Morag and Evan will be running this workshop at Crystal Waters on November 19-20. Full details here.
• ‘DYNAMIC GROUPS’ CREATIVE FACILITATION COURSES: Robyn Clayfield has a few places left in a course from 15-18 October. This one is especially for people who lead groups, facilitate, offer workshops or work with Gender, Rites of Passage, healing, Relationships, Counselling, The Joining etc. She is running another one, for 6 days from 14th November for people involved in permaculture, Transition, Community Gardens, Environmental Education etc. Full details here.
• FESTIVE FAIR: Debbie from Peaceloveorganics is organising a Festive Fair on Saturday 5th November, 10:00am – 2:00pm, at the Peace Hall, 102 McDonald Rd, Windsor. This fair will focus on Organic/Fair Trade and Sustainable Products. More details here.

ON-GOING AT THE FARM:

Most Saturdays: Permaculture Workshops (see above)
Every Sunday: Organic Markets, with Chai Cafe, Nursery and Village-Life
Every Tuesday and Friday, as well as our Sunday Market: Earth Arts with Bob Mud and the other volunteers: Come and get your hands dirty and release your creativity!
Seven days a week: “Edible Landscapes” Nursery (yes, open on Mondays now)
Every Tuesday: 9:30am: 1 hour orientation tour of farm – good for new volunteers.
Tuesday – Friday each week: Volunteering in and around the Farm, from 8:00am. Ask for Belinda
Every Wednesday: “Planting for Pizzas” (gardening and cooking activities) 11 am – 2pm. Ask for John or Rob
Every Friday: Playgroup, from around morning tea

We hope to see you at the farm soon for one or many of the above!

Operations Team,
Northey Street City Farm