City Farm Email Update – September 2010
This monthly of recent news and upcoming events is emailed to all members and subscribers. Continue reading for this month’s issue and the opportunity to sign up for future updates.
Dateclaimers
Fri 3 Sep - Friday PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate) commences
Tue 7 Sep - New WFD program commences
Sat 11 Sep (Morning) - Saturday volunteering in the gardens commences, from 8:00 am
Sat 11 Sep (Evening Event) - Kooii Album Launch, 6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Sat 18 Sep – PDC 2-week intensive course commences
Thu 23 Sep – Spring Equinox Gathering (not on 18th as previously advised)
Sun 26 Sep – Family Rainbow Day, 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Sat 2 Oct – New round of Saturday Organic Gardening Course begins
Sat 23 Oct – Full Moon Bush Dance
Thu 11 Nov – Partnership Dinner (TBC)
Fri 17 Dec - Office closes for 2010 (please note: Organic Markets & Nursery continue)
Tue 21 Dec – Summer Solstice & Full Moon
Tue 11 Jan – Office Opens for 2011
Position Available: Work for the Dole (WFD) Supervisor
Northey Street City Farm has been successful in negotiating a new 6 month WFD program and requires a suitable person, on Tuesdays and Thursdays to coordinate the program and supervise the bulk of the time (9 hrs out of the total 15 hrs). We require someone with the necessary gardening and leadership skills to maximise the opportunity this presents to the farm and the participants.
Details and position description are available here (Applications due 13 September).
We invite people who may be interested to fulfilling any work obligations through participating in this program. To talk about joining , or transferring over from another provider, please contact HELP Enterprises on vanessa.moore@helpenterprises.com.au
Two-Week intensive Permaculture Design Certificate Course
With the Friday course started with 15+ people, the final chance for people to do the PDC this year is the 2-week intensive running through the school holidays, commencing 18th September. Go to Courses & Workshops for details, or contact Kirsty on (07)38578775, Tuesday – Thursday, 10am – 4pm.
‘Sustainable Living’ Workshops
Details and bookings at Courses & Workshops
Saturday 4 September
- Interesting Edible Plants – 1.30 – 4.30
- Introduction to Permaculture (First day of 2-day workshop) – 9 – 4
Saturday 11 September
- Designing a Productive Urban Space – 9-12
- Introduction to Permaculture – Second day of 2-day workshop – 9-4
Friday 17 September
- Understanding Your Soil – 9-12
- Improving Your Soil – including Composting and Worm Farming the same day – 1:30 – 4:30
Saturday 18 September
- Herbs for Health – 1:30 – 4:30
Saturday 25 September
- Cheese making for cheese lovers - discover the magic of curds and whey – 9:30 – 12:30
- Cheese making for cheese lovers - discover the magic of curds and whey -1:30 – 4:30
Family Rainbow Day
The farm is co-hosting, with the Museum of Brisbane, a Family Rainbow Day, for those families who associate with the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Community. It’s a celebration of and for these families, and runs from 1:00 – 4:00 pm on Sunday 26th September. It’s a free event as part of the MoB “Prejudice and Pride”Exhibition, and will becentered around our Village Green
- Full details are at Family Rainbow Day Poster (and please share this around your networks)
- Please RSVP (not compulsory, but really, really useful for catering) at info@nscf.org.au
- The details for the exhibition at MoB are at Prejudice and Pride Exhibition
- We require offers to help set up from 10:00 am that morning, through the markets, until 12 noon, and in helping with the Sausage Sizzle and Chai Cafe from 12:00 noon – 4:00 pm. Please email us at community@nscf.org.au if you can assist here.
Kooii Album Launch – Exciting Event Partnership!
Perennial City Farm band favourites, and our partners, Kooii, are holding the launch of their new album “ In This Life“ at the farm on Saturday 11th September, from 6pm. We’re rather excited by this partnership. The event differs from core CF events though, in that there’s an entry fee of $10. The music is awesome, with Tibet2Timbuk2 and Samoko supporting.
- Please find more details at Kooii Event Poster – and spread the word
- We require people to help set up that afternoon, from 12 noon to 3:00pm, and/or after 11:00pm to clean up. Free CD & Entry to volunteers making a contribution here. Please email us at community@nscf.org.au to register for this
- Music and details of the bands can be found at Kooii album launch
- People can contact the band directly through kooiimusic@gmail.com
Organic Gardening Course: Grow Your Own Green Fingers!
On Saturday 2 October 2010, the next series in the accredited horticulture training begins. These are great opportunities to learn all about all things gardening. In this next series, people will learn how to turn a single shrub into a hedge or grow just the right number of salad greens each month. Also a chance to try those heritage seeds and learn to save and store your own, as well as learning more about the nursery industry.
Go to Courses & Workshops for details. Treat yourself!
Saturday Volunteering – Spring Gardening on the Weekend
Finally, we have the opportunity that some have been waiting for – a chance to come down and help out in our gardens on the weekend. From Saturday 11th September, you can join Gemma or another experienced gardener each Saturday from 8:00 am through to later in the morning (when we get tired!). Simply turn up at the kitchen area and wear sensible gear. Tools and safety gear are available, as for our volunteers during the week. If you’re late, the kitchen blackboard will point you in the right direction.
‘Village Life’ Social Enterprise Project
Did you know our regular Sunday markets now has a section dedicated to traditional and modern crafts, all locally made in our community? The Village Life Marketplace is designed to support local artisans while also providing local shoppers access to ethical products. To find out more check out Village Life or wander through on Sunday and take a peek. All stall or general inquiries to socialenterprise@nscf.org.au please.
Home Gardeners Facilitation Course
The farm, through Robina McCurdy, is offering a wonderful opportunity for experienced gardeners, permaculture designers and environmental educators to do hands-on training and practice, over 3 days, in helping others achieve abundance . A great opportunity for those wanting to build their design skills, or even a design business – or simply wanting to build community.
Please go to Workshop Flier for full details. It’s on September 19, 20 & 21 at Northey Street City Farm, so book soon to avoid disappointment!
Exciting new Magazine for members!
If you’re not a member, you won’t receive the exciting new quarterly magazine (formally known as our newsletter) for Spring, out in the next week or so. You will though if you join, and support our farm in keeping on keeping on in a world of increasing costs and responsibilities. The membership form here will help. Justine and Kym are working hard at bringing you something special here, so treat yourself and support the farm
‘Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning’ Course
Crystal Waters – 15th – 18th November
Offered specially for Northey Street City Farm and others involved in Permaculture, Transition, Community Gardens, City Farms and all things sustainable. This is a low budget, residential 4 days training designed to upskill people and generate confidence and add more tools to the tool box. A number of our City Farm staff and committee members will be attending this. Click here to get excited by the flier!
New Education Building
We’re close to moving in. We still needs people to paint the deck and steps. Please inquire at the building, or if no one is on site, please ask in the office. We are so grateful to Base Projects for getting us to this point, to Steph Zannakis for his amazing efforts, to Tim, Bunya and the Green Jobs Corp people for their work, to Gav for an awesome role here, and to our outgoing local federal member, Arch Bevis for all his great support. We wish Arch well in his next chapter.
Position Vacant – School Garden Support Worker – Barrett Centre
The Barrett Adolescent Centre School is seeking a garden support worker. The school is a residential Special School located in the Brisbane suburb of Wacol and caters to a small group of high school students with mental health issues. For details and further information, For further information contact the Principal Kevin Rodgers on 3271 8739 or email your resume to krodg9@qld.edu.au by 15 October 2010. The preferred applicant must be able to commence work at the beginning of November.
Spring Equinox
There will be no party on Saturday 18 September. Instead the farm will be concentrating its “party energy” in the big Winter Solstice Event, our huge Sunday events (otherwise known as the markets) and one-off co-hosted activites or celebrations. The equinoxes will be low-key gatherings where instead of stretching our energy, we minimise large the inputs and gather together with shared contributions. Nice and simple while still connecting to the solar or lunar event. There may or not be music, but there will probably be shared food, people gathering and no stress! The details of where we gather for the Spring Equinox on Thursday 23 September will be put on the website and facebook about a week beforehand.
Community input into NSCF sustainability
Thank you to those who attended the recent forum or sent in suggestions for the Teams to develop. A final opportunity for people to make an email contribution is extended to Wednesday 8th September. We welcome your input, to community@nscf.org.au, on any of the following:
- What are better/more creative ways CF can generate its own core funding so we can continue providing services?
- What other outside sources of funding and resources can CF tap into?
- Environmental sustainability – what can we do better or differently?
- And caring for people – how do we attract and support our members, volunteers and staff?
Permaculture Convergence – Cairns
The Australasian Permaculture Community gathers to network, learn and celebrate at the 10th Australasian Permaculture Convergence in Cairns on September 24 – 27, 2010. Full details are at 2010 Convergence.
ACFCGN Network & Research Documents
The Australian City Farm and Community garden network is pure Gold! Adding to their fact sheets, contacts across all community gardens and the informative items and regular newsletter, is the recent release of their compilation of research documents into Community Gardening in Australia.
- Go to Research Documents to access the free download
- The ACFCGN website has so much information on all things Community Gardens
· Be part of the national email network through info@communitygarden.org.au