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Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.

Joanna Macy

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Water Wisdom Workshops

These workshops are a place for us to come together and share stories about water in a time when our environment is changing faster than ever. We will take time to reflect on the significance of water in our lives and take a brave look into extreme events of our past and potentials for out future.

Hand Made Clay Ollas

You are invited to make your own olla, an ancient and extremely efficient irrigation technique which will be a vessel for delivering moisture to the soil as it is needed, and a vessel for your memories, experience and wisdom.

Conservation Culture

Beyond shortening our showers, we will share the daily rituals and strategies that strengthen our appreciation for water and our commitment to pushing system changes.

Design Patterns

We will share established solutions for making the most of the water that flows through our lives. We will get into the sandpit, sculpt out a model landscape and experiment with how water flows and merges in it’s rush to get back to the sea- and play with how it can be manipulated for our benefit.

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Job Seeker Volunteer Position – Plant Propagation

We have a nursery position available at the Croatian Club which meets Centerlink’s mutual obligation requirements as explained here.

Smokva is a community garden in Wickham. A loose group of about 50 locals pull together to grow as much food as possible in their neighbourhood. We we could really do with some help raising seedlings and growing cuttings to distribute through the community.

If this interests you, we would love to hear from you. Please write to coordinator@smokva.garden or call Adrian on 0435828690

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Things to do in October

All the same things that didn’t get done in August 👇 because we all just sit around drinking coffee and eating cake.

Just kidding, the fruit trees were pruned brilliantly and have some lovely new growth. Its time for some preventative eco oiling!

There is a finger lime to plant

And we want to make a foundation for the chicken cage (Adrian & Joe have a plan)

Some ideas for seeds to plant:

Vegetables

  • Tomatoes
  • Capsicum
  • Eggplant
  • Okra
  • Cucumbers
  • Zucchini
  • Pumpkins

Herbs

  • Basil
  • Coriander
  • Parsley
  • Dill
  • Chives

Greens

  • Lettuce
  • Spinach
  • Swiss chard
  • Kale
  • Arugula

Root Vegetables

  • Carrots
  • Radishes
  • Beets
  • Turnips

Legumes

  • Climbing beans

Fruits

  • Strawberries

Flowers

  • Marigolds
  • Petunias
  • Zinnias
  • Sunflowers

Otherwise actually, yeah… everything we didn’t do in August 👇.

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Things to do in August

Some projects you can get stuck into at the working bee or any other time, if you’re looking for inspiration.

Erect dragon fruit stand

This will need some spanners and a drill set. The bolts are just inside the shed on the plastic drawers.

Dragon fruit stand (post with square frame on top)

Prune Citrus Trees

Secateurs required (2 sets in shed). If you have experience pruning trees, or you are willing to do some research or shadow someone who knows how, there are plenty of citrus in need of a prune as winter ends. These can also be weeded in preparation for composting an mulching.

Complete the sand pit

The sand pit just needs the last two edges attached to it. This will require:

  • A saw
  • Drill set
  • Some decking screws

Organise the seed library

There is a new little cabinet in the shed for seeds, feel free to come up with some sort of organisational system for the seeds! May require some pens, cards or ziplock bags.

The Yooge

There are also all the regular jobs listed here.

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Proposed Constitution Changes 2023 Part 2

These changes re-assign the responsibility of calling meetings to the secretary.

22 Full community meetings

(1) The secretary shall convene general meetings (described as full community meetings) of the association:

(a) at least once each calendar year, and

(b) within the period of 6 months after the expiration of each financial year of the association, and

(c) at any other time determined by the general-circle.

23 Special full community meetings

(1) The secretary must convene a special full community meeting of the association on the requisition in writing of not less than 5% of the total number of members.

24 Notice

(1) Except if the nature of the business proposed to be dealt with at a meeting requires a special resolution of the association, the secretary must, at least 14 days before the date fixed for the holding of the full community meeting, give a notice to each member specifying the place, date and time of the meeting and the nature of the business proposed to be transacted at the meeting.

(2) If the nature of the business proposed to be dealt with at a full community meeting requires a special resolution of the association, the secretary must, at least 21 days before the date fixed for the holding of the full community meeting, cause notice to be given to each member specifying, in addition to the matter required under subclause (1), the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution.

31 Adjournment

(2) If a full community meeting is adjourned for 14 days or more, the secretary must give written or oral notice of the adjourned meeting to each member of the association stating the place, date and time of the meeting and the nature of the business to be transacted at the meeting.Please note that these changes would need to be approved by the appropriate percentage of your organization’s membership, in accordance with the procedures outlined in the existing constitution.

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The Cool Times

Things to do in April – May

There’s always our humble everyday jobs, but aside from that, here’s a bunch of stuff we can you can get busy with, if you need ideas:

April Seedlings

These are the seedlings to lookout for and plant in April: Amaranth, dwarf beans, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chicory, chives, collards, coriander, dill, endive, Florence fennel, horseradish, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mizuna, mustard greens, onion, oregano, pak choy, parsley, peas, rutabaga, snow peas, spring onions, strawberries, and sunflower.

April Seeds

beetroot, broad beans, burdock, carrot, chives, coriander, daikon, dill, endive, Florence fennel, kale, lettuce, mizuna, mustard greens, pak choy, parsley, peas, radish, rocket, shallots, silverbeet, snow peas, spinach, spring onions, and turnip.

May Seedlings

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chicory, garlic, oregano, potato, rutabaga, spring onions, strawberries, beetroot, broad beans, chives, collards, coriander, dill, endive, Florence fennel, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mizuna, mustard greens, onion, pak choy, parsley, peas, silverbeet, snow peas, and spinach.

May Seeds

Burdock, carrot, radish, rocket, shallots, turnip, beetroot, broad beans, chives, collards, coriander, dill, endive, Florence fennel, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mizuna, mustard greens, onion, pak choy, parsley, peas, silverbeet, snow peas, and spinach.

Dragon fruit trellis

We have a mature dragon fruit plant (donated by Joe Lin) which we need to make a trellis for. This can be done with hardwood, with a cemented footing. And should look something like this:

Tools:

  1. Measuring tape
  2. Pencil or marker
  3. Carpenter’s square
  4. Circular saw or handsaw
  5. Power drill with drill bits
  6. Wood chisel (optional)
  7. Hammer or mallet
  8. Level
  9. Wood clamps (optional)
  10. Work gloves
  11. Safety goggles
  12. Ladder (if needed)

Hardware:

  1. Hardwood lumber (e.g., cedar, redwood, or pressure-treated pine) in appropriate lengths and dimensions for posts, crossbeams, and slats
  2. Galvanized or stainless steel screws or nails (to prevent rust and corrosion)
  3. Wood glue (optional, for added strength)
  4. Metal brackets or corner braces (optional, for additional support)
  5. Concrete mix (for setting posts in the ground, if needed)
  6. Plastic or rubber-coated wire mesh or trellis netting (to support the dragonfruit plants as they grow)

Extend the sheet mulching

To further the progress on our food forest, we need to continue the sheet mulching and couch grass removal. This means checking the annual cropping area for any re-growth and pushing the boundaries of the sheet mulch, starting at the point where there is no grass (this means there is no grass inside the areas that are already mulched.

More on sheet mulching.

Make a shade structure

Like this, also with steel concreted footings.

This is to go in the south of the chicken area for seedling tables. Most of the timber is in the chicken area. Shade sail to go on top.

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Proposed Constitution Changes 2023 Part 1

Part 2 here

These changes clarify the “full community meeting” definition and change membership pricing.

1 Definitions

Add the definition of the full community meeting

(1) In this constitution:

full community meeting means: like an AGM in other organisations, an annual meeting for all association members.

8 Fees and subscriptions

(1) A member of the association must pay to the association an annual membership fee of $5 or, if some other amount is determined by the general-circle, that other amount: $1 minimum or a donation to be determined by the member.

Check the necessity of the following paragraphs! (a) & (b)

(a) except as provided by paragraph (b), before the first day of the financial year of the association in each calendar year, or

(b) if the member becomes a member on or after the first day of the financial year of the association in any calendar year—on becoming a member and before the first day of the financial year of the association in each succeeding calendar year.

15 Election of general-circle members

Change from digital dictation to witnessed dictation

(a) must be made in writing, signed by 2 members of the association and accompanied by the written consent of the candidate (which may be endorsed on the form of the nomination), a hand written or witnessed dictation of the role description and

The following changes all relate to the removal of president role

14 Composition and membership of general-circle

President and vice president removed, total general circle number

(1) The general-circle is to consist of:

(a) the office-bearers of the association, and

(b) at least 3 and up to 5 ordinary general-circle members,

each of whom is to be elected at the annual full community meeting of the association under clause 15.

Note. Section 28 of the Act contains further requirements concerning eligibility for membership and composition of the general-circle.

(2) The total number of general-circle members is to be 7.

(3) The office-bearers of the association are as follows:

(a) the treasurer,

(b) the secretary.

(4) A general-circle member may hold up to 2 offices (other than both the offices of president and vice-president).

(5)(4) There is no maximum number of consecutive terms for which a general-circle member may hold office.

16 SECRETARY

(5) Convene general circle meetings

19 Removal of general-circle members

(2) If a member of the general-circle to whom a proposed resolution referred to in subclause (1) relates makes representations in writing to the secretary or president (not exceeding a reasonable length) and requests that the representations be notified to the members of the association, the secretary or the president may send a copy of the representations to each member of the association or, if the representations are not so sent, the member is entitled to require that the representations be read out at the meeting at which the resolution is considered.

20 general-circle meetings and quorum

(1) The general-circle must meet at least 3 times in each period of 12 months at the place and time that the general-circle may determine.

(2) Additional meetings of the general-circle may be convened by the president the secretary or by any member of the general-circle.

(3) Oral or written notice of a meeting of the general-circle must be given by the secretary to each member of the general-circle at least 48 hours (or any other period that may be unanimously agreed on by the members of the general-circle) before the time appointed for the holding of the meeting.

(4) Notice of a meeting given under subclause (3) must specify the general nature of the business to be transacted at the meeting and no business other than that business is to be transacted at the meeting, except business which the general-circle members present at the meeting unanimously agree to treat as urgent business.

(5) Any 3 members of the general-circle constitute a quorum for the transaction of the business of a meeting of the general-circle.

(6) No business is to be transacted by the general-circle unless a quorum is present and if, within half an hour of the time appointed for the meeting, a quorum is not present, the meeting is to stand adjourned to the same place and at the same hour of the same day in the following week.

(7) If at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour of the time appointed for the meeting, the meeting is to be dissolved.

(8) At a meeting of the general-circle:

(a) the president or, in the president’s absence, the vice-president is to preside, or

(b) if the president and the vice-president are absent or unwilling to act, one of the remaining members of the general-circle chosen by the members present at the meeting is to preside.

30 Presiding member

(1) The president or, in the president’s absence, the vice-president, is to preside as chairperson at each full community meeting of the association

(2) If the president and the vice-president are absent or unwilling to act, the members present must elect one of their number to preside as chairperson at the meeting.

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Things to do in August

Seeds to and seedlings to plant directly

Seed climbing beans, dwarf beans, cape gooseberry. Seedlings to plant out include: coriander, beetroot, sunflower,

Plant in punnets

These things do best when planted in punnets or trays… growing things from seed requires a lot of attention so if you’re new, you’re jumping in the deep end here, but you can plant things like beetroot, capsicum, carrots, celery, chilies, chives, coriander, cucumber, eggplant, leeks, lettuce, luffa, potato, pumpkin, silver-beet, zucchini.

Chicken house upgrade

We need to build some laying boxes and perches in the existing chicken shed. The needs to accommodate more chickens (somewhere between 7 and 30).
https://vjppoultry.com/2018/06/06/building-a-coop-for-silkie-chickens/

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June Working Bee Plan

Come and join in for some gardening on Sunday 4th June at 9am.

Any of the empty crop circles can be composted and replanted out with the following.

  • Cabbage – plant seedlings
  • Garlic – plant cloves
  • Lettuce, beetroot, onion – plant out seeds or seedlings
  • Radish, Snow Peas (also Sugar Peas, Mangetout, Chinese Peas) – sow seeds

Let us know if you can source some seeds or seedlings.

Concrete extravaganza

We need to concrete in some posts for

  • bocce fence
  • chicken gate
  • dragon fruit stands

Mucho Mulch Moving

We have a bunch of mulch and a bunch of cardboard, so we can get busy sheet mulching!

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