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QUEENSLAND

Education at Northey Street City Farm:

• workshops in organic gardening and other sustainability skills
  www.northeystreetcityfarm.org.au/education.html
• activities for primary and secondary schools, including the Feeding the World curriculum
• accredited certificate-level training in the Permaculture design system led by Permaculture trainer, Dick Copeman:

November 2005...

Queensland Community Gardens Network Gathering - plenary minutes

November 6, 2005

Present: Michael Martin, Dick Copeman, Morag Gamble, Terry Ryan, Kay Ryan, Michelle Taylor, Lesley Griffin, Gavin Hardy, John Morahan, Steve Williams, Gillian Tilney, Amelia Salmon.

Agenda

• Review Purpose of Network
• Structure of Network
• Plan for the next twelve months
• Decisions – re regularity of meetings.

1.) Purpose of Network

The following points were put forward as important or potential purposes of the network:

• enable exchange of ideas and strategies, coming together to re-energise
• creating a forum for more established groups to share skills and resources with newer community gardens
• lobbying and advocacy related to shared issues for community gardens.

2.) Structure of  Network 

• whether the network should be a decision making body or have decision making functions was raised...and that this would need to be the case if the network is going to be an advocacy and lobbying body
• whether there was a need for a legal structure was raised or whether some agreed-upon structures - decision making/ steering group/ conflict resolution - without a legal structure would be appropriate
• a proposal to establish a working group to further consider some of the core issues facing community was put forward; the first aim of the group would be to complete some of the tasks that had been discussed a number of times such as model for advocacy and lobbying and structure for the group and projects such as a map and directory of community gardens; the model was to then be fed back to the entire network for approval; this proposal was approved
• the first working group meeting was set for December 4, 10 am at the Paradise Park Garden, Highgate Hill.

3.) Plan for the next 12 months re gatherings

Sandgate Community Garden to host the next vommunity garden gathering as a follow up gathering at the start of April 2006

Toowoomba Community Gardens to host the next Queensland community garden gathering in September 2006.

4.) Housekeeping

Email list: decision to not set up a Queensland elist but to continue to post Queensland news on the national list (ed: this is the national Australian City farms & Commuity Gardens Network email listserver

Geoff Holland writes from Cairns:

"I would like to let you know that we have started a new community garden in Cairns, Far North Queensland. The garden is in the grounds of the Machans Primary School.

"We recently started a Permaculture design process with Bruce Zell. Both school and community are supportive."

Information:

Berrinba East State School community garden

A new community garden is being planned for Berrinba East State School in Queensland, following the establishment of a team at the July Growing Communities workshop.

Information: Frances Dempsey, Senior education officer, Healthy Schools Van, Mabel Park State School, Slacks Creek 4127 Send an

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PAGE UPDATED... Monday, 12 March 2007