Learn Connect Grow Series: Forgotten Skills

We’re marking Boorloo Perth Heritage month by showcasing skills of the past that are secretly very cool and overdue for a comeback. Join us to hear from four Perthians passionate about a special skill they’ve developed, sharing how they came to it, demonstrating it, why they love it and why you should too.

Our speakers will share their passions for: Noongar Bush Medicine, Re-Wilding, Scything, and Foraging and Fermenting.

They’ll be plenty of time for connecting with like-minded folks in our candlelit courtyard, a seasonal curry by Chef Sophie Budd and a bar featuring City Farm’s own produce. Yum!

Optional extra: Wild Brewing Taster Session from 5 - 6 pm

Taste and learn to make creative and delicious pro-biotic non-alcoholic soft drinks using wild-captured yeast and local/foraged botanicals in this talk and demonstration. Wild starter cultures can come from things like pine needle tips and ginger, and we’ll explore flavours including Lemon-scented gum and ginger, Fig Leaf & Cinnamon Myrtle and Java Plum & Geraldton Wax.

You’ll get to taste a few wild-crafted sodas and bring a small jar to take home a bit of wild starter to get you going. Tickets to this extra session are $20.

This event is part of the ‘Learn Connect Grow’ series by Perth City Farm, forum style events showcasing local sustainability or community initiatives and providing space for people to connect. All part of City Farm’s purpose of building connected communities living sustainably.

This event series is sponsored by the City of Perth.

Schedule

5:00 Wild Brewing Taster Session (optional extra)

6:00 Event opens, food and bar available

6:40 Talks commence

8:00 Talks wrap up, food and bar available

8:45 Event close

Speakers

Noongar Bush Medicine

Vivienne Hansen will join us to share some of her immense knowledge of healing using local bush plants, why this is such an important skill and how she maintains this cultural wisdom.

Vivienne is a Balladong Wadjuk Yorga woman from the Bibbulmun Nation who spent much of her childhood learning about traditional medicine. Vivienne backed this up with formal training at the Marr Mooditj Foundation and has published two books about bush medicine and bush food.

Foraging and Fermentation

Chef Tim Greaves will join us to speak of his love of foraging for unnoticed food and fermenting it into nutritious and delicious products like ‘lemon aspen & grapefruit hot sauce’ and ‘wild garlic and green chilli.’ This talk will change the way you walk around your neighborhood forever!

Tim has discovered a myriad of benefits of this way of living including improved mental and physical well-being, social connection, increased personal focus on sustainability, mindfulness, and a greater sense of connection with nature and our own ancestral history.

Scything

Our former Farm Manager Rod Hughes will be back to wax lyrical about his beloved scythe. Scythes are an ancient farming tool that ought to be used much more than they are now. Superior to lawn mowers and whipper snippers in so many ways, Rod will convince you on the value of this tool, show you how to use it and maybe even let a couple of people have a go with some of our weeds.

Re-Wilding for Adults

Steve Aldridge helps people to reconnect with what it means to be human and understand how we fit into the web of life through Natural Movement, Nature Connection & Earth Based Skills.

He’ll join us to share his quest to learn about human health, and how he uses programs like Nature School, basket weaving, edible weed workshops, fire by friction, spoon carving, overnight camps, educational wilderness walks and adventure days to help people find health and happiness.