MASTERCLASS #44

Date: 29 August 2022

Time: 7PM (check your local time here)

YARNING ABOUT PERMACULTURE - INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES

Join Morag Gamble of the Permaculture Education Institute as she ‘yarns’ about permaculture with Tracy Hardy and Dominique Chen, who are members of the Institute’s Permaculture Educators Program, and Jacob Birch.

We will be yarning about the healing power of connecting to foods (particularly our native bushfoods) and Country, and the role permaculture plays in facilitating that healing for Country, Mob and non-Indigenous folks. We’ll be asking questions such as - How can we talk and walk together meaningfully in looking after Country? What might the role of permaculture be? Where might permaculture need to go within that space?

We hope you will join us!

ABOUT OUR GUESTS:

Tracy Hardy

Tracy is a Gamilaroi woman, Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Nutritionist, Beauty Therapist and founder of Wattleseed Nutrition, Health and Wellbeing, a 100% Aboriginal-owned business based on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. Tracy is an accredited Wayapa® Wuurrk practitioner, an earth-connection practice, based on ancient Indigenous wisdom, focussing on taking care of the Earth as the starting point for creating Earth-Mind-Body-Spirit well-being. Tracy is also a Lead Facilitator for We Al-Li’s Dadirri and Culturally Informed Trauma Integrated Care, Practice and Healing workshops.

Tracy takes a personalised, holistic, culturally centred and trauma-informed approach to foods, food systems and environments, meal patterns, eating habits, health and wellbeing. Tracy views health and wellbeing through a strengths-based, holistic and cultural lens, focussing on sustainable and healing connections, conversations and actions. She truly believes in the strength and healing power of understanding and sustaining our connections to traditional foods, lands, and cultural practices.

Tracy believes through two-way sharing of knowledge we foster understanding and grow stronger in self, mind, body, and spiritual wellbeing.

Dominique Chen

Dominique is a Gamilaroi woman and interdisciplinary researcher, living on Jinibara Country in South East Queensland. She is one of the founders of Walking Story and lectures within the Bachelor of Contemporary Australian Indigenous Art, Griffith University, and is undertaking PhD research at the University of Technology Sydney, in the area of relational creative practice and urban-based Aboriginal food and medicine growing. Dominique is a mother, artist and avid gardener, and is passionate about the role of creative, land-based practices in making positive contributions to community, culture and Country.

Jacob Birch

Jacob is a Gamilaraay man working in the native grain space. The Gamilaraay are people of grassy plains and flooding rivers who have intangible cultural connections to grassland foodways. Jacob is passionate about re-awakening these foodways that sustained First Nations peoples across Australia for thousands of generations. Jacob began in multidisciplinary research, looking at nutritional qualities of native grains for human health, and Indigenist research methodologies which give agency to First Nations voices and experience. Whilst still maintaining a connection to academia, Jacob led a national consultation to inform his writing of the Australian Native Grains Strategic RD&E Plan. Jacob now hopes to help drive the native grain industry, with a particular focus on his traditional homelands. Jacob’s vision is to see native grain foodways improving food security and access; improving biodiversity and food diversity; reinvigorating culture and community health; generating income sources for rural and remote communities; building strong First Nations trade, research & development networks, domestically and internationally; and to heal Country. Importantly, Jacob works to ensure a traditional grain industry is led by Australia’s First Nations people, for the benefit of all people.

DONATIONS:

This is a free event, but we warmly welcome your generous donation. 100% of all funds raised at this event will go towards the development of a culturally-centred permaculture design course, created by and for First Nations people. This is to be delivered at no cost to individuals and communities. Alongside this work will also be the development of a learning and sharing space on a property near Crystal Waters Eco Village, Conondale, which will include a First Nations food and medicine 'plant library’, where individuals and communities can access resources and traditional foods/medicines at no cost. You can follow the project’s progress by signing up for the Walking Story e-newsletter or following via Facebook.