Permaculture is an abiding interest. I have been a commercial farmer, business person, electorate officer and currently have a property in Kin Kin on the Sunshine Coast.

As my first post PDC voluntary design project, I have designed and overseen the creation of a mandala garden, papaya circle, banana circle, worm farm x 4, bush tucker garden and food forest at All Saints Anglican School on the Gold Coast. It still requires some serious work but have handed over the management of the garden and its development to the school. The process of getting it to being a working garden is a story waiting to be told and has many similarities with the process I understand that took place at a school in Eumundi. The politics were interesting to say the least. Many mistakes were made in my design but none that will seriously impact on the garden's operation and as I should have, I learned heaps.

Currently I am co-managing Gold Coast Permaculture and enjoying this part of my life immensely. At Gold Coast Permaculture I work with one of the most inspiring of people in Justin Sharman-Selvidge. This person is creative, knowledgeable and a lateral thinker and just knows his stuff. There we have created an urban farm demonstration project and community garden paradise on a block of land that was sitting there doing nothing for years. The rent to use this land is significant but the success of the venture and the satisfaction gained from working with great people is very much worth it.

We are now looking to expand the project and are in negotiations to take on just over a 1/2 a hectare rent free and with bucket loads of financial and material support. This will hopefully be the making of GCP and provide for us a permanent home and education centre for the future.