Our Permaculture Life: Community permaculture: Shared meals connecting neighbours

Community permaculture: Shared meals connecting neighbours


One of the things I've learnt living here in the Crystal Waters community is, if you want to see something happen, get involved and make it real, and stay positive - and always add some food, music and fun! Creating a vibrant community and place to live is not about waiting for things to happen, to be served - rather, it is about actively contributing and supporting good ideas.

Thank you to the wonderful group of neighbours who have recently started this new community meal initiative. Now, every Friday night, our community is invited to get together to share a simple meal cooked using produce from our gardens. Some people volunteer to cook and set up and the rest of us pay a $5 donation (kids and volunteers free). The role of cooking and organising will change each week - for different flavours and to avoid burnout. To simplify things even further we all BYO cups, crockery and cutlery.

Having a casual chat with neighbours over some simple and delicious food is such a great way to stay connected with the community and to get to know people who've recently moved in.

The kids have a great time too racing around together - tonight, getting absolutely soaked in the beautiful rain that has finally come. There is even a disco room for them.

This new community meal idea being started by young people who grew up here, and have moved back after being years interstate or abroad, and other newer community members. It's fabulous. I've been here for around 20 years, and the different sorts of community meals hold some of my favourite memories of this place.

There's so much going on here in this village of 250 people - it's impossible to go to everything, and that's not the point. People create activities and events together based on interests and needs.  We have music events, celebrations, bushwalks, workshops, playgroup, cafes, markets, bakery days, yoga, art groups, music groups, choir, tree planting days, gardening days, movie nights, and soon a games cafe with a super-sized chess set and much much more.

People care is a central part of a successful permaculture project and a nourishing neighbourhood that cultivates community and connection to place.



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