Good morning fellow Farmies,
Happy New Year! It's our first Soil News for 2024, and we're kicking the year off with some job opportunities, new projects, and awesome workshops! Read on to find out more!
FARM & SITE NEWS
REMEMBERING HISTORY, CELEBRATING FIRST NATIONS SURVIVAL
Thursday 25th January, 1:15 – 2:30pm.
As we approach January 26, we'd like to invite the farm community to gather to remember the history of invasion and ongoing colonisation on this continent and to celebrate and honour First Nations survival.
As you may know, NSCF has a statement on January 26, which we developed a few years ago. You can see it on our website here: NSCF statement regarding 26 January. - Northey Street City Farm.
FIRST NATIONS ADVISORY GROUP MEETING
The next NSCF First Nations Advisory Group (FNAG) Meeting is likely to be held on Thursday 25th February, from 1.30 to 3pm. All are welcome to hear from our FNAG on their ideas on the farm’s work.
FREE WEDNESDAY TALKS/WORKSHOPS
Our next Wednesday talk will be on the 31st January from 1:15 to 2pm. It will be all about ‘Self-directed Learning’ with Bob “Mud” McMahon. Stay tuned for more free presentations, which will be posted on the volunteers noticeboard outside the site shed.
COMMUNITY COMPOSTING - HERE AND ABROAD: A FREE PRESENTATION
Sunday 24th March, 9:30-11am
Please come along to find out more about community composting both in Australia as well as overseas, from Clytie Binder. Clytie has recently returned from a Churchill Fellowship research tour, exploring how governments and community groups work together across towns and cities in the USA, Canada, Mexico and Cuba to support community-based approaches to composting. Book and see more here.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES AT THE FARM
We've got some exciting roles available for the right candidates! We're looking to fill the following roles:
The Market Coordinator should be an enterprising individual with excellent communication and people management skills, with a sound understanding of local food systems, organic certification requirements, and the ability to manage a successful market.
The Farming Coordinator should be a resourceful individual with a strong history of gardening and/or farming as well as managing people (staff and volunteers), in addition to some Permaculture experience.
The Event Coordinator should have excellent communication and people management skills, with a sound understanding of events management and a demonstrated ability to manage and market a successful event.
The Youth Educator should have excellent interpersonal and communication skills should enjoy delivering interesting and exciting educational opportunities to children and young people.
ADULT EDUCATION
EDUCATION SURVEY
Hi team - Gav here,
My Adult Education Survey is going well with over 50 responses to date. My aim is to get at least 100, so if you could let your friends know about it, I would really appreciate it. There are two $75 workshops to be won.
Thanks!
WHAT'S THIS PLANT WITH DICK COPEMAN
Saturday 24th February 9am - 10:30am
Dick is running a $45 'What's this Plant?' workshop on 24 Feb, and he'll show how to use the iNaturalist app for Smartphones to ID plants. It would be great if we could get better at identifying plants around the Farm, and beyond!
For more workshops, check out our Humanitix page here.
MARKET NEWS
Jake is still looking for volunteers to assist on the upcoming Outreach Stall at the Markets! This will be a stall we hold at the Markets twice a month, run by volunteers and supported by the whole community, as a point of outreach for all Farm activities.
We're looking for 4-8 regular volunteers to work 1 or 2 shifts every 3-4 months, so the more of us who are able to get on board to help out, the less work for the whole group! Plus, you get to spruik your love for the Farm to the wider community and meet new people.
If you're keen to help out one Sunday a couple of times a year, reach out to Jake on markets@nscf.org.au
NURSERY NEWS
Welcome back to all our wonderful volunteers! We hope the new year is going well. The Nursery is restocked after the break and propagation is under way.
KITCHEN GARDEN PROJECT
A new project for this year is the rejuvenation of the Kitchen Gardens! The aim is to provide seasonal produce for Vollie lunches, utilise raised garden beds for stock plants for the Nursery, provide demonstration gardens for the Education team's Permaculture Design Course and Workshops and provide kid-friendly plants in the Earth Arts area.
If you're interested in working on this project, please let Lizzie or Gav know via email at nursery@nscf.org.au or adultedn@nscf.org.au .
NEW VOLUNTEER INDUCTIONS
If you have a friend or family member that's interested in volunteering, the next induction day at the Farm will be 9.30am -11.30am, Tuesday 6 February. To register attendance, please ask them to email Emma at edufarm.mgr@nscf.org.au.
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE NEWS
From our new MC Coordinator, Wendy Webster
It is an honor to take over from Albert as Coordinator of the Management Committee of Northey Street City Farm. I must say that the reason I felt confident to step into this role is that there are robust processes around the committee and farm management and a healthy cross section of the experienced and newbies involved with these two committed groups.
My first involvement with the farm was in the 1990’s. I was living in a very crowded and busy activist household in West End. My time volunteering in this amazing space was my refuge. This is when I first met Richard and Dick. With the farm in its infancy, there was lots of discussion, planting and being planted over and for a time, a long walk for a bathroom.
I was a participant in the inaugural Permaculture Design Course in 1998 with teacher Keith Burnett. Since then, have been involved on and off at the farm – attending the markets, enjoying the Solstice festivals, part of the chook team, working with the Walan group, purchasing at the Nursery, creek clean ups in canoes. For many years, friends and I from West End enjoyed the Northey Street kitchen area on Christmas Day. The perfect spot to relax and be together. One especially memorable moment was reconnecting with my university friend through a worm workshop run by Richard.
I look forward to my time as Coordinator.
Wendy
SIGNING OFF
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for regular updates.
Thanks for reading. See you around the Farm!