Co-created Workshops with other Facilitators

The scheduled March 2024 PDC (Permaculture Design Certificate Course) was postponed till August to make the most of time, resources and numbers of interested people, which included three people from overseas countries. The PDC last August was fantastic and enjoyed by all and this coming August PDC, from 11th to 25th August is promising to be a fantastic learning experience. The course is a fund raiser for Crystal Waters Community Cooperative with all organisers, presenters, cooks and support people being paid reasonably for their time and efforts, and all surplus going to the Co Op. The main Presenters and Facilitators of learning are Robin Clayfield, Annaliese Hordern, Max Lingdigger and Jessica Steele with guest appearances from several other skilled and passionate people. Robin and Max are Permaculture pioneers and acknowledged Elders of the Permaculture Movement with decades of experience teaching, presenting and facilitating Permaculture and related topics. Max was the …

After a very successful ‘Women’s PDC’, for women and presented by women, in November last year, Annaliese Hordern and the Ground Permaculture crew are putting on another Women’s PDC in October this year. The course last year was in honour of and celebrating that is was 40 years since the first ever PDC, which Robin was a participant in. To support the course robin did seven sessions as a special guest, two of which were tours of Crystal Waters and of her garden. She’ll be a special guest again this October. Here’s the link to look or book

Last year’s ‘Dynamic Groups’ course saw some special guests as participants and everyone enjoyed a fun filled, deep learning and confidence building time together. Robin organized an exciting music event the night after the course to host ‘Formidable Vegetable’ playing two big sets and Jimmy Halliday, who grew up on Crystal Waters, playing with Charlee McGee and Brenna Quinlan to complete the band and also doing his debut with a new style of Looping music. Robin gave a challenge to the ‘Dynamic Groups’ course – to design and plan together an interactive, creative and potentially musical process piece that was 10 minutes long and would involve the whole group and all of the audience. After Jimmy’s set the group rose to the challenge and took to the stage. They had the whole crowd (over 200 people) up and dancing in sync and we saw introverts become extroverts and very professional …

The annual build of The Sacred Union Labyrinth by 14 people over the week prior to Woodford Folk festival, coordinated by Robin and organized by a core group of four – Christine, Stephane, Rob and Robin, went very well despite extreme heat and then some rain. The front entrance to the Labyrinth received a new mural art paint job, the guiding pennants got a solidifying make over and a quarter of the stone Labyrinth had some major drainage work done by hand!!! This drainage work turned out to be much needed due to rains during the Festival with thousands of people walking through the pathways then heavy, consistent rain on our pack down day. Huge thank you to our Build Crew team and for Woodford Folk Festival for supporting us as a mini Department and Volunteers. Also big gratitude to Woodford Programming Department for supporting us as a Ceremony team …

1’st in the series entitled – Make your own Rules By Karl Fitzgerald of ‘Grounded’ – Community Land Trust Advocacy. With Robin Clayfield (Crystal Waters Ecovillage, Qld), Megan James (Tuntable Falls, NSW) and Peter Cook (Moora Moora Ecovillage, Vic) Here’s a link to the website where there is the 1 1/2 hour recording to watch and also a written transcript. If you’re interested in Community design and living, particularly the design of governance and decision making, how to live and work together, intentional communities and villages, this is a great resource. Great initiative by Karl, and he will be doing more…  

What a delight it was for John Seed to come all this way up to Crystal Waters to offer his weekend Deep Ecology workshop. Robin Co-facilitated with him and it was a full house with 35 people booked in. 25% of the facilitation fee went to the Rainforest Information Centre to support their work on the Ecuador rainforests campaign.   Here’s a link to John’s Work. https://www.facebook.com/johnseed.deepecology