Kit Shepherd has been in Transition Bondi for 9 years and convenor of  for two years. Here she writes her reflections on the year 2019. [Edited slightly with dot points – ed]

It’s been a big and adventurous trip, this year for us in Transition Bondi!

And the Steering group team has had their shoulders to the wheel for our Regular monthly programs

  • Inner Transition
  • Farmers Markets stalls
  • Film & Feast nights (with speakers sometimes)
  • Garden Working Bees

and weekend workshops at times.

Monthly themes

We like to have monthly themes set in advance (relating to the international environmental calendars, for dates like Permaculture Day, Oceans Day etc) but often there are exciting films or speakers who appear without warning and who are too good to miss.

Theatre-costume-making workshops

The year began on a high, with the visit of Nicole Lamarche, an ‘elder’ from Avignon France who specialises in theatre-costume-making, textiles and natural dyes. She ran workshops and inspired us to be more observant and experimental with local plants, for colour.

Processed with VSCO with c1 preset

Film & Feast

At the Film/Talk & Feast events, at Margaret Whitlam Recreation Centre, our speakers have delighted us with their various passions and perspectives:

  • native bees (Amelie Vanderstock)
  • edible weeds (Diego Bonetto)
  • climate change responses (Lance Lieber, AJ Linke, Dominic Wykanak, Michael Mobbs)
  • two symposiums led by Victoria Phillips and Ben Zion Weiss: A New Story for Humanityand Drawdown, and finally
  • YARN Australia, bringing aboriginal and non-aboriginal people together.

Farmers Markets stalls

Mixing with locals on a Saturday morning once a month at our stalls at the Farmers Market has given us the opportunity to teach people bike-fixing skills, to listen and share stories about gardening, waste, climate change etc and to give away seeds from our seed library, and seedlings (‘Adopt a Plant ‘). Children have been a delight, with their curiosity and eagerness to tell.

Community Garden

Our community garden – including the community composting program – has gone from strength to strength, under the guidance of our garden champion.  We have a full watering roster over the hot holiday period ahead, which is a great achievement.

And last month had our eyes opened with a tour of Cooper Park Community Garden.

Inner Transition

Inner Transition (a unique mode of the Transition Town network) has provided a chance to taste the reflective and contemplative practices of:

  • non-violent communication
  • listening partnerships
  • co-counselling and dialogue circles.

As well, we’ve begun an Indigenous cultural awareness series.

Workshops

Workshops covering:

  • native bee-hive splitting
  • making rugs from rags
  • baking sourdough bread, and
  • organic pest-management

have brought pleasure to a number of people.

Other highlights

Other highlights were:

  • our Plastic Free July display at a Trivia Night at Bronte RSL
  • a tour of Michael Mobbs’ Sustainable House in Chippendale
  • joining a nation-wide hook-up with Transition Australia for a Convergence of Transition Groups, in September
  • opening our community garden in the week of Festival of Grow-It-Local, and
  • having a tour of a local garden, run by a friend of Transition Bondi.

Many people have joined us, some locals, some travellers and recently University students, have come our way to volunteer in the programs, and also on our planning and organising committee, which meets twice a month.

Time now for a rest to digest, a pause to plan for the year ahead.  We look forward to seeing old friends in 2020, meeting new ones, and welcoming those who find us in their own journeys toward creating a better world.

Kit Shepherd, Convenor, Transition Bondi, December 2019

You might also be interested in reading:

more about Transition Bondi here https://transitionaustralia.net/group/transition-bondi/ and here http://www.transitionbondi.org

Read Kit Shepherd’s reflections on Food and Philosophy here: https://transitionaustralia.net/resource-library/food/food-and-philosophy/ and the Social Dinner here https://transitionaustralia.net/resource-library/community/the-social-dinner/

and on the waste we create when we celebrate here https://transitionaustralia.net/resource-library/inner-transition/when-celebrating-leaves-us-sad/