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PAWA



http://www.eepo.com.au/perma/pawa/

-- 
Lawrence F. London, Jr. - Venaura Farm - Chapel Hill, NC, USA
mailto:london@sunSITE.unc.edu  http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGarden
mailto:llondon@nuteknet.com
Title: PAWA
[PAWA logo] PAWA

Permaculture Association of Western Australia
PO Box 430, Subiaco WA 6008
Telephone: 417 2274 Fax: 295 4627
Email: pawa@perma.eepo.com.au


Welcome to the Permaculture Association of Western Australia.

The Association exists to promote Permaculture in WA. Among our regular activities are monthly meetings, field days, workshops and design exercises.


Table of Contents

Activities
  • Monthly Meetings
  • Field Days
  • Design Exercises
  • Newsletter
  • LETSystem
  • Local Groups
  • The Education Process
  • Special Workshops
  • Introduction Courses
  • Design Certificate Courses
  • Becoming a Teacher or Designer
  • Directory of Contacts
  • To Gain a Diploma in Permaculture
  • To Gain a Degree, Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate in Permaculture
  • Regional, Country and City Local Groups
  • Membership Lists
  • Special Interest Groups
  • Current Groups
  • Remember ...

    Activities


    Monthly Meetings

    Our meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month (except December) at 7:30pm in the IOOF Hall, 109 Caledonian Avenue, Maylands. Most meetings feature a guest speaker on a topic of interest to permaculturists. We have a session after the formal meeting when an experienced member will give a brief introduction to Permaculture and answer your questions. This is for those of you who are just starting to Permaculture your lives.

    Before the formal meetings, you are invited to access the resources available. Feel free to borrow books and magazines from our extensive library. You can visit the produce tables where people offer excess produce to members. At the bookstall there is a range of literature for sale. On the members information table you will find pamphlets, membership forms and information about permaculture courses that are being offered.

    There is a Seed Trading and Plant Resource Network. This allows you to take seeds on the understanding that when you collect next generation seeds, you will make some available to members by returning them, properly labelled, to the seedbank. Members who manage the Network will advise how to label your seeds correctly and how you can become involved in the Plant Resource aspect of the Network.

    Committee members are identifiable by their green name badges at meetings. Please direct any questions to them. Assistance in setting up and clearing away chairs and tables at meetings is appreciated. The tea and coffee is available free of charge and you are welcome to stay for a chat and a cuppa.


    Field Days

    Field days have been operating for many years. We visit members' properties and other places of interest and see various techniques in practice - they are excellent learning opportunities. At these events members are asked to make a small donation for their cup of tea, and for any materials they may be offered.

    Design Exercises

    Design exercises are run each year. A group of members and qualified designers work together on a site design for a member's property. They then present their design to a meeting and invite members to participate in implementing the design.

    Newsletter

    Members receive the bi-monthly Newsletter. When members' subscriptions are due, they will receive a renewal form in their Newsletter.

    LETSystem

    We have a LETSystem called PermaLETS which you may join for $15. This is a network for the exchange of goods and services using Perma$$. Ask to speak to one of the PermaLETS working party for more details.


    Local Groups

    We encourage members to set up local groups. There are a number of these throughout the State. They do many of the same activities as the Association, but at a much more local level, and more informally.

    The Groups Co-ordinator can give you a contact phone number for the group near you, or assist you in setting up your own group (see leaflet in Induction Package).

    These groups are a great way to learn and to get help in developing your property. Informal exchange and friendships develop in local groups. Special Interest groups focus on particular topics:- Villages, Housing, Alternative energy sources, Permaculture in schools, Remote Area and Overseas Outreach. Contact the Groups Co-ordinator if you wish to join one of these groups or start up another group.


    As you can see there is quite a range of activities available. We look forward to your active participation.

    Education Process

    Many members are content to learn about permaculture by attending meetings, field days and taking part in the design exercises run by the Association. Others choose to learn the design principles by studying the Designers' Manual or introductory books. Some like to form a local group and work together to collect information and implement a garden design in their backyards and learn from observing their successes and failures in local conditions.

    Special Workshops

    Workshops on specific areas of permaculture are offered from time to time. Check your newsletter for those currently on offer. Most are open but occasionally workshops are restricted to those who have completed a Design Certificate course.

    Requests for specific workshops which you would like the Association to offer should be submitted in writing to the Committee or placed in the Suggestion Box at meetings. You can even manage a PAWA sponsored workshop yourself by presenting your idea and organising a group of 20 members or more who wish to participate.


    Introduction Courses

    The more formal, and possibly more efficient method, is by attending an Introduction Course which teaches basic design principles and gives enough information for you to start designing and working on your own property.

    Design Certificate Courses

    For those who wish to gain a more comprehensive understanding of Permaculture, there is the Permaculture Design Course (Certificate). This teaches the theory and practice of Permaculture Design which can then be applied in any country in the world.

    The course covers the topics set out in the curriculum of the standard 72 hour course which is used as the international framework for teaching Permaculture.


    To Become a Teacher or Designer

    Graduates of the Permaculture Design Course (Certificate) are entitled to offer their services as teachers and/or designers, though it is hoped they would gain some practical experience before doing so. This experience can be gained by becoming involved in the Association's Design Exercises.

    These are offered for people wishing to increase their design and teaching skills. Advanced Courses are only available to those people who have undertaken the Permaculture Design Course (Certificate).


    Directory of Contacts

    Teachers and Designers may choose to join the Permaculture Institute of WA (Inc.) which publishes a Directory of Contacts to enable new members to seek out those who teach and/or design properties. It also lists those who have gained Diplomas in the various fields of Permaculture and a number of demonstration sites to which visits can be arranged.

    To Gain a Diploma in Permaculture

    Design Certificate Courses (PDC) tend to make one realise just how much observation, study and experimentation they need to do. Most courses include a limited amount of information specific to the region but there is still much to be learned.

    This learning can gain you a Diploma in Permaculture. You simply submit a record of the practical work done over a two year period, after your PDC, to the Permaculture Institute at Tyalgum, NSW.

    Diplomas can be awarded in any one or more of the following subjects:-

    Site Design,
    Site Development,
    Administration,
    System Establishment and Implementation,
    Media and Communication,
    Education,
    Community Development,
    Architecture,
    Finance,
    Research,
    Manufacturing and Trusteeship.

    To Gain a Degree, Bachelors, Masters or Doctorate in Permaculture

    Higher studies in Permaculture requires a great deal of self-directed learning. The only pre-requisite is a Diploma in Permaculture Design. Anyone requiring information should contact Warwick Rowell who is the local contact for the recently established Permaculture Academy.

    Regional, Country and City Local Groups

    The Association actively encourages country and city members to form a group in their area to support each other in their Permaculture activities. These activities may relate to projects on their own properties, education or research projects or asking informed people to address them on various subjects in much the same way that the Association organises activities and speakers.

    PAWA offers reimbursement of costs (up to $50 in each instance) to those who initiate a membership drive in local areas, to form a local group under the umbrella of PAWA.

    A mobile library of 10 selected permaculture books will be available for distribution by mail or courier to country groups for a period of 2-3 months at a time. It will be the responsibility of the groups to see that there is 100% return of the books.

    PAWA will also develop 20 book kits comprising the Designer Manual and 2 or 3 other books which will be distributed, as requested, to local groups and country people living in isolated situations.

    Local Groups are encouraged to report their activities in the Newsletter as their projects may act as a catalyst for others' groups in developing their own activities. Correspondents are sought from country groups to write articles for the newsletter and, if sufficient articles can be produced, a special country edition could be published annually.

    For assistance in initiating or contacting an existing group, contact the Groups Co-ordinator whose name is published on the inside cover of the PAWA Newsletter. Otherwise mail or fax your request to the Association.


    Membership Lists

    Current membership lists are available in both alphabetical order and town or suburb order. They are available from the Membership Officer whose name and phone number is listed on the inside cover of the Newsletter, or by writing to the Association. A minimum fee will be charged to recover the cost of photocopying. Please see your Newsletter for the current fee.

    Special Interest Groups

    Special Interest Groups are made up of any number of members who meet regularly to discuss, explore or promote their common interest within the context of Permaculture.

    An enthusiastic Permie can become frustrated, trying to keep up with techniques, knowledge, what works and what doesn't in any one of the many areas that are considered ???? in permaculture. ???? food production, processing, storage, building design, managing small animals, agroforestry, tree crops, ethical investment, bioregionalism, community development, social equity, radical economics, and the list goes on.

    An answer is to 'work-net' in small groups and find others who are dealing with a similar issue. The fundamental premise of a special interest group is that you will do better at something if you find someone else to share the work, the agony and the joy.

    To find others who share your interest, you simply place a notice in the newsletter which tells others of your interest and ask them to make contact. When a group is formed please advise the Groups Co-ordinator whose name is published on the inside cover of the newsletter. The Co-ordinator can then advise others who to contact to join a particular group.


    Current Groups

    PermaLETS for those interested in an exchange trading system between Permies, particularly between city and country members.

    Remote Area and Overseas Outreach for those interested in the training, funding and co-ordination of permaculture aid projects.

    Pattern Language for those interested in principles put forward by Christopher Alexander et al (1977) in the book A Pattern Language.

    Perma-tek for those interested in developing high mileage carburettors, hydrogen power and over-unity motors.

    Urban Village Group for the purpose of assisting members who wish to live in or develop such communities or villages.


    Remember that Permaculture is about ...

  • caring for people
  • caring for our environment
  • re-using everything
  • recycling as much as possible
  • growing food in our backyard
  • using less water
  • using less chemicals
  • using less electricity
  • how we design our houses
  • reducing our reliance on cars
  • returning to a natural state of health and happiness
  • sharing our surplus
  • enhancing our quality of life