Make informed choices for a more regenerative future.
Get the knowledge and practical skills to tread more lightly on this planet and feel inspired and empowered to live your life to the fullest, with consciousness and accountability.
Sustainability Workshops
Permaculture Teacher
Edible Garden Advice
Hello, I’m Kerrie
I am a skilled training facilitator, community connector and am highly experienced in coaching both individuals and groups in practical permaculture and sustainability strategies and edible gardening skills. I have 30 years experience as a trainer and have specialized in sustainability and Permaculture education for over 15 years, both in community and tertiary education, with all age groups – from early childhood to retirees, as well as extensive experience in the disability sector and Horticulture as therapy.
Services
I offer workshops from my Permaculture garden, in your community space or workplace and incursions into educational institutions. This could be either short informal talks to more structured, lengthy talks, out in the garden or utilizing technology – for small or large groups, or one on one mentoring online or in person.
I am highly adaptable and responsive to the needs of the audience. I welcome the opportunity for hands on/practical learning as I am a great believer in learning while you are doing and having fun while you are learning. I also love offering sensory, immersive experiences for participants, with herbal tea on offer fresh from the garden and looking, touching and smelling many different plant varieties.
Testimonials
Kerrie has a knack for presenting information in an accessible way and her passion for permaculture and gardening is infectious.
I find the idea of creating a garden somewhat daunting however, Kerrie breaks it down into easy, doable steps. I came away with a feeling that I can begin small and celebrate the successes, before undertaking a larger project.
Kerrie supplied resources and information which gave me the confidence to have a go. She was generous with her time and we also toured her garden, which was really interesting to understand how it all comes together. As Kerrie says “there is no such thing as a perfect garden”, her focus and desire is for everyone to commit to an edible garden, whatever the size.
Kerrie has the right balance of information whilst sharing stories of what works practically and what doesn’t and what to consider when planning a garden, large or small, Permaculture makes sense and the principles of a no dig garden, builds nutrient dense soil with less pests. She also covers composting, zoning, using vertical space, the importance of soil as well as understanding the climate we live in, to maximise success.
All in all a very informative and enjoyable workshop, which I highly recommend. We’re fortunate to have this wonderful lady in our community sharing her knowledge.
Simone Glover, Edible Garden Workshop participant, May 2023
Events
Home School Gardening Workshop: Preparing the Autumn Garden
Fri, 21st Mar 2025, 10-am-12pm
Fri 21st Mar 2025
,
10:00 am
- Location: Synergy Permaculture Patch, Holgate
- Ages: 7-14 years old
- Price: $30.00 for first child, $25 for second child
In this workshop with Kerrie Anderson of Synergy Permaculture your child will learn some basic gardening strategies so you can successfully create your very own productive edible garden at home and is especially tailored towards preparing for Autumn. We will be learning about:
- Planning your vegie patch – what to grow where and when?
- Soil, nutrient cycling and natural fertilisers
- Planting and harvesting seasonally and for abundance
- When to start the transition to cool season annuals?
- Companion planting, diversity and polyculture
Please contact us to book you child/ren in and to arrange payment for this fun, hands on session in the Patch. Parents are encouraged to stay and there is a beautiful garden to relax in and enjoy a cuppa, or alternately join in the fun and learning.
Winter Foraging and Crafting Herbal Remedies
Sun, 13rd April 2025, 12:30-3:30pm
Sun 13th Apr 2025
,
12:30 pm
Join Kerrie Anderson of Synergy Permaculture and Michelle Townsend, Naturopath, Nutritionist and Herbalist for our Winter Foraging and Crafting Herbal Remedies Workshop.
Let us take you on a foraging adventure and show you how some common weeds really are herbal heroes. With Winter around the corner, we will focus on remedies and recipes to support the immune system and respiratory tract. We will use the weeds we forage to make herbal remedies that you will be able to easily replicate and make yourself at home. We will share ideas on how to incorporate these herbs into your diet and enjoy sampling them on the day.
In this hands on workshop, you will be making your own herbal first aid preparations for coughs and colds. Our heroes of the day will be:
- Bidens pilosa – Cobblers Pegs
- Plantago lanceolata – Plantain
- Sambucus nigra – Elderberry
- Olea europaea – Olive Leaf
with a few guest appearances from our favourite culinary herbs that cannot be overlooked!
You will make:
- Cough Syrup
- Immune Support Gummies
- Decongestive Poultice
- Teas
You will be sampling:
- Plantago hummus
- Bidens miso soup
The workshop will be held in the Synergy Permaculture productive garden and rainforest and will provide an opportunity for practical experience and to explore the garden and surrounds and see, smell and taste amazing homegrown and wildgrown edibles.
This event will be held in Holgate, on the Central Coast, NSW, near Gosford. The address will be provided before the workshop to ticketed attendees 48 hours prior to the event. The workshop will proceed in wet weather, there is an undercover training area.
Wicking Bed Gardens
Tue, 15 Apr, 9:30am – 12:30pm
Tue 15th Apr 2025
,
9:30 am
This workshop will teach you the basics so you can successfully create your very own productive edible wicking garden bed at home. Learn all about Wicking Garden Beds, which are self-contained, raised garden beds that have a built-in water reservoir at the bottom. They are like a giant self-watering pot, making them incredibly water efficient and low maintenance and are therefore especially useful for people who are time poor. We will be getting hands on making a wicking bed. The workshop is designed for beginners and will include;
They can also an inexpensive gardening option as they can be made from recycled materials. Come and learn why wicking beds are becoming an increasingly popular way to garden sustainably!
- What is a wicking garden bed?
- Pros and cons of wicking gardens?
- Which type of wicking bed will suit you?
- Building a wicking garden in an upcycled IBC (hands on experience)
- Planting and harvesting for abundance
- How to care for your wicking bed
No matter what the size of your garden, from a balcony to acreage, for renters, community gardeners and homeowners alike, this workshop will help improve your edible gardening skillset. The workshop will be held in my own productive garden and will provide an opportunity for practical experience and to explore the garden and see, smell and taste amazing homegrown edibles.
This event will be held on the Central Coast, NSW, near Gosford. The address will be provided before the workshop to ticketed attendees 48 hours prior to the event. The workshop will proceed in wet weather, there is an undercover training area.
Your Edible Garden
Sat, 7 Jun, 1pm – 4pm
Sat 7th Jun 2025
,
1:00 pm
This workshop will teach you the basics so you can successfully create your very own productive edible garden at home. As prices in the supermarket skyrocket, there’s no better time to learn how to grow your own. It is designed for beginners and will include;
- Planning your vegie patch – what to grow where and when?
- Soil, nutrient cycling and natural fertilisers
- Planting and harvesting for abundance
- Companion planting, diversity and polyculture
- Natural pest and disease management – organic methods of gardening
- Waterwise gardening – maximizing productivity in all weather conditions
No matter what the size of your garden, from a balcony to acreage, for renters, community gardeners and homeowners alike, this workshop will help improve your edible gardening skillset. The workshop will be held in my own productive garden and will provide an opportunity for practical experience and to explore the garden and see, smell and taste amazing homegrown edibles.
This event will be held on the Central Coast, NSW, near Gosford. The address will be provided before the workshop to ticketed attendees 48 hours prior to the event. The workshop will proceed in wet weather, there is an undercover training area.
“Some people think that they can express their permaculture as a lone individual, creating that self-sufficient lifestyle. But, once you really truly understand permaculture and work with the ethics and the principles you see that’s completely the wrong model. It’s about Community.”
Kerrie interviewed by Permaculture Visions
KERRIE ANDERSON: The strength of Permaculture is the three ethics at the core of everything we do. And while they might seem quite simplistic to people, if you’re just looking at them from a superficial level – of course the deeper you delve, the more complex you realize they are. And they are all-encompassing. And that was definitely the aha! moment for me. Just having that ethical Foundation or Centre is probably a better way to describe it. Because we know it’s not a building block it’s literally core to everything we do. So it informs all my decisions in my life and and that makes sense to me to bring them back to those three core ethics.
Somebody once asked me what’s my superpower with permaculture? I think it’s connection. So connecting people with the content of what permaculture is and and really the feeling, like I really always try and work with my heart. Obviously the head’s very important and the knowledge and and the skills that just working with the heart of why do people want to learn more about permaculture, why do they want to weave it into their life and base their life around it. Then creating that with the heart really inspires people and enthuses people. And for me, that’s really central.
A lot of people have the misconception that permaculture is is about just organic edible gardening, which of course we know, is much broader than that. People that think that they can express their permaculture as a lone individual, you know, creating that self-sufficient lifestyle idea. I mean, once you really truly understand permaculture and you’re working with the ethics and the principles you know that that’s so completely the wrong model.
It’s about Community. It’s about connection not just with the planet with nature, but with human nature as well.
So, I realized very quickly that social permaculture, actually yes, is an area of permaculture that’s really often overlooked. But is so critically important we can get every other aspect of our practice, you know, spot on. We know the ideas, we’ve got the design down, and know the principles and ethics and we’re working with them. But if we’re not working with people in an effective and meaningful way and learning how to accept diversity in human behaviour and human interaction and how to work with groups and how to connect with people about this message then we’re not going to go anywhere as a permaculture movement.
Like, you can talk about it until you’re blue in the face, really. But you have to lead by example.
For me, I guess coming from that Healthcare model where I was that old-fashioned nurse having to care for people learning a lot about human nature in that medical system and human frailties and and how to communicate with people well. That helped keep me in good stead. But also my personal practices of practicing heartfulness meditations helps. I’m always about trying to let go of patterns that don’t serve my behaviour. And in my communication doing better and being aware of other people. And aware of how they’re feeling in certain circumstances has been fundamental. So,
I think that really helped inform my teaching style and who I am as a person. And trying to always bring it back to that.
So, even if you’re on the head level staff and you’re giving the theory and getting the practicing with students that you’re always very mindful of that people care. And that fair share ethic. And most of all, you’re modelling that. By having that consciousness of diversity and and designing the coursework for everybody.
APRIL SAMPSON-KELLY: Thank you so much.
In the spirit of reconciliation, Synergy Permaculture acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land.