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
Free talks at Woytopia
Sunday, 13 October, 9am-4pm
Sun 13th Oct 2024
,
9:00 am
I’m looking forward to presenting a couple of free talks at Woytopia, one on Natural Pest Control for Edible Gardens and an Introduction to Permaculture talk. I will also be coordinating the stall for Permaculture Central Coast.
Free entry.
Location
Woy Woy South Public School
Love Water Garden Wisely: Waterwise Gardening Workshop @ Wyoming
Saturday, 19 Oct 2024, 10am – 12pm
Sat 19th Oct 2024
,
10:00 am
Want to know how to have a garden that is healthy and water wise? Learn about plant selection and design strategies to minimise water loss in your garden. Strategies include capturing water on your site and minimising evaporation and will include options such as wicking beds, hugelkutur, swales, increasing the organic matter content of your soil and choosing the right mulch. The principles of wicking garden beds, and how to construct them, will be demonstrated in an upcycled polystyrene box.
Location
Wyong Community Centre
Beeswax Wraps and A Sustainable Kitchen
Sunday, 20 October, 2-4pm
Sun 20th Oct 2024
,
2:00 pm
In this workshop, learn how to make reusable natural wraps. Beeswax wraps are eco-friendly and very practical! Whether you want to wrap your fruit & vegetables, cheese & a loaf of bread or simply cover a bowl – beeswax wraps are the perfect replacement for plastic wrap and are a wonderful gift.
With our facilitator, you will make 2 medium size wraps to take home and will be given information on sustainably sourcing fabrics and beeswax. The workshop will also demonstrate the making (and give a taster) of a couple of gourmet food products that are simple to put together and which make popular delicious small gifts.
You will also learn how to Love Food, Hate Waste! We will discuss how to make sustainable food choices, to help save the planet and save you time and money. The distances our food travels to us is at an all-time high, and so is our level of food wastage. Find out how to know the difference between products that are organic, natural, ethical and fair trade and how to reduce your food miles and food wastage.
Come along, have fun and create something eco-friendly and practical.
This workshop will be held in Holgate, on the Central Coast, NSW, near Gosford. The session will proceed in wet weather, there is an undercover training area.
Location
Unit 1, 210 Wattle Tree Rd, Holgate NSW 2250
Love Water Garden Wisely: Waterwise Gardening Workshop @ The Entrance
Saturday, 26 Oct 2024, 10am – 12pm
Sat 26th Oct 2024
,
10:00 am
Want to know how to have a garden that is healthy and water wise? Learn about plant selection and design strategies to minimise water loss in your garden. Strategies include capturing water on your site and minimising evaporation and will include options such as wicking beds, hugelkutur, swales, increasing the organic matter content of your soil and choosing the right mulch. The principles of wicking garden beds, and how to construct them, will be demonstrated in an upcycled polystyrene box.
Location
The Entrance Community Centre
Battley Ave, The Entrance NSW 2261
“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.