Permaculture Hunter Region and Transition Newcastle to Keep their Former Identities

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Press Release – 21st February, 2010

Transition Town Newcastle and Permaculture Hunter Region to Keep their Original Identities

TTN and PHR have decided to keep their former association structures and maintain their separate identities, after having joined up last year to combine resources.

“Whilst TTN and PHR share a common Permaculture philosophy, each organisation has a different focus” said PHR chairman Ross Brown.

TTN convenor William Vorobioff agreed and added “Both organisations have agreed to continue to work together productively into the future.”

PHR is a not for profit association in the Hunter Region concerned with sustainable culture, and permanent agriculture. Permaculture has the ethics of caring for the earth, people and sharing surplus goods applied to all sectors of culture, using a holistic systems model based on resilient, productive natural ecological systems science. Permaculture co-founder Bill Mollison has stated that Permaculture has nothing to do with gardening, but it USES gardening to teach a certain design philosophy.

TTN is a grass-roots organisation creating a positive vision for the future, where it can form close community ties, and network with the myriad of environmental organisations. It works with local Councils and businesses to accelerate the pace of change that must be made, in order to effectively tackle the twin challenges of peak oil and climate change. TTN has members who work and live around Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens, and we are gathering resources to assist local Hunter areas to develop their own Energy Descent Plans.

Authorised:

TTN Convenor:              William Vorobioff, Transition Town Newcastle, Inc,

transitionnc@optusnet.com.au

PHR Chairperson:          Ross Brown, Permaculture Hunter Region,

ross.brown@virginbroadband.com.au

Connect with Braye Park Community Picnic

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Media Release
Transition Town Newcastle
20 November 2009

Transition Town Newcastle is hosting a community picnic at Braye Park in Waratah, to help the community connect with this wonderful park.

“Bring a picnic and join us for a free family friendly celebration. There will be music, a cake stall, and activities for the children, including face painting and prizes for the best kite, and best-dressed dog, bike, scooter and pram. Picnickers will even have an opportunity to leave their mark on the park. We are turning one of the concrete paths into a permanent artwork, with picnickers adding their own colourful handprint” said Tricia Hogbin, member of Transition Town Newcastle.

 “Braye Park is a wonderful place that is not used by the community as much as it deserves. It has spectacular 360 degree views over Newcastle, a great playground and a couple of kilometres of bike paths. We hope this picnic helps more people connect with the park so that it receives the visitation it deserves. The event will also help raise funds towards proposed ‘Movies in Braye Park’ in 2010, so come along and show your support”.

The picnic is supported by Newcastle City Council’s Place Making initiative. Place making is the creation of safe, vibrant public destinations and neighbourhoods. The event is also part of a broader Greater Waratah Wellbeing and Sustainability Project recently initiated by Transition Town Newcastle. “The project is all about improving the wellbeing and sustainability of the Waratah, Mayfield and Georgetown Community, all suburbs serviced by Waratah Train Station. We held a community forum a few weeks ago and had 35 residents come along and have their say about what would make our community a better place to live. We will be working towards implementing many of these recommendations over the coming years”.
 
Transition Town Newcastle is inviting everyone to come along and join our picnic 4.30-6pm Saturday 28th November at the Braye Park playground, off Edith Street Waratah. More information, including information on parking and how to get there by public transport, available here.

For more information, please contact Tricia Hogbin on 0414248993, or Will Vorobioff on 4967-3231 or email us here.

Greater Waratah to become a sustainable and resilient community

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Greater Waratah to become a sustainable and resilient community

Media Release
Transition Town Newcastle
30 October 2009

Transition Town Newcastle is hosting a community forum to begin the transition of the Greater Waratah area into a strong, resilient and sustainable community.

“We’d really like people living in Mayfield, Georgetown, or Waratah to come along and let us know what would make their community a better place to live. Perhaps it is a community garden, or a safe place for children to play, or bike tracks? We will listen to the needs of the community and will then try and build some of their wishes into a plan for the area,” said Tricia Hogbin, member of Transition Town Newcastle.

“Transition Towns is a relatively new global network, empowering local communities to build their resilience to climate change and peak oil. In contrast to many environmental initiatives, the movement has been described as more like a party than a protest march. Even if you are not yet overly concerned about peak oil or climate change, you are welcome to become involved because it is all about making our communities more connected and easier places to live”.

“Transition Town Newcastle has been up and running for over a year now, and we have hosted a number of regional events, with the most recent being Sustainable House Day and a Sensible Transport for Newcastle Forum. We would also like to establish a number of smaller local initiatives. The first of these will focus on the suburbs serviced by Waratah Train Station: Mayfield, Georgetown and Waratah.”

Transition Town Newcastle is inviting community members and local businesses to come along and have their say at the Greater Waratah Wellbeing and Sustainability Community Forum, 2 - 4pm Saturday 7th November at the St Matthews Hall, 7 Wentworth Street, Georgetown. RSVP by email to transitionnc@optusnet.com.au or phone 0414248993.

For more information, please contact:

Tricia Hogbin
Mob: 0414248993
Email: tricia@flannelfings.com.au

Will Vorobioff
Ph: 4967-3231
Email: wvorobioff@optusnet.com.au

Sensible Transport Forum

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Transition Town Newcastle  is holding a forum on Sensible Transport for the Lower Hunter at Newcastle Town Hall on Thursday evening, September 24th  from 6- 8pm.

The purpose of the forum is to highlight the issue of Peak Oil and the necessary changes we will need to make to accommodate the rising cost of oil. We will be exploring ideas for sensible transport in and around Newcastle given the profound economic and social implications resulting from the future rising costs of energy – oil in particular.

The forum will begin with a presentation by Elliot Fishman, Director of the Institute for Sensible Transport. Elliot is one of Australia’s leading experts on sustainable transport and oil vulnerability having worked both internationally and around Australia on a variety of transport issues - with a special interest in bicycle planning. He acted as Expert Witness on Canberra’s Senate Inquiry into Australia’s Fuel Supply and Alternatives in May, 2006 and has advised the Prime Minister’s Office on petrol prices.  www.sensibletransport.org.au

Peak Oil is imminent (if it’s not here already) but our community is not ready for the repercussions. In order to prosper we need a low carbon alternative for transport. We need to engage in sensible strategic planning that will take into account the economic and social implications of climate change and a massive rise in the price of oil.  Just how will we be getting around when petrol reaches $10 a litre?

With its combination of car/bus/rail /ferry transport systems Newcastle is a perfect mid-sized city to be a model case study for the development of a sensible transport system that can survive peak oil and allow us to prosper into an otherwise uncertain future.

We have the opportunity, the skills and the enthusiasm to develop a pilot program in the Hunter.  By acting now we could become a Smart Transport Region leading the nation in the preparation for climate change and peak oil, with an integrated sensible transport system.

The forum will include a panel discussion addressing local transport issues and a

 Q & A session to finish.

Elliot will be available for media interviews.

More information will follow.

Join us at City Hall on September 24 at 6pm and spread the word.

 

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