No subject

last core group meeting) and felt the excitement and anticipation as the
theatre filled beyond capacity, right up till the final spiral dance to end
the event, our expectations as organisers were exceeded. Judging by the
immensely positive feedback on the evaluation sheets, participants felt the
same way -  APC 8 met people's expectations, and exceeded them.

Our vision as organisers was to give permaculture more mainstream publicity,
to showcase the many successful projects around Australia that have
applications for solving both land based and social issues addressing the
21st century. We also wanted a forum in which permaculture practitioners
could discuss amongst themselves ideas for positive action, and undertake
some strategic planning for future collaborative projects.

The challenge now is to keep the momentum going, to keep communications
flowing, and to stay connected with each other. Many innovative ideas came
out of discussion groups at APC 8 - our hope as convenors of the convergence
is that the talk is converted to action, that the groups stay focussed on
their goals and that those goals and strategies for action are communicated
to the wider permaculture movement.

We are also hoping that APC 9 will follow in 2008, possibly in Sydney, where
a group of people are now discussing whether they will undertake to host the
next  Australasian Permaculture Convergence. If they do, we wish them all
the best, and hope to be able to offer them a seeding fund from any profit
made at APC 8.

We would like to thank Graeme George, who put so many hours into the
treasury role as well as being program coordinator for the symposium, Sarah
Massey, our fantastic secretariat, without whom the event would never have
come to fruition, and Caroline Smith, who was responsible for the very
successful public lecture by David Holmgren and helped with the speakers
program. We all dedicated over six months of work and are thrilled that it
was all worth the effort, time and money! Thanks also to the many troika
coordinators, volunteers and our families.

Naomi Coleman and Virginia Solomon, Co-convenors.

I'd also like to publicly acknowledge the tremendous amount of energy, time
and financial outlay that Virginia Solomon, our outgoing Permaculture
Melbourne president, put in to make this convergence work. With no guarantee
of financial return, Virginia really put the permaculture ethic of share of
surplus into action by outlaying thousands of dollars. (Even when there was
no surplus to share!!)

APC 8 REPORTS.. PERMACULTURE PEOPLE TELL THEIR STORIES

Part of the vision for APC 8 was to provide a forum for permaculture people
to share in a public domain, their stories of achievement, successes and
learning experiences. In the past, the first day of the convergence has been
dedicated to networking, sharing stories and introducing ourselves to each
other. It has always struck me how valuable these grass roots tales are, and
how important it is to spread the word beyond the permaculture community.

Thus was born the idea of "Permaculture People Tell Their Stories."
Originally this was the working title for the day, but nothing more
inspiring came to mind, and so it was that our public conference had a long
title, but one that conveyed exactly what to expect from the day.

I actually can't report on the inspirational stories told on the day, as is
so often the case those that organise don't get to attend, as they are
attending to the behind the scenes details that we hope the participants
never know about. However I have heard fantastic feedback about many of the
talks. If you missed out and would like to hear some of the talks, all were
digitally recorded and we hope to tempt you with some snippets at the
Permaculture Melbourne AGM on July 3rd. We are also discussing the
production of a DVD series of the event.

Stories ranged from experiences on a small balcony city garden (Cecilia
McCauley) to a 40 acre demonstration farm in central Victoria (Beck Lowe).
Stories of school and community gardens, development of innovative
curriculum for primary, secondary and tertiary level education, of social
justice projects, seed banks, city farms, ecovillages and renewal of rural
towns. all were told with passion and conviction, and a good measure of
humour. What impressed me most of all was the professionalism shown by the
presenters in conveying the message that permaculture works, and the
willingness of people to share their strengths and their weaknesses, in an
effort to support others to succeed in their permaculture projects. It was
truly inspiring, and the feeling of community that resulted gave a real buzz
to the gathering in the next few days.

I thank all the presenters who made such an effort to showcase their stories
in such a wonderful way. Without you all, the day could not have happened,
and demonstrates that the ethic of sharing is alive and well in the
permaculture movement.