[Pil-pc-oceania] Pil-pc-oceania Digest, Vol 13, Issue 33 Russ Grayson

[Janet Millington]

>  


Hi Russ and those following this strand,

I am starting to think that perhaps the informal way fits better with our
"structure" and our division of time between getting things done and talking
about it.

So, I think it is our Australian conference. And as it is Australian it
should be called Australian.  Then if an Australian permaculturist or pc
organisation is working with an individual or group in the Pacific or in
Asia or anywhere really, and they feel that that individual or project would
benefit by attending the Australian conference then I think that that person
should invite them.  

How the hell is an organising committee going to know of all the projects
and all the people that Australian permaculturists are working with?

Having done that they could let the organisers know who they have invited
and then if funding is an issue the invitor should then alert others to the
need for funding and get it together for the invitee.

I don't think our movement or its structure is ready for a hierarchy of
people who then basically have to spend most of their time "driving the
machine"

So I say if you thought someone should be here then invite them, set about
funding them and let the organisers know what special guests they can
expect.

I am past waiting for organisations and governments to do things I think
they should be doing.  I am now more about doing it....and you know what?
Even governments are often pleased someone has done something.

If I step on toes and am politically incorrect I apologise for the
insensitivity and then ask how we can work together from this point.

It has to be one of the blessings of getting older and not needing any more
best friends....you just damn well do it.

And I guess I feel the same about recognition.  I just thank those who do
such great work, I help and support them with resources and my energy.  I
can't know what is happening in other parts but I know of some excellent
practitioners around here and they know they are valued and can count on my
support so maybe we need to think about decentralisation of responsibility
and take some of this "work" on ourselves individually. Most people are
doing it anyway.

Perhaps we can all come with a list of those we have given support to
because their project is good and enter them into an honour roll.  Any good
work not noted there would be someone out on their own and we will hear of
it eventually or they are so busy they won't be offended by not being on the
roll.

I bet we could get an honour roll the length of a room.

Now how about that as an idea?

Thanks for all the input that helprd me crystallize my thinking.  I am open
to further thoughts so if you think I am way off track please let me know.
Regards
Janet


------------------------------

Message: 3
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:36:46 +1100
From: RussGrayson <info at pacific-edge.info>
Subject: Re: [Pil-pc-oceania] "Australian" Permaculture Convergence?
To: pil <pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org>
Message-ID: <C36B285E.4F67%info at pacific-edge.info>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="ISO-8859-1"

I don't think anyone is criticising the APC9 organisers, merely that the
naming of permaculture conferences brings up the Second Ethic idea of
permaculture people wanting to be fair and inclusive.

The New Zealanders, of course, can organise national events all by
themselves, as has been proven way back to - what was it? - the third
international convergence? As Robyn mentions, Asian-Pacificans are different
and not capable of organising a conference of the type under discussion due
to the reasons she mentions.

> APC-7 sponsored places for Maori, Aboriginal and Solomon Island
participants.
> Since then there?s been a lot happening SE Asia, and in particular
Indonesia
> and East Timor, our nearest Asian neighbours, plus all the work in
Cambodia,
> Vietnam etc....

Too true Robyn... like coups and conflict and instabiliity in the Solomons.
As I mentioned some days ago, the Solomon Islanders that attended the 1997
conference at Robyn's Nimbin establishment benefited from it. Simply being
there and talking to other people was a positive outcome.

In a globalised world we want to expose people to the best of Western
civilisation and its values - our heritage of science, justice, innovation,
education and democracy and other good things - and I really believe that
the intentions, ideas and works of permaculture people can do this quite
well. 

Permaculture people don't do this through some lofty,
quasi-intellectual/academic framework, as the above list might seem to
suggest, but through their everyday attitudes, actions and speech... by what
they do and how they behave. They're not perfect, but so what? They try,
they disagree (and, hopefully, agree to disagree rather than brawling and
fractionalising like the Left and Right), they also agree on the broad
points at least. 

It might be something that after 30 years (next year, measured from the
publication of Permaculture One) there are no real factions splitting
permaculture apart... disagreemeents, maybe, but disagreements rationally
discussed (like the PPP proposal) thanks to this Permaculture International
listserv aand other communications media available to us.

Just an odd thought.

...Russ Grayson