Sydney City Farm

At our AGM last week, SCF appointed two new committee members -

landscape designer and horticulturalist, Gwilym Griffiths and psychologist and change manager Dr Julieanne Hilbers.

Gwilym is the co-founder and president of the Newtown Sustainability Group and a member of the Marrickville Environment Committee. Professionally he worked on City of Sydney’s Street Tree Masterplan and the Chatswood Mall Urban Renewal project.

Julieanne has worked in community development, health promotion and diversity health roles for both government and community organisations for more than 20 years. She is passionate about celebrating diversity, permaculture, place-making, horticultural therapy and the creative arts.

WE WELCOME THEM BOTH TO OUR TEAM.

Full minutes of AGM here…

Sydney City Farm is co-hosting a GreepUps evening on Sustainably Connecting the City and the Farm.

Tues 1 Nov at Food Connect and Feather & Bone Warehouse,
2-8 Parsons St,
Rozelle.

There will be a short talk from us as well as organic food co-ops Food Connect and Alfalfa House, and free range providores Feather & Bone … AND DIVINE ORGANIC FOOD!

More details and a map here…

2011 has been a great year for the Sydney City Farm!

Come join us for a celebration picnic in Sydney Park

sydney city farm picnic

LOCATION -  Click here for map of Sydney City Farm Picnic

Cnr King St & Sydney Park Rd, St Peters (opp St Peters railway station)

Best entrance is from Campbell Street.

Train: Get off at St Peters station on the Bankstown line

Bus: Catch 422 from City or Kogarah or the 308 from CBD via
Marrickville Metro and St Peters station.

Walk through until you see the big orange Sydney City Farm sign

Join us at one of the city’s greenest buildings, Saturday October 22nd from 10:00am to 11:00am

This year we are holding our Annual General Meeting at one of the city’s greenest community buildings – the Surry Hills Library, Community Centre Venue, 1st floor, 405 Crown Street, Surry Hills.

Created by Richard Francis-Jones in 2009, the Library has won multiple local and international architecture awards, including Best New Global Design at the 2011 Chicago International Architecture Awards.

The AGM is the opportunity for financial members to vote on resolutions or nominate for one of the four committee positions that become vacant every year.

If you wish to nominate for the committee download a nomination form here and send it to us by 15^th October.

If you are a financial member and want to make your vote count but can’t attend, you can designate a proxy by filling in this proxy form.

All City Farm members are welcome to attend the AGM.

It will be a great chance to meet up with others who are committed to urban sustainability and passionate about getting Sydney’s first City Farm happening.

This year the focus is on bringing together all the working groups and sub-committees working on our exciting new projects – the Picnic, GreenUps night and the Pop Up Farm.

Become Financial and have more say

Are you a Financial Member of Sydney City Farm? We encourage you to join or renew your annual membership, to help Sydney City Farm organise and deliver inspiring events to support the establishment of Sydney’s first City Farm.

You will also be eligible to vote on resolutions and elect Committee members at our Annual General Meeting on Saturday October 22.

It’s easy, all you need to do is log onto our website and fill in the online form. A receipt email will be sent to you automatically.

Membership Fees:

Individual                                 $35

Family                                       $50

Concession                               $15

Passionate                                $75

Business                                   $100

Whilst you are online you may also like to add a TAX DEDUCTABLE DONATION.

Membership fees are not tax deductible but Sydney City Farm donations are.

Not one…but TWO city farms for Sydney!

Join us at Sydney Park St Peters, for a Picnic to celebrate.

On Sunday 6th November – 12 noon till 3pm – we’re all getting together to celebrate a year of success for the Sydney City Farm.

The City of Sydney Council has given the go-ahead for a farm at Sydney Park St Peters AND

Leichhardt Council has included a city farm on the Master Plan for Callan Park in Rozelle.

If all goes well, we hope there will be not one…but TWO city farms for Sydney!

On the 6th November there will be lots a great activities for the whole family including music, creativity, seed swaps and more.

Stand by for more details to follow in the weeks leading up to the picnic.

Leichhardt Council, at an extraordinary meeting on 19th July, finally approved a master plan for Callan Park that includes a city farm.

The city farm emerged as one of the most widely supported proposals for the site during the extensive community consultation process undertaken by the council.

“It’s thrilling that so many people have caught onto the idea that Callan Park is the ideal location for a City Farm” said President of the Sydney City Farm community group, Andrew Jackson.

“We congratulate Leichhardt Council on conducting such a thorough planning process, which has negotiated a way for all interest groups with a vision for Callan Park to be accommodated.”

Now it’s up to Premier O’Farrell and the State Government to support the Master Plan both in spirit and financially.

The fight’s not over yet, but one big hurdle has finally been overcome.

Read more in the Sydney Morning Herald

and

Village Pic

Sydney City Farm Committee

Leichhardt Council is holding an extraordinary meeting next Tuesday to discuss and adopt the Callan Park Master Plan.

Join us to hear what they have to say.

Below is the council’s notification of the meeting…

Any enquiries please contact Annalene or Debbie at Leichhardt Council on 93679285

Herman and his granddaughter at Sydney park, St Peters

Not so long ago Liesje, our Sydney City Farm secretary, received a call from a

man by the name of Herman van der Made.

She was astounded to discover he had been lobbying for a city farm on the

Sydney Park site in St Peters nearly 40 years ago.

The similarities in his vision and what we in the Sydney

City Farm Group have been lobbying for are uncanny. This is his story…

Herman van der Made still remembers vividly the morning, almost 60 years

ago, when he woke up to the delicious smell of freshly baked bread filling the

air. As a hungry young man from the Nederlands backpacking around

Europe, almost nothing could be more tantalising. He quickly dressed and

following his nose, found himself in a beautiful Stadtbauernhof – a city farm in

the heart of South Germany.

That breakfast of warm bread, freshly churned curd from the farm’s cow and

coffee, set Herman on a quest that will finally come to fruition 60 years later

when the Sydney City Farm is created at Sydney Park in St Peters.

Europe, England and the United states were all well served with city farms

and Herman continued to seek out city farms – and that perfect breakfast -

wherever he travelled as a young man. Some years later when Herman, who

was now an architect, brought his family to settle in Sydney he was surprised

to find no farms in the city. Having experienced the pleasures of city farms he

decided to rectify the situation. In the early 1980s he directed his office to

prepare a proposal for the establishment of a city farm in what was, at that

time, a neglected wasteland in St Peters, to be sent to the City of Sydney

Council, Marrickville Council and other bodies including the RAS. Despite

there being little understanding of the concept of a city farm he managed to

interest a couple of enlightened men in the Department of Environmental

Planning and finally under the Greenspace Program in 1984, Fairfield City

Farm was born.

Herman, though, never let his dream of a farm on that wasteland in St Peters,

die. He would wander around the area, now Sydney Park, and think “Wouldn’t

it be nice…” In his imagination he saw himself arriving there to have freshly

baked bread and coffee amongst the lush green of a farm, surrounded by

orchards laden with all varieties of fruit.

Unfortunately, Marrickville Council, which at that stage held jurisdiction over

the area, continued to reject Herman’s proposal claiming there would be

inadequate parking. Not long after, Herman suffered his second heart attack

and his plans for the city farm were reluctantly relegated to the bottom drawer

where they have remained for over 20 years.

Recently Herman’s dreams were reawakened when he heard his vision for a

city farm at Sydney Park might soon become a reality. He contacted the

Sydney City Farm Group to offer his help. Liesje Clement and I, both

committee members for the group, met him there a few days ago. It was a

cold and blustery day but even the biting wind couldn’t dampen Herman’s

passionate enthusiasm for the future farm, his parting words to us being – “I

can die in peace if this farm happens…”

Carla Thackrah

Would you jump at the chance to help create a fabulous Spring event to celebrate what a City Farm can bring to Sydney? Then we want you!

We aim to hold a public event at Sydney Park in October – and we want those Sydney City Farmers who are interested to have the chance to help us in the initial planning right through to the organization of the event.

All you need to do is send us an email at sydneycityfarm@gmail.com by May 20^th with the subject “Help with Spring Event”

Include your name and contact number so we can contact you to discuss your level of involvement.