POW meeting no. 5 held 30 September 2009, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Attendees: Shaun, Angela, Scott, Kat, Janelle, Deb, Mel, De Chantel, Delia, Fiona

Apologies: Nyree, Neesh, Leah, Monica, Richard

Location: 7 Bellairs Avenue Seddon

Introduction and Welcome

Janelle joined us for the first time. Welcome!

Maidstone Tennis Club site

Maidstone Tennis Club site Nina from Maidstone sent through an email alerting POW to the Maidstone Tennis Club Site. Site is up for sale. Inspection done by Mel, Scott, Kat, Nyree and Deb. Great potential as a market garden, something along the lines of Ceres. Meeting planned with Pam Morgan (Maribyrnong City Council) on Monday 5/10/09 at 9am to discuss what the next steps are. Fiona put forward the idea of suggesting to the council to delay any sell decision for 3 years.

Hobsons Bay Eco Expo

Hobsons Bay Local Sustainability Street – Eco Expo Local Sustainability Street coordinating a Hobsons bay Eco Expo on 21/11/09. Invited to attend as an exhibitor or presenter. Need volunteers for the stalls. General discussion that there’ll be more of these expo invites (already have Water expo 15/11/09 and Braybrook 29/11/09), so we need to get together a stall kit, roster list.

Big Backyard Festival welcome other sustainability groups. Just contact them , no charge for the stall

Action: Information pamphlets on POW, membership forms

Action: Subcommittee to work on display i.e. What is permaculture, what is a permablitz, website details, posters – Kat, De Chantel and Angela are to be the subcommittee

Action: Angela to send through permablitz photos to Scott so they can be printed off

Action: Add Online Community Directory entry to Maribyrnong City Council website

Action: Mel to send roster around via email asking for volunteers

Sustainable Living Festival

Invite for POW to the Sustainable Living Festival 6-21 February 2010. General discussion that maybe this is more for regional, state or national focus groups.

Action: contact PcM to see what they’re doing and pass POW information on to them

Maribyrnong City Council Free Fundraising Workshop

Free Fundraising Workshop When: 22 October 2009, 5.30 opening with tea, coffee, biscuits 5.45 session commencing to 7.15pm Where: Functions Room at Maribyrnong City Council, Hyde Street Footscray

Action: Mel to send email to everyone about this workshop

Action: Add fundraising projects for discussion at the next meeting

Water & Energy expo

Maribyrnong Council invite for POW to attend Water & Energy Expo in November

Action: Roster

Action: subcommittee to come up with ideas for Flyer, Poster, Pics of Blitzes

Action: more printed Membership forms

Other Business

Action: Kat (Treasurer) to find out what is the tax deductibility status for donations to POW

Action: Mel to scan Permablitz article in local newspaper and send to Deb

De Chantel – Set up a Permaculture Playgroup. Best to find a nonfunctioning playgroup and take it over

Janelle – easy to join Playgroup Australia for $25

Scott – look into the Braybrook Community Centre playgroup

Action: Mel to send an email to De Chantel re finding out about the Braybrook Community playgroup

Discussion re group workshop activities. Ideas where Noodle making Yoghurt making Vine leaf preserving (Kat is going to do one)

Braybrook Community centre has a community kitchen and can be used for the workshops provided at least one person present has food training skills.

Scott can help with Sunday access to Maidstone Community Centre.

N.B. With group activities at private residences, just need to let Mel know with a few weeks notice so that PcM can notify the public liability insurer.

Action: Skillshare – Kat to send an email a skillshare

How can we raise public awareness of POW?

Kat – we should have regular movie nights

De Chantel – put up posters in Seddon

Janelle – tshirt stenciling with POW logo. Black and white screen printing is easiest

Action: Bring your designs for a POW logo to the next meeting

Old Trugo site – Shaun needs to get a business plan into council by end of October

Action: Kat to email business template to Shaun

Budding workshop – date set for 13/03/10.

Action: Scott to write up letter of support for Werribee Environmental Community Park, send through to Mel who will send it onto Werribee.

Website

Action: Set up for POW reminders, and subscribing online

For the future – POW weekly updates, quarterly movies

De Chantel – Kinglake Community Fast for 40 days, starting 1/11/09 to co-incide with Copenhagen talks

Shaun – Need pledges for Western Permaculture Centre to show that it’s a viable community project. Pledge things like time, supplies, tools, maintenance etc.

Action: Shaun to send out form to Mel who will send it out to the group.

Braybrook Community centre have a tool library. They’ll show you how to use the tool as well.

Kat has a Good Life Book club catalogue – have a look at the catalogue and tell Kat if you’d like to order a book.

Action: Think of an issue that POW can put some time into and raise money

Contact Scott if you’d know of someone with an African or Asian style garden and would like to be in the Open Gardens event.

Next Meeting

Date: 28/10/09, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Location: 28 Fontein Street, West Footscray