Developing Youth Leadership in Sustainable Design
Dear supporter, thanks so much for your ongoing support of The Crossing Land Education Centre. This newsletter is chockers with stories from The Crossing over recent months and info about upcoming workshops, programs, and events.
Thanks to a significant grant from the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund (BLERF), we have been busy, busy, busy these last 18 months. In this newsletter you can read about some of new building works to improve the design of the site for fire-retardance and functionality, a year-long community leadership program that happened in 2022, the On Country Training Crew of three young Aboriginal people based at The Crossing, and our ongoing series of “fire roads” workshops developed after Black Summer.
If someone you know would benefit from this newsletter or might like to find out more about our work, please forward them this email or tell them to head to our website for future updates.
So pour yourself a cuppa and enjoy a read. If you have any questions about the programs or workshops we’re running this year, please contact us on (02) 6493 3400 or emailjosh@thecrossingland.org.au
Josh Heins,
Program Manager.
Did you know that workshops, events, and programs for young people at The Crossing are either free or available at discounted prices for fire affected families living in temporary accommodation?
Simply email josh@thecrossingland.org.au and tell us which relief/recovery centre you accessed, and we’ll send you a coupon code you can apply when booking.
If you know someone living in temporary accommodation and think they may benefit from our workshops, events, or programs for young people, please forward this newsletter to them.
Our 2023 Calendar
Free Community Workshops
Full workshop descriptions provided below
March 25, April 29: Fire-retardant Shelterbelts and Refuges
June 3: Fire Retardant Design and Cool Burning Preparation
June 24/25 Permaculture Design and Fire Preparedness. Run with John Champagne of Brogo Permaculture Gardens
Other Community Workshops
Aug 12: Heritage and Heirloom Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop ($30)
Camps for Young People
September 15-17 Landcare Wild: (yr8-9) Come along for adventure, great new friends, and to get your hands dirty planting trees and in the garden.
October 13-15 Landcare Adventure (yr6-7) Come along for an adventure, meet great new friends, and get your hands dirty planting trees and in the garden.
Half subsidies available to fire-affected young people living in temporary accommodation for BOTH youth programs(simply email josh@thecrossingland.org.auand advise us which relief/recovery centre your family accessed).
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Above: Aunty Kerry Parsons with the On Country Crew: Ruby, Ruby, and Josie at Murunna Point in 2022 |
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From the On Country Crew The On Country Crew is an opportunity for young Aboriginal people to undertake training and work experience in Conservation based out of The Crossing. We work in partnership with the Biamanga and Gulaga National Parks Boards of management, the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Organisation, and Bush Heritage Australia. Here’s a little bit of what they have to say about their experiences so far… Tell us a little bit about what you do as part of the On Country Crew? Josie: we do koala surveys, and we go to Brogo reserve to do work with bush heritage Australia. We are also doing tafe online studying a certificate 3 in conservational ecosystem management Ruby: We manage and care for the land and learn to be more sustainable. What is the best training or work experience you’ve had so far? Josie: I really enjoyed doing a 4wd course at Braidwood and I really enjoyed working with Firesticks doing cultural burns Ruby: The 4WD course and cultural burnings have been my favourite What sort of job do you think you’ll do afterwards? Josie: national parks would be my next career path Ruby: Something along the lines of National parks, something to do with caring for my land. |
Thinking About a Tax Time Donation?
The Crossing is a non-profit organisation that develops Youth Leadership in Sustainable Design. We are on the Australian Register of Environmental Organisations, and donations greater than $2 are tax deductible.
Camp insurances have tripled since 2020 to over $30 000 annually. This has a strong impact on the viability of a small one class camp like The Crossing. If you can include The Crossing Land Education Trust in your annual giving then it would make a big difference to this purposeful non-profit project serving youth and the community of South East NSW. Please also consider The Crossing in your will.
Please make donations to the following public fund account:
BSB: 641800
Account no: 200415194
Account name: The Crossing Land Education Trust Fund
**Please put your name in the notes field**
Alternatively you can donate via PayPal byclicking here. You can use PayPal to set up a recurring monthly donation to provide ongoing support for The Crossing’s mission.
Thank you for supporting our work and contributing to a more sustainable future for young people in the Bega Valley.
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Above: Participants at a FREE community workshop in 2022: Fire Retardant Shelterbelts and Refuges |
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Upcoming Workshops and Community Events @thecrossingland |
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The Crossing would like to make a special acknowledgement to Merryn Carey from South Coast Flora for her contributions in time, knowledge, and resources to our community workshops. Merryn has also made valuable contributions to the experiences of the On Country Crew. |
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Fire Retardant Shelterbelts and Refuges
10:30am-3pm Saturday 25rd March These workshops focus on plant succession in gully refuge areas to make them moister over time and to begin a transition to a temperate rainforest environment in suitable gullies. Develop your knowledge of temperate rainforest pioneer species and suitable fire-retardant tree species to help the environment recover and put more moisture back into the environment. We will plant some trees into gully environments at The Crossing during the workshop. The workshop will also demonstrate the use of swales to create moister gully-like environments closer to your home. You will need a moderate level of fitness for this workshop as we will be walking through the bush and on uneven ground. Everyone will go home with 10 fire-retardant tubestock and guards to plant in their own refuge. Lunch provided. |
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Permaculture Design and Fire Preparedness This local Economic Recovery project is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and the New South Wales Government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. 10am-3pm Saturday 24th June to Sunday 25th June FREE,Bookings essential via Eventbrite This workshop will teach you how to apply the principles of Permaculture design to fire preparation to help you make your property safer. This is a weekend workshop for property owners in fire-affected communities. This workshop will help you develop skills and knowledge to apply the principles of Permaculture to fire preparation and fire-retardant landscape design. The Crossing and Brogo Permaculture Gardens will focus on practical and real-life skills you can take back to your property or community to make changes to help us all live safer with fire. The workshop is held at Brogo Permaculture Gardens on Saturday, and at The Crossing on Sunday. Lunch is provided both days. |
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Fire-Retardant Design and Cool Burn Preparation
10:30am-3:00pm 3rd June Fire-Retardant Design and Cool Burn Preparation is a one-day workshop for property owners in fire-affected communities. This workshop will help you develop basic skills and knowledge of fire-retardant landscape design, as well as how to prepare for a cool burn on your property. If the weather permits and conditions are safe, The Crossing may demonstrate a cool burn on our site in the afternoon/early evening. Workshops at The Crossing focus on practical and real-life skills you can take back to your property or community to make changes to help us all live safer with fire. Lunch is provided. |
Participants watch during a small cool burn demonstration at the end of aFire-Retardant Design and Cool Burn Preparation workshop. We only undertake a small cool burn if weather conditions permit.
Gather ‘Round
By James Caffery
Gather ‘Round was a community leadership program run by Campfire Cooperative in 2022 and hosted at The Crossing Land. This local Economic Recovery project was jointly funded by the Commonwealth and the New South Wales Government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
When thirty people come together not knowing one another for a week, staying in a place that forces them to switch off from external life completely, and unsure of what is to come, it can be quite daunting. But, it was through great leaders guiding participants in processes that the leaders themselves are practicing, that respect was established and a community was quickly built.
Hugs were quickly the norm, and a beautifully supportive space was created allowing us to dive deep into each other’s lives, emotions and fears. Over multiple stays at The Crossing throughout the year this space and community was strengthened while we learnt methods for the Art of Hosting, Groundwork, Working with Conflict, Practicing for Peace and plenty of other incredible themes. We learnt skills to run events and hold our own spaces, and worked together to show our local communities what we had learnt.
It was incredible to see the glint in each other’s eyes when we would come together for the next round of Gather ‘Round, enjoying Bardic Circles filled with laughs and late night story telling around the fire. Even though our journey together is now officially over, we never said good bye. The community still lives and breathes and supports its members. We will meet again in the wind, whether it be as a whole or in part, and our eye’s glint will show its face. Thank you to the Campfire Crew for teaching us invaluable skills, and to The Crossing for hosting us in such an elegant way. Until next time, friends.
Heritage and Heirloom Fruit Tree Grafting Workshop @thecrossingland
11am-3pm Saturday 12th August
$30, book onlinehere
Learn how to graft fruit trees and develop your knowledge about the value of heritage and heirloom varieties. There will be rootstock ($10) and scion ($5) to purchase and graft on the day and to take home to graft onto your existing trees. If you have never grafted before, then this is a great opportunity to learn.
The workshop commences at 11am and concludes at 3pm. BYO lunch. Includes a free rootstock and grafted scion of your choice, as well as a cuppa.
The Crossing acknowledges the enormous voluntary contribution of Jasmine Bowie, who comes each year to share her extensive knowledge and contagious passion for fruit trees and grafting.
Free for fire affected families (email josh@thecrossingland.org.au and tell us which relief or recovery centre you accessed) and all funds raised go to The Crossing to support our mission of developing youth leadership for sustainable design.
