What have we been upto?

Farming Camp 13th-17th November

On Monday the 13th November the year 9 Steiner class set off for a week of fun and work in the Otways. Every year the year 9 class goes on a Farming camp, to apply what we have learned in our Biodynamics work with Ken Killeen. We visit farms, work where needed and celebrate the end of a big year. We were all looking forward to spending time amongst big lush trees and seeing the sea.

We set off bright and early on Monday morning, stopping at Colac to stock up on food and do some op-shopping. By the time we arrived at our camp site and set up tents, we were all very hot and ran to the pool. After a dip the first food group made dinner; all of us were divided into groups and needed to prepare a lunch and a dinner for everyone else.

On Tuesday we visited a Biodynamic dairy farm. The farmer showed us around his property; we ‘met’ his cows and he answered lots of questions about applying Biodynamics to a farm. He was interesting and kind. He changed his farm from a traditional dairy farm, and stopped using pesticides and began to use Biodynamic formulas after his father died of cancer. His milk is sold with organic milks all over Australia. It was interesting to hear about the ideas we had been discussing in class applied to the real world. We ate lots of grapefruits from his tree, drank lemonade and then went back to the pool.A huge storm came through that afternoon, so we had to secure our tents.

We visited the Otway Fly on Wednesday, and walked amongst the most beautiful trees, including the tallest flowering plant in the world. We had lunch at Triplet Falls went for a walk to the waterfall. As it was still very warm we went to Johanna beach, where most of the boys perfected their backflips. A huge storm came through that afternoon, so we had to secure our tents. That night we had a trivia night, which got quite heated but was lots of fun.

Thursday was a favourite day for many of us. Despite some of us getting VERY wet overnight (and needing to sleep in cars) we were happy that the weather had changed, and set off for Otway Herb Farm. This is also a Biodynamic farm, sitting high up in the hills. It is the most magic place- the morning was misty and cool and we sat in the owners beautiful hand-made house drinking tea and doing assorted jobs for her, for example stripping lavender and packing herbal tea into paper bags to sell. Most importantly we also made some 500, an organic fertiliser. This needs to be stirred for one hour by hand, so we took turns. It was lovely sitting in the wooden house, with views over the valley, listening to students play the guitar and harp amongst the scent of lavender. After the 500 was made, we flicked it onto the garden, to be absorbed during the afternoon. That night we had dinner at Steph’s house- she is a committed Biodynamic user, who previously owned a protea farm. Her new house in Apollo Bay was where we made and ate dinner, followed by a music night, where students performed solo and group acts. It was one of the most memorable days we have experienced this year.

We left Friday after taking down our tents and cleaning up the campsite and kitchen. This camp was excellent. We bonded as a class and learned lots about Biodynamics. The people we met were so friendly and knowledgeable, and were happy to share their experiences and wisdom. An amazing camp!

The Year 9 Steiner class.

Give Peace a Chance

Tuesday 31st October

Not even the weather could dampen our spirits. The music was loud, the herbal tea was warm, the docile pounding of the drums echoed in our ears, and strangely, the kale we nibbled was quite addictive. What was so important about Tuesday 31st of October you ask? Peace day.

In 1970, when the Vietnam War was being fought, the first Australian peace Moratorium came about in the streets of Melbourne and other capital cities. Hordes of peaceful protesters (including our dear friend and famous librarian, Russel Mooney) marched their way through the streets before the climax was reached, in the mass sit down of over 160,000 people.

In the spirit of peace, we re-enacted our very own peace day, which included many peaceful activities, such as sing-a-longs, yoga, 70s dress up, and finally a peaceful sit-down activity in a Year 10 classroom.

The experience was exhilarating, eye opening and characteristic of the peaceful movements being conducted in the 1970’s.

Holly Showell-Roche & Ben Marney