My life interest is to contribute to establishing what Rudolf Steiner referred to as a Threefold Social Order, a social order that reflects our individual human nature in the necessities of our community living where
- the creativity and thinking of each individual is free
- the physical requirements of life are arranged by those with the necessary skills working in association
- the rights of all are in accord with how others are affected
I work as a biodynamic educator presenting at workshops around Australia providing growers with clear and practical methods for adopting biodynamics as a cost-effective way to produce high quality food and fibre, while simultaneously regenerating the environment. Biodynamics places the individual farmer at the centre of an activity that calls for great understanding of the complexities of life on a farm. This encompasses relationships within and between the soil, plants, animals and the cosmos. To contain and foster these relationships requires a generosity of spirit combined with a refined discipline and long-term Will. We equally need these qualities to inspire and advance the manifestation of a threefold social order.
Biodynamics comes to Australia shaped through our European consciousness and practices. It has long been my ambition that a number of experienced biodynamic practitioners, who understand the cosmic context of this work, will develop the skills and language to forge meaningful dialogue with Elders of the original cultures of this continent and contribute to an appropriate way forward for agriculture in Australia into the future.
Background
I grew up on a family grazing property at Braidwood on the Southern Tablelands of NSW. After a quality education, which did not awaken or inspire my spirit, and some world travels, I returned to the farm in 1972 where I was introduced to biodynamics and the work of Rudolf Steiner through my brother. This set me on a life journey of questioning and revising and redeveloping everything that I had sleep-walked through during my formative years.
I have now been a student of Rudolf Steiner’s spiritual science for nearly fifty years and continue to be energised by Steiner’s expansive worldview and the amazing potential in becoming human. During the early stages of this new journey, I benefitted from two decades of access to courses and workshops in art, music, eurythmy, health, agriculture, education, science, medicine, nutrition, economy, biography, projective geometry offered from and informed through a spiritual scientific perspective. These events left me hungry for more in ways that I had not experienced in my formal education.
To see life as a future calling us out of the present is, in my experience, to participate as a member of a global community, where each one has an individual and significant role to play. The question becomes whether we can together help each other to awaken through our interactions. What conditions can we create to enable and ennoble ourselves and humanity to reach our full potential?
The more I study spiritual science the clearer it becomes that life is about understanding, maintaining and evolving our individuality as part of a global community.
None of this will come easily, or even without error or pain, but there are positive changes happening, even in a corrupted world – it is the overcoming of corruption that is the motivating challenge for me.
Work experiences and interests
Economic Wool Producers; changed the industry by introducing sale by sample and description, taken for granted today.
The Demeter Bakery in Sydney. In the 1970’s we had the first wholly biodynamic bakery in Australia with wholemeal, yeast free breads. We also exported the first biodynamic wheat out of Australia. It was the first commercial use of a controlled the atmosphere carbon dioxide insect control method developed by the CSIRO and now a widely used grain storage method.
Blackthorn Trust, UK, where I spent 6 years working with chronically and mentally ill people as bakery/café supervisor,
Biodynamic Agriculture Australia, where I was chairman and then invited to become CEO
Established Biodynamics2024 in 2009 with the objective that biodynamics become the farming method of choice in Australia by 2024
Sharing in the founding of Heartwood
Contact: bio2024@bigpond.com
Mob: 0412 862 823