Designer

I love collaboration and have worked with a range of people of different ages, cultures and lifestyles.  

I have had an interest in design, building and gardening since childhood and began exploring Permaculture in 1992 when I was part of the catering team for an annual Permaculture Design Certificate run by David Holmgren, the co-founder of the Permaculture movement, and Su Dennet.  This was a 2 week intensive residential course in Hepburn Springs. I worked on 9 courses with them between 1992 and 2000.

My qualifications include a Permaculture Design Certificate, a Certificate 3 and Certificate 4 in Permaculture and a Diploma of Landscape Design (completed in 2021) as well as various short courses in Permaculture and building, including a short course on toxicology related to building.

I have been a vegan since 1991. From 1992 – 2002 I managed and cooked at Continental Guest House, a vegetarian guest house which housed a vegan, mostly whole food, café and catering business, with an interest in using local, seasonal foods.  I have always gardened vegan-organically and can offer guidance on vegan soil fertility (i.e. how to garden without the use of animal manure and other animal-based fertility sources) if that is of interest.  It is important to mention that many of my clients are not vegan or vegetarian so I add this as relevant only to clients who do require this specialised advice.

The ethics and safety of building and landscaping materials have been at the forefront for me most of my life. I designed and owner built my own house, completed in 2002, and landscaped my own property (1997 to ongoing), using secondhand, sustainable, local, non-toxic and ethical building materials wherever possible. My early interest in non-toxic materials stems from severe and debilitating eczema in my teens which I managed to end through changes to my diet and lifestyle.  My interest in environmentally friendly, second-hand and local building materials is based on my urge to do the right thing by the world and wanting to build on a budget.

While the functionality of landscapes and buildings is important to me, aesthetic considerations are very high on my list also and I practise or have practised a range of arts and crafts that inform my landscape designs. .

In 2021 I was employed at Daylesford Dharma School as a Buddhist gardener, focusing on the precepts of mindful consumption and reverence for life.  I was part of a collaborative project at the school that designed and then created a meditation garden, including a tea garden and outdoor classroom space, and was/am currently involved in design, installation and maintenance work in their kitchen garden and various other projects in the school grounds.