An invitation 

On Saturday night when Antony Green called the referendum I thought to myself, I don’t know my country at all.

But actually, I know my country well.

We’ve been here before…

…I think back to 2019 when we re-elected Scomo after scaring us that electric cars were the end of the Aussie weekend.

I think back to 2001 & 2004 when we re-elected John Howard afraid of the asylum seekers he said threw their children overboard.  

I think back to 1997 and the gutting of the Mabo and Wik decisions because we were told we’d lose our suburban backyards to greedy traditional owners.

I think back to these times and how cleverly our politicians used our fears as a means for their own ends.

Each time it happened  I despaired and wanted to escape up to the Dargo High Plains, where we’d build a rammed earth house and live away from all the fear happily eating our bogon moth puttanesca.

But each time I’d shake myself out of my sorry state, shamed into action by people who measure their struggles in decades and keep turning up because it’s the right thing to do.

Shamed by people like Jo-Ann Bragg, who gave up her career in commercial law in 1992 to join the Environmental Defenders Office and stop Australia’s largest corporations from polluting our country and our climate.

Shamed by Kon Karapanagiotidis who, since 2001, has stood up to institutional fearmongering to provide justice and dignity for people seeking asylum.

Shamed by Tagalaka man, Victor Stefferson, author of Fire Country, who despite decades of being dismissed, teaches First Nations communities and now fire authorities how to protect native landscapes with cultural burns.

All show me that when our leaders paralyse positive change by injecting fear, that it’s up to the rest of us to ask, “What can I do?”

So what can I, a green grocer, do? 

This is my list so far – sell more products from Aboriginal owned businesses, engage cultural trainers to come speak to us, provide a platform for Indigenous farmers on our socials, actually do that reconciliation action plan, learn more language than wominjeka, acknowledge country better and do whatever I can to make reconciliation so normal and everyday that the fear goes away.

The last line of The Statement of the Heart reads, “We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.”

This is an invitation to all of us, I don’t think we have to wait for our politicians to accept it first.

Great job going at Fair Wood

CERES Fair Wood is looking for a new manager.

This is a great opportunity to join CERES’ timber social enterprise as Fair Wood transitions from a start-up to a serious timber business.

Five years ago Fair Wood had one employee selling a few packs of timber out of a shared space. 

From the outset Fair Wood built strong supplier and customer relationships, stocking a unique range of timbers for building, furniture making, and landscaping. 

Now located in a dedicated 1500 sqm warehouse in Preston, the growing Fair Wood team connects Australian agro-foresters, local and salvage saw millers with green architects, builders, woodworkers and DIY’ers looking for socially & environmentally responsible timber.

One of Fair Wood’s values is proudly being able to tell its customers where every stick of timber we sell comes from. 

This role is about building on what’s been achieved and taking Fair Wood’s impact to the next level. 

Sound like you here’s the link – applications close 26th October

Have a great week

Chris