HOME PDCs  APT
WORKSHOPS ABOUT US LINKS CONTACT US

CYDONIA PERMACULTURE

PDC Tutors

Our great range of enthusiastic and experienced tutors includes:

David Holmgren

David Holmgren is best known as the co-originator with Bill Mollison of the permaculture concept following the publication of "Permaculture One" in 1978. Since then he has written several more books, developed three properties using permaculture principles, conducted workshops and courses in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, USA, Israel, Italy, France, Britain, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. He has consulted and supervised on urban and rural projects in Australia and New Zealand. Within the growing and international permaculture movement, David is respected for his commitment to presenting permaculture ideas through practical projects and teaching by personal example, that a sustainable lifestyle is a realistic, attractive and powerful alternative to dependent consumerism. At home (Melliodora in Hepburn, Central Victoria), David is the vegetable gardener, silviculturalist and builder. The Fryers Forest Eco-village, also in central Victoria, has been a major project in recent years, where he performed many roles including planner and project manager. As well as constant involvement in the practical side of permaculture, David is passionate about the philosophical and conceptual foundations for sustainability, the focus of his seminal book Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.  David H will be running sessions on permaculture principles and ethics, fuel futures, reading the landscape, landscapes and climates as well hosting tours to Melliodora and Spring Creek.

Beck Lowe

Beck Lowe first became interested in permaculture as a positive solution after spending much time protesting and focusing on the negative. She completed a PDC in 1994 in Melbourne and received her Diploma of Permaculture in 2006 by RPL. Her original background was in science with a bachelor degree majoring in zoology. She and her husband Mark own and manage a forty acre permaculture farm, Tukkadjungul, in central Victoria, about which she has written a self-published book. She is also the Project Coordinator at Gravel Hill Gardens in Bendigo - running a community garden and community supported agriculture (CSA) scheme, looking after and expanding an integrated permaculture system, providing training, managing workers. As well as the farm, they also run Cydonia Permaculture.  When time allows she loves writing, reading and spending time with her menagerie. Beck will be the facilitator on this course as well as running sessions on various topics and leading the tour of Tukkadjungul.

David-Arnold
David Arnold is a designer, teacher and permaculture activist who works from Violet Town in NE Victoria.  He is presently working towards planning approval to realise his design for a permaculture community subdivision at Murrnong, and is active in local community development, localisation, in preparation for energy descent.  He is also active in organising learning events and facilitated group processes for the Violet Town Action Group, and the Violet Town Seedsavers and Permaculture Group. Murrnong is an 8ha property on the edge of the Violet Town township.  Since 1995, while developing the Murrnong property, David has operated a permaculture planning and contracting business which has planned and managed a broad range of projects across NE and North Central Victoria.  Those projects have included planting more than a million trees over very diverse sites, and contributing to the development of a regional farm forestry resource through the management of farm forestry sawlog plantations. He has experience with low irrigation tree crops such as olives, stone pine, and bunya pine, and has provided professional assistance to many smaller scale home self-reliance permaculture projects.  In 2006 he lead the design and planting of the Violet Town Community Forest, an example of analogue forestry, designed to mimic the structure and functions of native forest. Through all of these projects David has gained a tremendous range of planning and practical experience, and has an extensive understanding of the landscapes of the region. David Arnold first taught permaculture in 1991 at CERES in Melbourne.  He then taught agriculture and other subjects at Worawa Aboriginal College in the Yarra Valley for 3 years.  While there he worked with Graeme George to establish permaculture courses in the Yarra Valley. "You are an excellent permaculture teacher/mentor and I am truly grateful for the heaps of insight, inspiration and knowledge that you have imparted." - Kareen, Colorado (permaculture student). David A will be running sessions on design and leading the tour of Murrong. 

The Wholistic Life Ian Lillington
Ian Lillington first heard about permaculture when working on an inner-city farm in Liverpool, England in the 1980s. Soon he was involved in the international permaculture network, applying its principles and practices to house and garden design and community development. Ian began teaching permaculture on a Permaculture Design Course in 1992 (in Manchester, UK), and then moved to Hepburn Springs, Australia to work with David Holmgren (co-originator of the permaculture concept), and continued teaching at his demonstration home in Willunga and at the Food Forest, both in South Australia. Now living in Castlemaine, Central Victoria, Ian is active in a town where ‘re-localisation’ is well underway, with a very active Sustainability Group, and is employed as a project manager to assist with the development of small-scale housing clusters and other sustainability initiatives. Ian helped establish the Accredited Permaculture Training (APT) program [between 2002 and 2006] and has also edited books by David Holmgren. He has recently released his own book The Holistic Life. Ian will be running the initial introduction and history session on permaculture.

Su Dennett

Su Dennett, David Holmgren's partner in life and livelihood is the publications, office, kitchen and animal manager at Melliodora. She is also a director of Fryers Forest Research and Development, active in local community planning issues and is a qualified Italian language interpreter & translator. Her commitment and energy in pursuing a low impact, simple lifestyle is legendary in permaculture circles. Su will be having her own input into the Melliodora tour, as well as a session on household stratergies.


Other members of our tutoring team include:

Richard Telford www.permacultureprinciples.com
Phil Bourne - Commonground www.common-ground.org.au
Brian Hosking - Eaglehawk Stephanie Alexander School Garden
Mark Hooke - Cydonia Permaculture
Adam Grubb - Energy Futures and Permablitz

HOME PDCs  APT
WORKSHOPS ABOUT US LINKS CONTACT US