After the upheaval of this year, this moment of reflection is surprisingly pleasing and worthy of gratitude. The unpredictable trading patterns, staff changes and shortages, unseasonal weather, program disruptions, isolation and re-planning seemed relentless. In spite of this, the evidence of new skills, triumphs and belonging to a community are all around us. How wonderful to be able to say that we have remained true to our core purpose of maximising each participant and resident’s capacity for self-determination, creativity and contribution.

In no particular order, here are some examples of our community members making their mark:

• Ben and Kieran have been involved in numerous tasks on the farm including cropping out vegetable beds, collecting materials for composting, hand watering new transplants with liquid fertilisers and weeding.
• Miguel has been looking after the strawberries on Fridays, making sure everything is harvested before the weekend.
• Oscar has helped accumulate biomass for compost by turning older crops with woody stems and dried out branches into a useable mulch that will break down quickly.
• Teams of students from our Specialist School have weighed and packed seasonal organic produce boxes for co-op members.
• Robert has diligently packed and taken deliveries to co-op collection points.
• Ben, Sergio and James have loaded a van full of fresh produce and enjoyed the lovely drive to Billabong Retreat in Maraylya.
• Michael, Ben and Zac have had a go at baking delicious organic sourdough bread.
• Various cheerful crews have taken turns to clean the bakery each week and to care for our flock of chooks.

The list just goes on and on. Pictured is a basket of love and gratitude bearing the names of our community members.