There is a
large number of small landholdings in the SW corner of WA and
it is growing. They range from less than an acre to mini-farms
of over a hundred hectares. Some come from generations of
farmers, some are novices who felt the need for a new
lifestyle. Some want to make their plot into a wildlife
sanctuary, some look at it as a commercial enterprise.
What we all have in
common, though, is that we all own a piece of earth and we
don't fit the traditional farming pattern of large farms. We
all have responsibilities to our neighbours and the towns we
live in (or near) in terms of things like biosecurity and fire
safety. There is such a lot to know and do. We need to
band together as small landholders to help other people like
ourselves.
As
mentioned before, in
1999 this group began. Our first meeting was
in September when the founders from the York Small-Land group
explained what they had done and the ups and downs of running their
organisation. It can best be summarised as rewarding,
productive and a lot of hard work.
The meeting
then divided into smaller groups to talk about their special areas
of interest. It led to vigorous and enthusiastic discussions
that covered a diversity of subjects from starting co-operatives for
niche growers to the best way of returning your land to
nature. The one thing that everyone agreed on was the need for
our own small landholders' group.
So we
began. Where are we now
headed? Well, that is up to us, the members.
The committee might have great plans but we need your
support. The most important thing you can do is to
fill out the membership form and join our group.
We need to know what you want from us.
Our hope is
that this will be a group where we can learn from each other.
Everybody has something of value to contribute. We all have
knowledge, experience and enthusiasm that we can share with each
other - by talking, writing an article or hosting a field day.
To further our knowledge we will have workshops where we bring
people with expertise to teach us.
Ultimately,
we aim to help you get the best out of your piece of
land. We can meet socially or bring people together who want
to form cooperative ventures. We can do almost anything, but
we need your help. Mostly, the Group aims to be
highly responsive to the needs of its members, who determine the
content of the proposed yearly program of events.
