At the 2021 AGM, Permaculture Tasmania announced Heather Gaia Thorpe is one of this years new Life Members in recognition of her outstanding contribution to permaculture in Tasmania. Congratulations Heather!
Heather has been teaching for decades all around Tasmania since the 1990s. She has aught 11 intros through Adult Ed/ U3A and Urban farming and even one at a TAFE Horticulture Course.
Today, as a retiree Heather still contributes her skills and knowledge to the community through practical workshops. Heather has a passion for upcycled clothing and is involved in many projects and programs in the northwest as a volunteer. Heather taught Fabric Mask Making using skills gained during her Teacher of Fashion Tafe Training and personally made 4000 masks. Studying Textile Science during the Course gave her the skills to design a mask with high protection.
Heather has and continues to be involved in:
-Teaching permaculture related workshops such as gardening, compost etc.
-Seed Savers network in the northwest, ssaving seed and helping to maintain the community seed banks in the northwest.
-Repair Cafe – runs a monthly Repair Cafe at RESEED Centre in Penguin
-Sewing Workshops – teaching upcycling clothing, cloth pads and nappies
-Permaculture Tasmania North West Facebook group co-moderator helping to share information with permies and those looking to learn
Heather previously helped run Urban Farming a statewide network for sharing seed.
Heather grew up on a farm and was introduced to a homesteading/ permaculture life as a young child which she has carried through to her adult years. When she first read a PC book her comment was “So there’s a name for this”.
She consistently displays her altruistic approach to sharing knowledge and skills and is a strong community advocate.
Read about our other amazing Life Members announced for 2021 here.