My love of making something of beauty from next to nothing stems from a history of making do and of making it up as you go along.

I grew up on a dairy farm in the small farming village of Byaduk in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. Our farm was small and rich with the diversity of rolling hills, lush green in winter and golden brown in summer. The flat, flooding, black mud, swamp lands were fringed by rambling volcanic lava flows that harboured the most exquisite lichens and mosses and plantlife that withstood the pioneering farming practices and prospered in their wild refuge.

The farm produced cream for butter in the early 1900's . The cream was carted to a local butter factory. In the later 1900's milk was the key produce, supplemented with a range of animals for meat including pigs for home cured and smoked meats, lamb , poultry and eels from the creek. The farm transitioned to beef production in the 1990's. Our gardens were large and fed us year round with nutritious fresh and preserved vegetables and fruit.

It is from this early community way of life that CPP takes the life lessons of collaboration and the ingenuity of connected communities to make something more than the sum of their parts. It is in this small village, nestled in a lava strewn valley, between the seaside of Port Fairy and the Great Dividing Range of Dunkeld, that the old bluestone church and baltic pine hall provide spaces for free flowing contemplative, creative practice and a venue to bring people together to celebrate culture and place.

The food culture is based on a vegetable diet to be as inclusive as possible and the celebrate the rich production of the volcanic soils and its benefits for well being.

CPP runs semi-regular events in music and the arts to bring community together to enjoy company and conversation. We also provide specialist skills in group facilitation, art making, learning and teaching, environmental awareness and management we provide a suite of services to enhance the well being of the Western District of Victoria and beyond.

 

CPP can assist you or your organisation in any stage of cultural project development;

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• special rural venue for hire: historic stone church and hall complex

• artist in residence program: cottage accommodation aligned to the old church

• creative arts Community of Practice

• workshop facilitation

• funding submissions

• strategic planning

• evaluation and action research

• mentoring and coaching 

• report writing