Lisa's personal introduction (copied from Facebook)

About me:

I am 46, live in Williamstown with my 14-year-old child Eris and our housemate Mary (who is also Eris's other mum), and a couple of ridiculous small dogs. I am a contractor and consultant specialising in technical writing, information architecture and knowledge management. I like weird things, knitting and playing video games.

Eris and Mary are in love with Melbourne so it would probably just be the dogs and me looking to move to the new community. In 4 or 5 years Eris will probably be ready to live independently and that's when I will want to start living full-time in the community. Between now and then, I'll do all I can to thrash out ideas about how things could work, and take practical steps to make it happen.

This is something I've thought about for years. I've been especially interested in natural building, tiny and small houses, and co-housing, but they have been daydreams for various reasons. The catalysts in recent weeks have been:
1. Learning more about permaculture and being totally fired up by it.
2. Getting some significant medical diagnoses (diabetes and liver disease) and starting treatment, which has resulted in my health actually getting better for the first time in quite a few years, yay!

My ideal community is diverse, inclusive and supportive. Everyone in the community would live according to permaculture ethics:
1. Care for the Earth.
2. Care for people.
3. Share the surplus.

The community would make decisions mostly by consensus, and have a system for resolving conflicts. There would be a variety of living options, so that some people could live close to the centre in tiny houses, co-housing and co-ops, and others could live more independently on larger homesteads a little further out. There would be more common land in the community than privately held land, but some land would be held privately so that those who prefer freedom to do their own thing without consultation could do so.

Personally I'd want to live in a small straw bale house near the centre of the community. At first most of my time would be involved in getting the community growing and functioning effectively. I need to learn lots more about community building, construction, permaculture, management, finances, argh so much stuff boy I hope we can attract people to the community who know more about this stuff than me!

As I get closer to retirement, I'd want to shift more towards working in a small textile studio, working with fibre grown on the property (alpaca, flax, hemp (if possible), wool), dyed with plant dyes, spun, woven, knitted, felted, all that kind of stuff.

I have not previously been much of an organiser of anything. I am more surprised than perhaps I should've been at the reaction to this proposal, and the interest from people who don't even know me personally. Crikey. I will do my best to make stuff happen but this is all new to me. Please be patient if I get things wrong, and give me your honest feedback. Feel free to start discussions and make suggestions like you own the place, because you DO, as much as anyone else does.