Stories From: Mid Mountains

Sitting in half shade, half sun on the veranda of his Lawson home, Phil Somerville tells me that juxtaposition is an effective tool for cartoonists: “Putting two unlikely things together can spawn an almost original idea”.

Agroforestry around the world is demonstrating a promising solution for reducing the climate crisis. In a recent hands-on workshop in Hazelbrook, participants created a food forest and learnt how they could ‘bend time’ by accelerating its growth to help create a fertile earth for all organisms to survive.

Belle Butler visited Lawson Public School during Nude Food Week - an annual event that encourages families to pack school lunches without single-use packaging. The event promotes minimising plastic waste and opting for healthy food choices.

A ‘Battle of the Bands’ may conjure up fierce rivalries and competitive theatrics, but contestants and audiences at the 2023 MYST Youth Festival last month, were bound by mutual awe at the exceptional talent on display.

There is something delightful about opening up a used book. The dog-eared folds of interrupted chapters, the smudges of thumbed pages, the rushed scribbles of another reader’s thoughts... Explore Hazelbrook's RoseyRavelson bookshop here.

Twenty years ago the hanging swamps of North Lawson were being churned up by 4WDs and motorbikes. The passion of local residents saved them - discover their story here.

Lawson writer and publisher Sharon Baldwin has written a series of children’s books based on the unique subject matter of permaculture. Read her story here.

Lyttleton functions as a deft weaver, drawing in large numbers of individuals via open days, workshops, and events such as this year’s Thread Fair. It succeeds in creating something greater – the stronger mesh of community.

Bullaburra resident, and long-time EV advocate Alan Wardrop, switched over to an EV Nissan Leaf two years ago and has no regrets. He took me through the mechanics of it all.

Belle and Hamish from the Planetary Health Initiative meet up with South Lawson Bushcare volunteers, Peter Ardill and Erst Carmichael. They talk about ecological restoration, volunteering and South Lawson Bushcare's origins.