Shearwater’s incredible site is one of our School’s greatest learning resources and a new generation of farmers and gardeners are bringing fresh energy and ideas which have the potential to transform the School’s biodynamic Farm and gardens, over the coming years, into a thriving, regenerative system, that is fully integrated into the curriculum.

Renata Uchoa De Oliveira, Callan Terry and Kenji Kuwahata (pictured above L to R), have all come on board this year (although not the first time for Renata).

The Farm and gardens, in line with our 2025 theme, Becoming, are evolving. There is much work to be done to rein in the feral drift, familiar to all of us with our own farms and gardens in this subtropical, and changing, climate, and to plan for more change ahead. But the feeling is one of excitement and potential as Farm Manager, Callan, explains the deep process of enquiry that has formed the backbone of the work underway on the Farm in the first half of this year.

“This stage has involved lots of observing, so we can get the form right. The foundations are good in terms of biomass, canopy and pioneer species. Now we are formulating a longer-term plan for the primary forest and edible landscape. It needs to have longevity – which means well thought-out integrated systems, executed well.”

Kenji is an expert on trees and perennials so his focus is the food forest. Winter crops such as lettuce, kale and broccoli, as well as new plantings of strawberry guava and tamarind are just the beginning. “These kind of familiar vegetables don’t thrive here in summer. We need to start to integrate a more regional diet, with Asian, African and South American crops in the summer season.”

Making our Farm more resilient and sustainable aligns with the regenerative impulse of the School and Steiner education. As does Renata’s work with bush regeneration and in the Primary School gardens, where she works with the students on activities, like weeding, mulching and planting. “The children love to join in the work in the garden. Working together is much more fun and creates a feeling of connection to the land and a sense of responsibility for it.”

According to Callan, next year we will start to see more production. Once we can meet the demands of the food tech classes and events, surplus can start to feed into the canteen and a market stall for the school community.

A closed-loop system is also high on Callan’s agenda, using the waste from the School’s green bins to make compost. The SRC is also keen to get this initiative off the ground, with new signage and student education planned to minimise green bin contamination.

“Integration into the education is fundamental to all of our decision-making,” says Callan. “We want the capacity to engage as many students as possible in the process of making potting mix, raising seeds, preparing beds, planting, harvesting and preparing food, in a way that isn’t heavy on resources. It’s a long-sighted plan!”