Gimlets, Raspberry Jam, Sugar Gums and York Gums

These are the species of tree we planted yesterday at Yaraandoo, a rural property and permaculture farm near Toodyay, about an hour’s drive from Perth. “Not endemic to the area,” we were told. In fact these trees are specific to the the abutting northern region, but changing climate may see them move southward. The exercise was part of a day long contemplative experience on creation spirituality and “the environment as a journey of faith”. Yaraandoo itself is a practical and continuously developing example of such a journey that has taken several decades. Ange and Jeff Sturman, the owners and our day’s hosts, have been developing the property for some time as a positive and proactive ecological statement since some time before the term “global warming” found popular currency.  As a retired environmental scientist/engineer and Anglican priest, Jeff is well equipped to assist those attending their faith journey to expand awareness towards environmental challenges, offering a taste of a lifestyle that “has a Benedictine flavour, with Ignation lacings, and eco spirituality preservative!” You can see an article on Yaraandoo in the Anglican Messenger (March, 2009), page 20.