Regenerative Farming: Where it all finally made sense.
August at Wakelyns Farm has been more than a retreat; it’s been an unexpected convergence of the journey points that have shaped my life. With its deep roots in sustainable farming and community, this farm has become where all the strands of my past and future align.
A Morning Ritual
Every morning, I embark on a 30-minute circular walk around the farm to my sit spot, a morning ritual of grounding that sustains me. As I walk, I remember the quiet childhood I once knew. One of seven siblings, where making space for others was paramount. Every Saturday morning, our father walked us kids into the bush — my first nature connection. Life was loving, nurturing and simple in a small Australian town.
Yet, as I left home, I discovered a different side of myself that had room now to be expressed. Curious, independent, and rebellious. I needed the activity of a city and the promise of travel to expand my mind and heart. Here at Wakelyns, both aspects of me find harmony in the natural rhythms of this land, and a new acceptance of myself is empowering.
The dawn greets me as I step out of my pod each morning, and I meet the hazel rows. I walk past crops of fruits and vegetables in this agroforestry paradise towards the towering oak trees in the corner of the farm, their presence evoking a sense of deep calm. I find myself recalling the stability I found in school, a place where leadership and learning were nurtured and enjoyed and the variety, if not always deep, friendships I formed.
Biodiversity and a Legacy of Learning
Later in the day, the hot sun draws out butterflies, bees, and dragonflies, thriving in the rich biodiversity that Wakelyns fosters, and this perspective ignites past life-changing memories when new perspectives entered my world for the first time. Memories from 1984 when I first encountered human rights abuses in Australian Indigenous communities. It revealed a new world a perspective I had not known. Now I knew, my interest in politics and community as a pathway for change was ignited. Indigenous friendships also opened my world to a new way of living and being in community and family. Those experiences opened me to an interconnectedness in people and all beings that was entirely new. It planted a seed that took the next three decades to mature.
Across the hedge, as I walk this farm each morning, the neighbour’s treeless monoculture stands in stark contrast, much like the stark difference I felt when I discovered organic farming in 1998. That discovery led to my second business, manufacturing organic baby products. It was revolutionary at the time and yet I was somehow comfortable in being different.
It was as transformative as the spiritual awakening I experienced travelling in New Zealand and Tasmania in the late nineteen eighties. Those travels resulted in my first conscious experience of the outstanding beauty of nature and the depth of connection that I felt; it was a new sense of home that was confusing as much as compelling. I knew this was more important to life, yet I needed to earn a living; it was a challenging time to know that depth of beauty while navigating a career. The exposure to outdoor, simple living was revelatory, but I could not see how my natural leadership fitted into this new paradigm for a long time.
This feeling comes alive again here at Wakelyns. Memories of my father taking us on bushwalks when I was tiny came flooding in; it was he who first connected me to nature as a foundation. I recall later in my late teens, chanting in circles around fires at festivals, a moment when seeds of connection were planted with Mother Earth. In this moment of grounding every morning here at Wakelyns, the chants return effortlessly for the first time in decades as I became aware of the knowledge in the living systems around me here.
An Oasis of Connection and Reflection
Wakelyns is more than a farm; it’s a living, breathing legacy of sustainable practice and a hub for learning and connection. When I think back to 1995 and the influence of Jean Leidloff on my understanding of connection and parenting, I see how those insights have come full circle here. Wakelyns is a community that lives those values daily, where every relationship — whether with the land, animals, or people — is nurtured with care and intention alongside life-affirming principles.
Similarly, the influence of Anita Roddick in 1998, which inspired me to enter the business world with a conscience, finds its expression in the enterprises flourishing here. Small farmers are driven by purpose and connection. Money is essential for living, but everyone is conscious that if profit becomes the only motive, then living systems are compromised. The work at Wakelyns, whether through the bakery, the vegetable rows, or the new crops like hemp alongside the community festivals that bring people together, embodies the true principles of regenerative business.
Community and Collaboration
Wakelyns thrives on collaboration, much like the partnerships I’ve valued throughout my life. The educational opportunities, research projects, and community events all represent a shared vision for a better future. My time here, especially the joy of volunteering at the Dal Festival, has shown me how food and music can unite diverse groups and celebrate heritage and diversity, just as my life’s journey has woven disparate threads into a coherent whole.
Reflecting on My Journey
Moving from the simple pod with easy access to the night stars into the 500-year-old farmhouse this week, I’m struck by how this simple move mirrors a well-travelled life path for me. It is a journey from collaboration and quietude to exploration, rebellion, and a deep reconnection with my roots. This farm is where all those experiences — family, school, human rights, spirituality, organic farming, connection, and business — come together, expressing my own regeneration.
I’ve been walking this path for a while, but there is a sense of fruition here that is not so much completion as a culmination of ideas.
