I’m passionate about all things Permaculture and been teaching, designing, writing, presenting, pioneering and living it since doing my PDC in 1983. Since then I’ve taught 115 PDCs internationally including co-teaching the first PDC in India with Bill Mollison in 1987. My permaculture work has taken me to USA, Germany, France, India, Indonesia/Bali, Malaysia, Fiji, Brazil, Cuba, Taiwan, New Zealand and all over Australia including work with remote Aboriginal communities.

Was based in Sydney 1984-89 teaching , designing, networking, organised APC-2 and set up a Permaculture hub called the EPICentre in Enmore (now Alfalfa Food Co-op). 1987 took on editing of the Permaculture International Journal from Terry White & founded Permaculture International Ltd. Bill Mollison played an important role as my mentor in these formative permie years.
In 1989 I moved to northern NSW and a few years later established Djanbung Gardens Permaculture education centre, where I continue to live and work.

Community and participatory process has been a passion since late ‘70’s, and have worked with many intentional communities and ecovillage projects as designer & consulting on governance systems. Designed Jarlanbah Permaculture Hamlet, NSW’s first community title & eco-village development in early ‘90s, and with Peter Cuming wrote new sustainable Rural Settlement Guidelines (based on my Eco-Social Matrix framework) for NSW Dept of Planning, which received state and national planning awards. I continue to be involved in local community initiatives in Nimbin and Northern Rivers bioregion and local Bundjalung people.

Education is my other big passion, empowering people as effective agents of change with knowledge and skills to make a difference in the world. I love the PDC, but soon realised that many need more than a 72-hour crash course. In the early ‘90s I began developing curricula and teaching advanced short courses in design and consulting skills, Teacher Training, Sustainable Aid, and Design for Sustainable Human Settlements, Community & Ecovillages.

In 1993 a national discussion began on formally accrediting Permaculture courses with Australian accreditation authorities. 10 years later I was part of the team that developed the APT - Accredited Permaculture Training™, got it accredited and trained the trainers. APT provides national vocational qualifications (trade certificates & diploma) with equal focus on skills and theory training. Much of my current focus is on delivering the APT Cert III, IV and Diploma programs and internships at Djanbung Gardens through Permaculture College Australia, training a new generation of skilled and competent Permaculture practitioners, teachers and professionals (see www.permaculture.com.au).

Some of my other work involves mentoring and being on advisory boards (e.g. IDEP, Gaia University, Learnscapes Foundation, Taiwan Permaculture Institute etc), and enjoying simply walking the talk – gardening, cooking, bamboo building, gourd crafting, edible landscaping, coexisting with the wildlife and delving into druidic Celtic wisdoms and earth-based spirituality. When time permits I still love singing, song-writing and composing luscious nature-inspired ambient soundscapes (Robyn Francis EarthSong)

More info, full resume go to www.permaculture.com.au

BP (Before Permaculture) I was lucky to be raised in a country town with self-reliant folks, vegies, fruit trees, chooks, ducks, bees, milking goat, tank water, making preserves and conserves, sewing our clothes - before supermarkets, plastic bags, and TV (which came to town in my mid-teens). Music, nature and social justice became my passions.

Early 70’s spent 5 years traveling Asia and Europe with 3 yrs living in Bavaria learning about wild foods, traditional farming and food storage systems, started a community garden and developed ideas about creating a farm as a productive botanic gardens mimicking natural systems. My fascination traveling was village culture, traditional building, food production and cuisines.

Returned to Oz late 1977 and saw Bill Mollison at an organic festival promoting the forth-coming book Permaculture 1. My husband & I bought 180 acres near Wauchope, started an organic herb farm, market garden and all the usual back-to-the-land, DIY everything, had 2 children, organised local markets and got involved in the intentional community movement and Rural Resettlement Task Force. Left the farm & hubby in ’83 and did the PDC because I wanted to teach, design, activate communities and help people live sustainably.

Permaculture comes to China

Major PDC at Fuzhou, mainland China, marks an important step for permaculture making inroads to China

over 200 new permies making a difference in the world

After an inspiring year of PCA courses at Djanbung Gardens and overseas, our students are making a difference in many parts of the world.

2011 Accredited permaculture courses and internships with PCA

check out the great programs with PCA training a new generation of permaculture practitioners and professionals - PDC and beyond...