Last week marked one year since a stalwart of the Gathered community unexpectedly left this world and I’m still coming to terms with Andrea being gone. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Gathered wouldn’t exist now without her support to help get us up and running, and I grieve her as do a great many people in the community. Her loud Irish and often inappropriate swearing, deep belly laughs, impressive levels of tea consumption and always available empathetic ear are missed so, so much. If you were going through a tough time, she would appear at your front door with a cooked dinner or chocolate; if you needed to get to an appointment she would take your kids without being asked and if you decided to start a harebrained scheme like an organic veg co-op from your carport with a toddler and newborn in tow, she would turn up to help you pack boxes with her own baby strapped to her back.
One of the things we started together were opportunities for homeschooled kids to get together at the farm, and the first sessions of the year start this coming week. Like similar communities all over the world, the Margaret River homeschool community is made up of a broad mix of families from all walks of life and all sorts of reasons for choosing to opt out of the mainstream school system. More often than not, kids have tried school and it simply didn’t work for them, or their parents want them to be able to engage in more nature based and outdoor learning in the younger years than would be possible in the school system. Whatever their reasons, we love having the kids at the farm, getting to know them and watching them grow through the year.
