Anika Molesworth to 'Zoom' into Beneath the Wisteria on May 30

(Beneath the Wisteria supporter, Mik Aidt from Geelong's "The Sustainable Hour", has kindly tidied up the recording from the May 30 visit by Anika Molesworth showing only Anika's presentation, it's in two pieces, Part One and Part Two - thanks Mik)

A far western New South Wales farmer with an acute understanding of the climate crisis and how it impacts on those who work the land will be a guest at Shepparton’s Beneath the Wisteria on Saturday, May 30.

Far western New South Wales farmer, Anika Molesworth,
will "Zoom" into Beneath the Wisteria on Saturday, May 30.

Anika Molesworth will join the group at its monthly gathering via Zoom in an event starting at 11:00 am.

Anika splits her life between her family’s arid outback sheep station, her PhD crop trials in central NSW, and the lush and green rice paddies in Southeast Asia, where she works as a researcher in international agricultural development. 

She was awarded the 2015 Young Farmer of the Year, 2017 NSW Finalist for Young Australian of the Year, and most recently the NSW Young Achiever Award for Environment and Sustainability. 

Anika is a passionate advocate for sustainable farming, environmental conservation and climate change action. She helped form Farmers for Climate Action and connects land managers to researchers through her platform Climate Wise Agriculture in order to build resilience into farming communities.

She is also keenly interested in the conservation of natural and cultural heritage in farming communities and manages the International National Trusts Organisation’s Sustainable Farms program.

Anika has lived on and worked her family farm since she was 12 and was to be married on the property this year, but her plans for that moment were frustrated and postponed because of the Covid-19 dilemma.

A powerful array of speakers were assembled for February’s Nation Climate Emergency Summit in Melbourne and Anika was among them.

Anika has been interviewed by the Shepparton-based podcast “Climate Conversations”. 

The Zoom, Beneath the Wisteria is free and will last for about an hour with Anika explaining a little about herself, how the climate crisis is impacting on farmers and what they can do to live with these never seen before changes to the climate. There will be time for questions.

The May 30 Zoom meeting featuring Anika can be accessed at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82326064674, the convenor, Robert McLean, can be phoned at 0400 502 199 or contacted via email at r.mclean7@icloud.com.

Change is afoot

Change is afoot.

The emphasis given to national and international news on Beneath the Wisteria is about to change.

Several generous people have helped me buy a rather special podcasting device, a Rodecaster Pro.

Podcasting has just a few elements that are critically important and among the most important is the quality of the audio; audio that can be perfect using the Rodecaster Pro.

The challenge is, however, that learning a whole new skillset at 72 can be rather stressful and so the several hours a day spent on trawling through national and international news sites for climate crisis news will now be devoted to learning more about audio and podcasting.

To date, I have produced more than 200 episodes of “Climate Conversations” of varying quality, from tragic to not so bad, but it’s my aim to lift the overall standard as in the final analysis, the podcast lives  or dies on the quality of the actual content and the audio itself.

Beneath the Wisteria will, from here, be more about what actually happens at our monthly gatherings, what is happening in the wider Goulburn Valley and within Shepparton itself.

Comment is welcome - contact Robert McLean on 0400 502 199.

Also, check-out “Climate Conversations”.

Talking Beneath the Wisteria about should-top living in Shepparton

About 20 people gathered Beneath the Wisteria, well a nearby stage area in the mall where some shade cloth provided some shelter from the light showers, to hear former Shepparton mayor, Geoff Dobson, talk about the joy and convenience of living above a shop in the heart of the city.

His wife, Prue was also at today's gathering echoing and reinforcing all the positives of shop-top living in central Shepparton.

Just a part of today's discussions where recorded and can be heard on the podcast, "Climate Conversations".

Economics the focus Beneath the Wisteria on Saturday

Saturday’s gathering Beneath the Wisteria in Shepparton’s Maude St Mall will have a certain economic feel about it.

Greens candidate for Northern Victoria, Nicole Rowan,
 will be Beneath the Wisteria on Saturday with the
Greens candidate for the Seat of Shepparton, Nickee Freeman.

Convenor Robert McLean will talk about a recent conversation with University of Queensland economics professor, John Quiggin and one of the two guests is a lawyer and tax law trainer.

Tatura’s Nickee Freeman has announced she will contest the coming State election as a Greens candidate and will be Beneath the Wisteria on Saturday with her Greens counterpart and candidate for Northern Victoria, Nicole Rowan.

Both Nickee and Nicole will talk about what they can do to ensure the Victorian Government takes a heightened interest in environmental matters and so make certain those matters that concern those who gather Beneath the Wisteria receive expanded attention.

Beneath the Wisteria starts at 11:00 am, lasts for about an hour, is free, open to anyone interested and although some public seating is provided, those joining us are encouraged to bring a folding chair.

Questions can be directed to Robert at 0400 502 199.

'Wisterian' to give his farewell lecture at University of Melbourne

A longtime friend of Beneath the Wisteria will this week give his farewell lecture at the University of Melbourne.

Professor
David Karoly.

Professor David Karoly became a “Wisterian” soon after the group was set up in 2011 and because of that connection has visited and spoken in Shepparton several times. He also spoke at the Tatura Transition Towns first annual film festival.

And only recently he visited and spoke at Beneath the Wisteria.

The climate scientist will soon be leaving the university to take up a position in Melbourne with the CSIRO.

That final lecture, entitled “Reflections on a decade of climate change research” will be held in the Fritz Lowe Theatre at midday on Wednesday, February 14 at the university’s School of Earth Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science.

Professor Karoly said, “I joined the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne in May 2007 as an ARC Federation Fellow, with more research funding, more independence and more opportunities to tackle interesting problems than I’d ever had before.”

Pointing to Wednesday’s lecture he said, “I will reflect on the state of climate change science in 2007, at the time of the release of the IPCC Fourth Assessment. 

“I will then describe outcomes from some of the research projects I undertook with a group of outstanding graduate students and research fellows. These include attribution of extreme weather events, evaluation of impacts of climate change, multi-proxy paleoclimate reconstruction for Australia, and coupled stratospheric chemistry and climate modelling. 

“I will also reflect on developments in global and national climate change policy since 2007, a period of many ups and downs, and describe some of my engagement at the science-policy interface and in the media over the last decade. It certainly hasn’t been boring!” he said.

More information is available from Clair Denby at the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute.

'Beneath the Wistertians' gather for the first time this year on Saturday

“Beneath the Wisterians” gather again on Saturday, January 27, for the first time this year.

We will meet at the northern end of Shepparton’s Maude St Mall at 11:00: it’s free, all are welcome and although some public seating exists, those attending are advised to bring a folding chair.

And what will we discuss? Well, the year that was and the year ahead.

The aim has always been to ensure Beneath the Wisteria was politically neutral, but that has become rather difficult as our political classes have made it so, encouraged all along by those who dispute climate science.

Sadly, few of those who gather in Canberra, or Melbourne’s Spring St, or even in the chambers at Shepparton’s Welsford St, appear to take climate change seriously other than to make the occasional proclamation, which is little more than a fiction designed to appease those vaguely aware of climate change and convinced that we need to do something, and declarations by the PM to save the Great Barrier Reef is often enough, although everyone who really understands what is really happening sees what is planned as abject failure, and little more than a distraction.

Please join me on Saturday as despondency can only be repaired by optimistic friends.

The predicted temperature on Saturday is 39 degrees, but as the maximum usually arrives about mid-afternoon, I’m expecting about 37 degrees at 11:00 am. 

We meet in the middle of winter, let’s meet in the middle of summer.

Any questions call me, Robert McLean, at 0400 502 199.

Nature never rests, but we need to

Nature never rests.

Strangely, humans, who have disrupted nature, do need rest and so Beneath the Wisteria will be taking a break, having a rest, this month.

Subsequently, we will not gather Beneath the Wisteria in Shepparton’s Maude St mall and so our next gathering will be on Saturday, January 27,  2018, at 11:00 am - hopefully, we will see you then.

And, in the meantime, enjoy whatever it is you are doing and take care.

Summing up this year, 2017, from a climate change point of view, it is worth noting that there has been, in my view, a significant shift in attitudes toward climate change with people being much more conscious of the dilemma and so eager to hear about what they can do to mitigate our carbon dioxide emissions and adapt to the inevitable unfolding societal changes.

Please join us on January 27 discuss 2017 and consider what might eventuate in 2018.

Minute's silence about recognising the salvation of the status quo

Beneath the Wisteria began today with a minute’s silence, recognising a tradition at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month and acknowledging the armistice ending World War One, the great war.

A consensus among the 20 at today’s gathering that the minute of reflection was important added to the solemnity of that moment; a moment that passed without comment as the group quickly got to discussing coming events and then enjoying a vigorous conversation with University of Melbourne climate scientist, Professor David Karoly.

The minute’s silence, however, deserved comment for although it is not about glorifying war, it is a social event that elevates war to a position of strange and perverse untouchability and war, and most other social conflicts, are about preserving the status quo, that is business as usual, the fundamental reason why we gather Beneath the Wisteria.

Climate change is a wicked problem and war, almost anywhere here both energy and resource-rich, hugely socially and economically costly, and even those that some of the world’s best thinkers go to extremes to justify, are among humanity’s worst negative experiences.

The so-called “Great War” taught us nought as within decades we back at each other’s throats.

So rather than gathering at places around the world reflecting now on the mistakes we made 99 years ago, we should be spending time considering how we can make things better today to ensure that our tomorrows are better still.

- Robert McLean.

Rather special Beneath the Wisteria on Saturday

A rather special Beneath the Wisteria is coming up this Saturday, November 11.

Professor David Karoly will be with us Beneath the Wisteria on Saturday.

A Professor of Atmospheric Science in the School of Earth Sciences and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science at the University of Melbourne, David Karoly, will join us.

Professor Karoly, who will be in Shepparton with his wife, Susan, will be speaking at a special session at the Shepparton U3A late on Friday afternoon (3:35 pm) and then that evening as the after dinner speaker following the “Cooking for a Better Future” at The Connection at the SPC/Ardmona Kids Town.

Then on Saturday morning, he will join us Beneath the Wisteria in Shepparton’s Maude St Mall at 11:00 am, where he will talk about the climate change discussion and answer questions.

Professor Karoly is an internationally recognised expert in climate change and climate variability, including greenhouse climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion and interannual climate variations due to El Niño-Southern Oscillation. 

He was heavily involved in the preparation of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released in 2007, in several different roles, and was a Review Editor of the chapter 'Australasia' in the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report released in 2014.

Professor Karoly has supported Beneath the Wisteria since it was established in the last week of 2011, but this will be his first visit.

Some public seating is available for this free event, but those joining us, are encouraged to bring a folding chair. More details from the convenor, Robert McLean on 0400 502 199.

Discussion Beneath the Wisteria about 'UBI meeting UCV'

Seymour’s Malcolm Green will join us Beneath the Wisteria this Saturday, October 28.

Malcolm has an understanding of electrical engineering, building and installing solar systems throughout the region.

He said he will talk about “Cosmic accounting - when ‘UBI meets the UCV’”.'UBI 

In an outline of what he has to say, Malcolm provided this precis: 

UBI is the Universal Basic Income, an idea where everyone receives a free and automatic income of money from society. It has become a more popular concept at present, being talked about recently by Mike Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Australia’s Mark Carnegie, as featured on the ABC, The Australian Newspaper, and the AFR.

UCV is Universal Carrier of Value, that is electricity - everyone can appreciate the value and usefulness of electricity in our modern age.

The Cosmic Accounting System is where the UBI that society gives to everyone is actually electrical energy, that is, everyone receives a free and equitable income of electrical energy (every day). And the source of this electrical energy must come from renewable resources, solar and wind etc.

My talk will bring together supporting evidence, technical and social, that a UBI based upon the UCV could be a viable future option and pathway for society to take.

Please join us to learn more about Malcolm’s ideas - Beneath the Wisteria is at the northern end of Shepparton’s Maude St Mall, it starts at 11:00 am, is free and lasts for about an hour.

Some public seating is provided, but those attending should bring a folding chair.

More details, contact convenor, Robert McLean on 0400 502 199.

Beneath the Wisteria on Saturday

Saturday’s Beneath the Wisteria falls on the same day as the AFL grand final.

Beneath the Wisteria"s
Robert McLean.

However, Beneath the Wisterians will still gather at the northern end of Shepparton’s Maude St  Mall at 11:00 am to hear a report about, and discuss, the recent national Transition Communities summit held in Melbourne.

The summit, organized by the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), brought together Transition  Towns representatives from many part of Australia to discuss and hear about the movements’ latest innovations.

Transition Towns founder, Rob Hopkins, spoke at the summit, via a pre-recorded video clip, emphasising the need to people to continue with the ideals of helping build resilience into their respective communities.

The movement began at Totnes, in the United Kingdom, in 2006 in response to concerns about oil shortages (peak oil) and climate disruption with the aim of creating a degree of self reliance within communities.

Beneath the Wisteria convenor, Robert McLean, represented Tatura Transition Towns at the two-day summit will discuss the event, how communities are responding to the climate challenge and building the necessary resilience.

Saturday’s gathering starts at 11:00 am, lasts for about an hour, is free, and open to all comers. Some public seating is available, but those attending are advised to bring a folding chair.

More information from Robert at 0400  502 199 or via email.

Shepparton Art Museum director at Beneath the Wisteria this month

Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) director, Dr Rebecca Coates, will be the guest at his month's gathering Beneath the Wisteria in Shepparton’s Maude 

St Mall.

Shepparton Art Museum Director,
Dr Rebecca Coates.

Dr Coates will talk about progress to date on planning for the new SAM at the city’s Victoria Park Lake and in response to being invited join the gathering she said: “I would be happy to do so, and answer any questions that they may have about the new SAM and its opportunities on a range of levels.”

The Saturday, August 26, gathering at the northern end of the Maude St Mall, Beneath the Wisteria, is at 11:00 am, free and the public is invited to attend. Some public seating is available, but those attending are advised to bring a folding chair.

Questions about the August 26th gathering should be directed to the convenor, Robert McLean, at 0400 502 199.

Mall top of the agenda

If you happened to be walking down Maude St Mall on Saturday you may have spotted the Beneath the Wisteria group.

Members were discussing the future of Maude St Mall with a representative of Greater Shepparton City Council.

The group raised concerns about the mall with council business and industry development team leader Michael Carrafa.

Good conversation: Beneath the Wisteria members Bill
Brown, Greg Barnes, Tom Maher, and Robert McLean
with Greater Shepparton City Council's Michael Caraffa.

During the conversation Mr Carrafa spoke about the importance of the mall as Shepparton’s heart and the role council was playing in trying to revitalise it.

‘‘If we have a mall we need to invest in it,’’ Mr Carrafa said. ‘‘It needs to be stunning.’’ Beneath the Wisteria members drew attention to the layout of the mall and the need for seating to be placed in a more logical way.

Beneath the Wisteria’s Robert McLean said it was interesting to learn Maude St Mall was the same length as Melbourne’s Bourke St Mall.

Mr McLean felt Beneath the Wisteria had a better insight into what was happening with the mall.

‘‘I think we’ve got a better understanding of what’s happening and why it’s happening and Michael was very forthright about his views on how it should work and shouldn’t work,’’ he said.

‘‘I like the mall and I think it’s important for the city, I think the mall needs to be freshened up in the way it looks.’’

Fellow Beneath the Wisteria member Bill Brown said it was important for the mall to have a balance of stores which catered for a wide variety of people’s interests.

‘‘If you’ve got the goodies and you know the business you’ll get the trade,’’ he said.

Mr Carrafa said it was great to meet with Beneath the Wisteria and discuss what the future held for the mall.

He said many people were active through media and social media about their thoughts on the mall.

‘‘Everyone’s got something to contribute to this process,’’ he said.

‘‘We welcome people’s opinions and thoughts and Maude St Mall is the heart of Greater Shepparton and I think people need to be passionate about it, we need to make sure that whatever decision is made it’s the right decision.’’

Council has received a number of applications for the tender of the mall and will be reviewing them all.

‘‘Council is currently going through the process of determining who will be the successful applicant and ultimately it will be council who approves the awarding of that tender,’’ Mr Carrafa said.

This is Sionie Kelly’s story from today’s Shepparton News - “Mall top of agenda.”

Industry and Development team leader at next Beneath the Wisteria

Possible futures for Shepparton’s Maude St Mall will be discussed Beneath the Wisteria on Saturday, July 29.

Team leader with the City of Greater Shepparton’s Maude St Mall epartment, Michael Carrafa, will be at the gathering to explain and talk about what is intended for the mall.

Michael will help those who join us better understand how the city council would like to see the mall evolve and what input we, as a group or individuals, can have in playing a part in shaping the mall’s future.

Supporters of Beneath the Wisteria meet at the northern end of the mall, the event is free and lasts for about an hour. Some public seating is available, but those attending are advised to bring a folding chair.

More details about the 11:00 am gathering can be had from the convenor, Robert McLean at 0400 502 199.

Australian climate extremes at 1.5°C and 2°C degrees of global warming

David Karoly.

A friend of Beneath the Wisteria is one of three authors responsible for an article published in the May edition Nature Climate Change.

An earth scientist from the University of Melbourne, Professor David Karoly, has worked with compatriots Andrew D. King and Benjamin J. Henley to produce the article - “Australian climate extremes at 1.5°C and 2°C degrees of global warming.”

Discussion about SAM Beneath the Wisteria on Saturday

The environmental credentials of Shepparton’s New Art Museum (SAM) will be discussed on Saturday Beneath the Wisteria.

An artist's impression of what the
new SAM would look like.

Melbourne firm, Denton Corker Marshall has been awarded the contract to design the $30 million plus building, which will be constructed at the southern end of the city’s Victoria Park Lake.

Hard details new building’s “green” standings are not yet known, although SAM director, Dr Rebecca Coates, is eager to ensure the  complex be as sustainable as possible.

The building’s environmental qualities will be discussed and included in the plan once an independent project manager has been appointed, and that will be soon.

Saturday’s Beneath the Wisteria at the Northern End of the Maude St Mall starts at 11:00 am, is free, open to anyone eager to attend and discuss the new SAM building, some public seating is provided but those attending are encouraged to bring a folding chair.

The session lasts for about an hour and those with questions should contact the convenor, Robert McLean on 0400 502 199.

Talking Beneath the Wisteria about purging ourselves of plastic

The idea that “Every piece of plastic ever created still exists, somewhere,” will be discussed on Saturday Beneath the Wisteria in Shepparton Maude St Mall. 

Plastic never dies, maybe it will breakdown into almost invisible tiny pieces; so tiny it is being ingested by microscopic species and so finding its way into the food chain.

Professor of environmental psychology from Cardiff University, Wouter Portinga, recently spoke at the University of Melbourne noting that plastic was becoming so pervasive in the food chain that people might just as well cut it into pieces and serve it up on their dinner plate.

The more visible pieces of plastic dumped carelessly by people, threaten the safety and lives of many species who live with us.

A visiting Rotarian who was out walking near the Shepparton/Mooroopna causeway was distressed by the sight of a wild duck struggling to walk because of a length of plastic wrapped around one leg.

Plastic is implicated in almost every aspect of our lives today and although it may enhance our wellbeing in many ways we do need to think about how much we use and why we use it.

Plastic, how we use it and how we dispose of it will be discussed at the Saturday, March 25, gathering Beneath the Wisteria in Shepparton’s Maude St Mall.

The gathering, which is free and open to anyone keen to join the discussion, or simply listen, starts at 11:00 am and continue for about an hour. 

Some public seating is provided, but those attending are advised to bring a folding chair.

Beneath the Wisteria was set up to allow people to consider individual and community responses to climate change and so a discussion about plastic may appear to be a distraction.

Plastic is not a distraction plastic as it emerged from the oil rich 20th Century and is a symbol of the human behaviour that leads to the worsening of climate change.

'Just thinking' - Alan English

Alan English is the oldest semi-regular to attend Beneath the Wisteria - he and I have been "sparring partners" for years - and here he reflects on a few things that crowd his mind.

Just thinking - there are so many unanswered questions.

From philosophy to religion to the day to day experiences and the struggle to meet the needs of each day there is the dilemma of what does it all mean.

Love, for anything or anyone, is a
 fuzzy word if it has no substance.

 At the bottom of the food chain high minded questions are not asked.  To survive hostilities, displacement as a refuge or to be just plain hungry without adequate shelter is bleak. It comes as a surprise to realise that so called advanced nations have unemployed and homeless people.  The motive by big business to create profit margins for their rich share holders puts the squeeze on employees who may become redundant. Justice and injustice are catch cries, but who is listening. To any who are adequately provided for-- listening to the woes of those on the bread line is not usually a priority? Giving lip service and at best token donations is hardly a major response to those in peril. 

What have we to say for ourselves? With three meals a day and a roof over our head, warm in winter and made cool in summer, even if earning a living and paying a mortgage is necessary life has its better moments. Holiday breaks either public or that provided by employment are a comfort.  Who then is reflecting upon more serious aspects of life? Yes, a proportion of our community is committed to the betterment of society in many ways.  If only we were all equally eager to bring about radical changes how much better that would be. Unfortunately we are creatures of habit. Also we fall into patterns of culture, sometimes good and sometimes harmful. One might think that being religious would be an advantage but tradition is entrenched more than anyone is prepared to admit. Overall there is good to be found and a way for living can be experienced.  However compassion and justice belong to no one people. Atheists can equally express such concern.  Environmentalists with a concern for the restoration of our natural resources and who plead for action to stabilise the climate are a voice that seen more as eccentrics than one of genuine lament.  Who then are the stupid ones?

Why is there some expectation of an after-life when a whole hearted effort is not made in making this world the very best that is possible?  We are owed nothing. It can be a comfort to those in grief. Let it rest at that. There is work to be done now. No one of us will bring wars to cease, or meet the needs of starving millions, or give comfort to victims of hostilities, but there many organisations to which we can offer our support. We would like to think that those in government would show responsibility by leading the way. Unfortunately economics and national security are given priority over that of social reform or improving the health of our planet. A question such as the meaning of life is relevant. However being assured that we have both a sustainable world and one of harmony to live with one another needs to be our priority. Love is a fuzzy word if it has no substance.

Wisdom, where and when will we find it? Unlikely in youth; middle years sometimes or in age sometimes, but being blind to the major issues of our time remains yet to be resolved.