Editorial
Welcome to Kanjini Co-Op's first quarterly Newsletter in 2010.
Thank you all for your continued interest and support!
The most frequently asked questions we have received of late are Why
does
Kanjini
Co-Op
not
have land portions for sale? and Do I have
to pay interest on the remaining share capital? and Can I live
part time on Kanjini Co-Op Land? You will find some answers to
those
questions below.
First we wish to invite you to participate in Earth Day.
In 2009 hundreds of millions of people showed support
by turning off their lights for one hour. Earth
Hour 2010 will continue to be a global call to action to every
individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to
show leadership and be responsible for our future. It is up to each one
of us to stop being part of the problem and start
becoming part of the solution.
Pledge your support here and turn off your lights
for one hour, Earth Hour, 8.30pm, Saturday 27th March 2010.
 As
you are probably aware we have
spent and enjoyed quite some time
outlining the Kanjini Co-Op Vision and
writing the required Co-Op documents.
It is NOW time to expand and develop our Vision in more detail.
Please come and share an afternoon of laughter
and inspirations, conversation and lively debate, planning and
Q&A's at our next Hearts
and Minds Meeting from 11am to 5pm on 27th March 2010 at 11 Fulton
Close,
Whitfield in Cairns (please RSVP to 07-40937755 or 0417193898). Please
come
along and become part of this process.
Please keep checking our website www.kanjini.org, it is
changing and growing. For example we have just uploaded our members profiles,
so
please feel free to have a look and get to know the present Kanjini
Co-Op members a bit better.
Kanjini Co-Op really needs more members before we can buy
some land. We have been doing a bit of advertising in various
publications around
Australia and
we have received quite a few enquiries, but we wish to do more
advertising.
So if you happen to know of
any groups you feel may be interested in Kanjini Co-Op or any
publications
or locations that would be suitable for advertising and or posters, please
do
let us know.
If you are ready yourself to join Kanjini Co-Op, support
the vision and share in the
fun, please
fill out your membership
application.
We also would like to ask all of you to please help spread
the Kanjini Co-Op Vision by telling your
friends and neighbours, the shop assistant, the hair dresser
and the teacher........
On our homepage are links to our hand-out
and notice
board
flyers, please feel free to print and hand them out or put
them up on your local notice board, or in the local food
co-op.....thanks.
We know that there are plenty of people out there who would love to
become Kanjini Co-Op members and contribute their money to make our
common vision come true, we just need all the help we can get to get
the word out there to those people :-)
In the meantime, if you have not done so already, please
tell
us a bit more about yourself by filling in
this
short
questionnaire. The
information you provide will really help us in the planning process.
Thank you
Kanjini Co-Op offers a sustainable future for you, your
children, the generations beyond, and for our magnificent environment.
Together we can commit to both personal and global transformation and
turn this timely vision into a reality :-)
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where
there is no path and leave a trail." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
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Frequently
Asked
Questions
(FAQ's)
!
We are asked many questions and will be sharing some of those
questions and answers in this Newsletter. You can also find answers to
many questions on-line.
Why
doesn't a share give you a
piece of land with a yearly levy to cover co-op cost etc.?
One of the
main aims of Kanjini Co-Op is cooperative and sustainable living. We believe that private land
ownership is one of the root causes
of today's world problems and we envisage a system of shared
custodianship, rather than individual ownership. By moving from "this
land is
my land" to "we are one with the land",
from private ownership to sharing, we intend to cooperate in looking
after the land.
We
also chose to not divide and apportion land because it does create
boundaries and we
would have less or no say or input regarding who purchased that protion
of land if
sold,
therefore not
knowing if the potential buyers would adhere to Kanjini Co-Op
principles of land care for instance or be aligned with the vision of
Kanjini Co-Op. It also would make it much harder for the Co-Op to
control for example pets which might cause problems, potentially
harmful chemical use or determine the
type of buildings allowed.
 There are many projects where people can have their individual title,
but we believe that it is time to go much further than having a bit of
common land in the middle of suburbia.
The other reason is that we believe and know from experience that if
people have their own piece of land, cooperative living tends to suffer
while everyone is involved in creating 'their own thing'. The
separateness that
this type of division creates is not a sustainable use of resources,
often duplicating basic services such as laundries. We feel that
dividing the land would create separation rather than togetherness.
However, this does not exclude any member
from creating their own private space (unique shelter /room /dwelling)
or from leasing a
'piece of land' for the
purpose of a business venture. We respect the need for
privacy, while we also want to see joyous days
sharing activities together, making
Kanjini Co-Op prosperous, sustainable and a beautiful place.
Can I live part time on Kanjini Co-Op Land?
Yes you certainly can. There are people who have expressed an
interest in Kanjini Co-Op who travel for careers and want a special
place to call home when not travelling, somewhere they can feel
comfortable knowing they are contributing to the best interest of our
planet. There are others who live in nearby towns who can only
enjoy being on the land at weekends due to work commitments.
And in fact you can even become a member if you do not intend to live
on Kanjini land at all, but simply want to support this wonderful
vision.
In the Business Plan of the Disclosure Statement I read
that Kanjini will be growing Papaya and Sweet Potatoes. Are these
the
main crops that Kanjini plans to grow ?
We included Papaya and Sweet
Potatoes in our Business Plan plan as examples of cash crops suitable
for the area and demand in the region.
And frankly we chose those two crops because we could access the
required data required to create a realistic business plan for
registration as a Trading
Cooperative. We have no fixed plans as to what we will grow as
commercial crops and a decision on that is unlikely to be made before
we acquire the land. If you have any suggestions as to what
crops we should consider, please let us know.
Kanjini Co-Op aims to create a sustainable
lifestyle producing quality food for our own consumption and for
exchange with the local area as a source of income. We will use many
earthcare modalities such as Permaculture, Organics, Aquaponics,
Biological Farming and Biodynamic Principles. Kanjini’s aim is also to
rehabilitate any areas of eroded and denuded
land as well as custodianship of our food production area.
Agriculture
will be engaged in for our own consumption as well as commercially. We
intend to focus on seasonal and local foods, while aiming for
long-term sustainability for future generations.
We
envisage that we will grow a large variety of fruit trees and
vegetables (with a preference to using non-hybrid and non GM seeds);
spices; herbs for healing and
cooking; flowers for scent, aesthetics,
oils, and for attracting birds and butterflies; trees for timber, shade
and bee food; bush tucker; mushrooms and fungi; bamboo (no running
varieties); industrial hemp and oils to run vehicles.
Kanjini has also
investigated several agricultural opportunities such as growing native
fruits and pumpkin for seed oil (both of these are established local
business wanting more
produce).
We anticipate
selling our surplus commercially including through farmers’ markets and
food
networks. We will be looking to value add by drying, preserving,
distilling, brewing and otherwise processing our produce. Aquaculture
will be practised both in our large dams as well as in smaller
integrated systems incorporating algae, worms and vegetables. We are
also committed to forestry both for long term timber production as well
as for carbon sequestration.
If I can pay a deposit for a Full Membership now do I have
to pay interest on the remaining share capital?
Kanjini Co-Op
will
not
charge
any
interest
on
outstanding amounts of share capital
until we purchase a property.
In fact any interest earned on
all share capital (including deposits) until we purchase a property
will be returned to the shareholders.
Why so many types
of shares?
The short answer is to provide more flexibility.
We
deliberated,
discussed
and
debated the Share Structure for over a year
until we arrived at the final decision, which recognises that any
successful project requires people with money and people with energy
(and not everyone can provide both at the same time).
The reason we have a tiered share structure is:
·
to
allow
people
who
are very interested and have lots of energy to contribute, but do not
have sufficient
funds to commit to a Full Membership, hence the Introductory Share
·
Foundation Shares were created
to
reward
the
early members, which put their money on the table before we have the
land and also to ensure the
basic integrity of the co-op remains intact
·
Investment Shares are
to allow for people with more money to invest in Kanjini
Co-Op.
The Introductory
membership allows for people to join Kanjini Co-Op for
a period of 3 years (after which their Introductory Share capital can
be allocated towards a Full Membership or if they choose to not
continue with Kanjini, they still have had
a wonderful experience and
have enjoyed reduced rent and the benefits of being part of Kanjini
Co-Op.
This class of share is for people who intend to acquire, but do not
have the deposit for a full share and are willing to work towards that
aim. This share allows for a broader group of people, experiences and
input and also allows these type of members to experience first hand
the vision of Kanjini Co-Op.
We created Foundation
Shares (only 11 available) to acknowledge the vitally important contribution in
forming
the
cooperative. Foundation shareholders will receive non-specific bonus
shares to the value of 15% of the part of their share that is paid up
within three weeks of the acceptance of their membership application
(these bonus shares will be allocated only once the Co-Op has
sufficient profits to do so).
The prior approval in writing by at least 72% of active members who
hold a foundation share is required before the board can seek the
Registrar’s approval of draft documents for a change of rules, winding
up, takeover or merger of the cooperative. This decision ensures that
no matter how many members there are in 10 or 50 years, the rules of
the co-op cannot easily be changed by newcomers alone.
The Investment Shares are for Full Members
who
wish to invest further in Kanjini Co-Op. These Investment
Shares
can be project
targeted, non-specific or self interest.
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Heart and Minds Meetings
 These are informal gatherings held on the last Saturday of each month, designed
to get to know each other better, introduce new interested people and
advance the vision.
These meetings alternate between Cairns and Koah and allow for space to
meet and
greet and get to know each other, questions and answers, discussions,
planning and lots of
laughter and whatever else we decide to do together.
The next Hearts & Minds Meetings will be at:
11 Fulton Close
Whitfield on Saturday 27th March 2010 AND then at 303 Koah
Road
Koah on Saturday 24th April 2010 11am-5pm. Please
bring a plate to
share for lunch. Please RSVP to 07-40320795 or 0417193898 or by replying to this email.
At our last
meeting we enjoyed constructive planning discussions and we all
contributed to planting some native bushes at Svargo's Koah property.
Both activities are valuable experiences for cooperative
living and much fun is had by all. We planted native plants that
are bird, bee and butterfly food and which are also plants we can
propagate
easily ourselves.... Always planning ahead are the gardeners :)
Kanjini Co-Op Plant Nursery, ready for our own gardens and orchards is
growing daily under Shiralee's caring watch with people continuing to
donate fruit seeds. Others have
offered access to their established orchards for
marcotting. Together we shall create abundant food forests! So please
consider to
join us at our next Hearts and Minds meeting on Saturday 24th April
2010 11am-5pm and help to manifest the Kanjini Co-Op Vision! The
more the merrier
Directors Meetings
These are our formal Co-Op meetings. All interested persons are invited
to attend our monthly directors meetings (however only directors may
vote).
They are held every 2nd Wednesday of the month. 6pm for 6.30 dinner,
meeting starts at 7pm (next Directors Meeting will be held at 303
Koah Road in Koah on 14th April 2010).
Please bring a plate to share. Please RSVP to 07-40937755 or
07-40320795 or 0417193898 or by replying
to this email.
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Planning
At our last two Hearts and Minds Meetings we continue with planning of
how we want Kanjini Co-Op to look like.
We decided to break the development of our vision into the following
three stages:
Stage 1 ~ up to 20 residents + 30 visitors
Stage 2 ~ up to 40 residents + 50 visitors - recreational
centre and triple agricultural area
Stage 3 ~ up to 100 residents + 200 visitors - totally
self sufficient for energy
 Stage One has been broken it into various portfolios to collect more
information on options and pricing.
Members, potential members and volunteers have committed to the various
portfolios. We had a lot of fun dividing these! We also discussed the
many possibilities for acquiring the
skills and expertise needed for our Submission to Council.
Planning Portfolios
Svargo ~ Sewage, Electricity, small tractor with
bucket and PTO for slasher,
plough, ripper, pipe
laying etc
Rafeek ~Cool-room for kitchen &
produce, individual refrigerated spaces, large chest freezer, drinking
water storage and aqua
centre/swimming /hydrotherapy pool
Bob ~Camping area, Buildings-10 dormitory beds,
4 individual rooms, 3 double rooms, 10 individual
huts, office,10 space carpark, emergency vehicle access/walk/bike-ways,
bike
parking spaces
Deb ~ Amenities for +50 people (incl for
disabilities), clothes drying room
Emily ~ Irrigation water facilities for 30-40 acres
orchards and vegetable & herb
gardens, Tree buffer area to hide unsightly equipment/vehicle cover
Kevin ~ 200m2 workshop shed, undercover carport
Shiralee ~ Commercial-grade kitchen to serve + 50,
space for dinners and communal
space for +50 people
We also spent a fair bit of time identifying what we need to
create during
the first stage and identified the following General Planning
Considerations:
- There is an advantage of living close and sharing resources
rather than
everyone having their own house with all amenities.
- One big roof is cheaper than several smaller ones
- At the beginning we start with a dense small development
but allow in our planning for
expansion and a more spread development later on
- Final planning depends on lay of the land, but we can plan
a lot of things without knowing the land
- Design so noisier spaces are downwind
- The main building is the hub of activity and to be built
first
- Walking distance between huts and hub
- Design for a central 'village square'
- Set up a quarantine areas
for animals and plants, limit car movement and ensure heavy machinery
is clean, to prevent invasive species coming in
- Plan to minimise light pollution, so we can enjoy clear
skies
If you have skills or
experience and/or technical drawing skills in any of the above areas or
just want to help with ideas or planning then please do contact us.
All suggestions and input are warmly welcomed.
We will continue this planning process at our next Hearts and
Minds Meeting on Saturday 24th April 2010 11am-5pm at11 Fulton
Close
Whitfield.
If you are unable to physically attend the meetings but would like
to contribute please call Shiralee on 07-40320795
or 041719389 so we can arrange for you
to participate via SKYPE or phone.
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 QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"Man often becomes what he believes himself to be.
If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is
possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it.
On the contrary, If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely
acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the
beginning." (Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948)
This is it from us until the next newsletter .....
The Kanjini Co-Op team
We wish that our dream of enough people pooling their money to
buy a stunning piece of land will become a reality soon and we wish you
Love and Light and Many Blessing of a Prosperity
and Excellent Health.
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