“Permaculture” brings to mind images of organic vegetable patches and rainwater tanks attached to suburban homes.

Former Orange City Councillor and long-term adherent, Fiona Rossiter however, says it’s much more than that.

She and colleague Robyn Whitely are currently establishing a model permaculture farm at Cargo to show locals and visitors alike how it’s done.

“It’s a lifestyle, with the aim of having zero impact on the environment, using everything from nature,” Fiona explained.

“It’s about relationships on many levels, your garden, animals, people, your family, community, your clothes,” she added.

This philosophy follows from her well-known business Bissys Café (named in honour of a pet name for one of her daughters) which she ran for nearly a decade utilising permaculture’s all-encompassing theory of self-sufficiency. 

“We were quite well-known; everything was run on permaculture principles. It was the only permaculture café in the central west,” she said.

“It’s the sneaky little things that nature has for us, benefits that we’re not aware of. Using compost waste for chickens, or putting it on your garden, rather than in the bin, growing your own.”

Having spent her early years in post-war Britain, she explained that the principles of self-sufficiency, reuse, and reducing waste, which typified her parents’ generation, is a central tenet of permaculture.

“It’s very much a lifestyle as people lived in the past, grow your own food, vegetables, chickens in the backyard, recycling of clothes, don't throw anything out if you can find a use for it,” she said.

“Our favourite place in the world is the shop at Council’s Resource Recovery Centre.”

Living within your means and not exploiting the resources of the planet, she added, is as much spiritual as material.

“It’s not just frugality, you learn that we’re richer with our knowledge, rather than objects… it’s for your mental health, just the benefit of breathing in the country air,” Fiona said.

“The other component is to do with well-being, because nature is so therapeutic, I know how important nature is, the microbes in the soil are full of really good, natural elements.”

Fiona is already living a largely impact-free life at her newly-bought house block in east Orange, which she uses as a trial plot for her future plans.

“I’ve only been here three months, and I try and utilise everything, food scraps, rainwater, growing my own food.

“I’ve planted everything, banana trees, feijoa fruit, lemons and limes, rhubarb, I keep chickens and only use my own eggs.” 

Fiona’s main canvas, however, is “Bissy’s Permaculture Educational Centre”, her 40-hectare property at Cargo where locals and visitors can witness the philosophy in action.

“We hope to have an ‘earthing centre’, children’s village, market garden, a community garden, where people can see how permaculture really works,” Fiona said.

“That’s the community aspect, we’ll welcome people from all walks of life,” Robyn added.

The property, she explained, will hopefully become a community resource for the region.

“It’s 97 acres of undulating land, and we’re just waiting for people to come in, we want to get the community involved.

“We’ve had it endorsed as a cool climate permaculture centre, the major goal for us is community and community involvement.”

Robyn found permaculture after beginning to grow her own fruit and vegetables, before discovering it as a full-life philosophy.

“I started growing things, people think of it’s a gardening philosophy, but I eventually took some permaculture classes, which then grew my own knowledge.”

Living as self-sufficiently as possible on her former property at Cecil Road, Fiona was surprised when she was asked to show others her model.

“Council contacted us, and asked if we’d have an open day, and I said ‘why?’ and they said, ‘because of all the work you do in permaculture’.

So, I was living it, before I knew it, and then I looked into doing some permaculture courses, and it all went from there,” Fiona concluded.