This thread is by know means an attempt to gloat, however I am extremely proud of what my parents have achieved, and the legacy my brother and I will inherit one day. I have only recently become aware of ZM but the idea's are something that I have held at heart most of my adult life.
I think most people are aware of the American Indian proverb, "We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children." As a parent of three young children in this twisted world it makes me feel incredibly accountable for everything I contribute to this world. I hope that what my parents have sewn, I can make blossom for the sake my children.
Upon retirement 10 years ago my parents purchased a 20acre dilapidated and rundown dairy and cottage, with the intent on trying to live out a self sufficient retirement. It is situated on Mitchells Island an estuary connected by bridges which forms part of the Manning River near Taree in N.S.W.
The farm when they purchased it was in very poor condition, every structure on the place was either in need of repair or beyond. The first couple of years they were there, they did little more than clean up the place and make it livable again. After much demolition and repairing they still have several variously sized sheds and a cottage that resembles a labyrinth, as it had been extended twice by previous owners who put no thought into what they were doing, it is unique to say the least. My parents have bore water for stock and crops, and two 60,000 liter rain (120,000 liters in total) for use in the house, in ten years they have never seen these tanks below 3/4s full. I helped dad install a new kitchen just this xmas, was the final improvement that the place needed.
From the front gate of "Harmony" as my mother has named the farm, you can walk to the edge of the Manning River which is lined by oyster farms, it is rich in bream, flathead, cod and prawns and if you go far enough up stream closer to Taree you can get bass as well. It is only about 2km downstream from the entrance of my parents farm that you reach Manning Point and the ocean. The beach there is very rough (can hear the waves breaking from the farm at night) and unpatrolled but also a great spot for snapper, whiting and jewfish, I have an uncanny ability to catch stingrays no matter where I throw a line, beach or estuary.
The location of the land in my opinion is near perfect, it is ex-dairy and hence very fertile land if cared for properly, yet a keen fisherman could exist on the seafood alone all within walking distance of the house.
My father before he was married spent a portion of his years as a drover, and his dream has always been to raise cattle. They have about a dozen stud heifers and a magnificent stud bull named Trinity (he almost tramples you to death out of affection) the offspring are sold to the markets each year, they don't slaughter their own meat purely because they haven't built a cold room (YET). Originally my mother wanted a milking cow so she could make her own cream and butter, and some pigs too, but they realized that amongst all the other things they do, it would be just too much work. My father has a Clydesdale' named Gracie, and he has a fencing partner named Rufus, a one horned overweight merino that was meant to end up on a Sunday spit roast.
They have around 50 chooks, the population varies in relation to the local fox population. My mother sells the eggs to the General store and bowls club at Manning Point, which is where my dad gets his used cooking oil to make his own bio-diesel that power his two vintage tractors. My mother uses the glycerin, which is the bi-product to make a variety of soaps, for dish washing, cloths washing and people washing, she is still experimenting with the recipes'
They have a wood burning stove adjacent the modern kitchen that also doubles as a gravity fed water heater and heater in general. And the cottage has a proper fireplace in the living room.
To relax, my mother restores antique furniture that she purchases for next to nothing at auctions, her favorites are those that contain stain glass paneling as she a master of making lead light windows and has replaced many windows in the house with work of her own.
My dad likes to restore vintage machinery, and if coaxed by mum the occasional cast iron bed. The house is an eclectic mix of modern and past times. Beside the computer desk in their office sits a 4' tall grammar-phone that still works (you have to wind it up), with close to a hundred LP's and an old singer sewing machine (the kind you pedal with a foot)
An area directly behind the house is fenced off from the livestock, there is avocado, peach, orange, guava and grapes and a small vege-patch that is more or less left to fend for itself other than the occasional weeding, none the less, it is completely random and you are able to find almost anything growing in there, my dad always has his own potatoes somewhere though.
Recently my parents have considered going off the power grid. It is a little bit expensive for them at present. They will not be eligible for any rebates because they wish to go off the grid completely and rebates are only available if you agree to sell your excess to the grid. The area has a great potential for wind power, as there is always a constant breeze blowing in from the ocean. I am presently investigating making our own wind power generator/s, as a cheaper alternative to solar. My dad has so much bio-diesel stored he has seriously considered a diesel gen-set.(would be handy for back up)
It will be a sad yet proud day when my brother and I take over Harmony, between us we hope to refine and explore more self sufficiency idea's, anyone in the ZM would be more than welcome to come and stay a while.(the hay shed could sleep a hundred no worries) though for now it gives me great pleasure in seeing my parents enjoy themselves, they work hard but love every minute of every day, for a couple approaching 70 they are a testimony to healthy, active, stress free living, neither of them look a day over 50. My only regret is that I am tied to work in larger cites (Brisbane is home at present) and I don't get down to Harmony often enough, and each trip is never long enough to help out as much as i wish I could, although i have felt the last few times I have visited, that Harmony is calling me, as if it were already a part of me.
