Summer school tutors self reliance | Oamaru News | Local News in Oamaru

The Sustainable Skills Summer School will be back in January with more courses, tutors and students coming from all over the country.

The inaugural event  held at the beginning of this year  attracted  wide  support and interest. The event is organised by Transition Town Oamaru and Waitaki District as a project of the Natural Heritage Society, Oamaru Inc. and will be held from January 14 to 22. An extra autumn school has also been planned to run from April 14 to 22 due to high interest.

Co-organiser Marie Grunke said  32 different courses were being offered at  locations including Herbert, Camp Iona and Moeraki. "There's such a good variety including food, gardening, craft, alternative therapies and money systems."

Stand-out courses were a scything workshop, beekeeping, learning to sail on McKerrow's Pond, cheesemaking, building a strawberry garden out of car tyres, growing nutrient-dense food and bio-dynamic gardening.

"Last year the feedback was overwhelmingly positive," she said. "We had people come from Auckland, Queenstown, Wanaka, Dunedin, Southland ... all over."

  Organisers had been sending brochures to all likely outlets in the South Island and were linking up with other Transition Towns. "We were the first to offer this kind of workshop, but now others are catching on," she said. "We have to think about the global monetary crisis, oil getting more  expensive and changes in climate, so we need to develop skills in the community so we are more self-reliant."

A course by herbalist Marise Martin had already sold out with bookings for the second "coming in fast" and Michael O'Brien's paper marbling course had already taken bookings from Melbourne.

For more information pick up a brochure in  shops around Oamaru or visit www.sustainableoamaru.org.nz