Malanda North

17/05/2024

My most important health tip for Tablelanders who are afflicted with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)----or depression, anxiety, PTSD: try www.qldtms.com . Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) returned me to health and might help someone you care about. It has come all the way to Mareeba with huge discounts for us regional/rurals. comment or DM if you want to hear more. TMS Qld wonderful staff and amazing machine saved my life.....i want everyone to know that it is available and, for many Tablelanders, affordable.

Cairns 1st Premier TMS provider since 2021. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Treatment (TMS) is an effective, safe and non-invasive neurostimulation procedure now available in FNQ.

16/05/2024

I have not posted for some years. Why not? Long story short: I have been so ill that I often couldn't even type a sentence. Guess what?!?!?! With a great team, i have finally returned to good enough health to do a bit of productive and community work! More on this later but right now I must beg you to click on this link: https://www.facebook.com/peoplepurposeplace

People Purpose Place is a not-for-profit organisation based in Queensland coaching Australians from housing stress to your home goals. Offering your community FREE information to solve the housing crisis.

05/12/2021

Hi All,
I’m not sure what to expect for our Monday evening Zoom meeting (Mon, 6 Dec, 6 pm Qld time, zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/2207501505 .
Darren, Rowan, Alison and I have made some decisions about my personal starting point. I’d like to fill all of you in on that. Alison and I have thrown our lot in with the concepts developed in their People Driven Properties (PDP) work and our work on a pilot project will move forward.
I am keen to see similar projects following a successful pilot.
However, all four of us feel that there will be many models and the one chosen for now for this pilot is not the only direction to go in. Some of you may find the PDP model works for you. Others will be looking for something else; maybe less outer suburbia in one building than a roomier, possibly more alternative, earthier model.
What we hope to begin here is a series of conversations, not conversations of persuasion to funnel potential participants in “our” direction, rather conversations which likely will diverge. In other words, this particular project will not suit everyone, but a group that supports more than one model might just help all of us achieve some of our dreams.
A couple of thinking points pre-meeting:
1. Please do understand that we have used words that are hard to replace but are rather loaded with baggage: words like affordable and intentional.
I would like to be clear about this not being a charity or a rescue operation: we have a government and many NGO’s which work in that space
2. We are also ecumenical about intentionality and have no idea how to avoid the inevitable connotations of “intentional communities” but leave the level of intentionality up to the group which forms around it. In other words, a spiritual community might see intentionality quite differently to a group of women dedicated to mutual support as they live (and inevitably age!) in place.
3. We do not all have to agree on any one direction and I’m hoping that this more public part of our initial pilot project can be a bit of an artist’s studio, or a kitchen, or some other metaphor for creating a space where a variety of options can be explored. By this point, there should be different potential better solutions to suit many of us regardless of how differently we approach this critical issue.
4. In terms of my association with Innovation House (Rowan and Darren) please note that they are determined to create “best practice compliant end projects”. They are being paid as consultants for my project and will not necessarily accept working with any other project that pops up.
5. We want this group to be a support for many, not just pushing a project for a few (though that is where energy for our pilot project will be largely focussed). However, we will expect open-minded discussion, not ideology. If needed let’s discuss what this might mean at the outset of our meeting.
Look forward to seeing you on Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/2207501505 ) Mon, 6 Dec, at 6 Qld time (AEST---one hour later for AEDT= Sydney/Melbourne)
Cheers,
Christine and Alison
https://innovationhouse.com.au/people-driven-properties/

29/11/2021

Hi All,
Thanks for attending or showing an interest in the meetings with Innovation House (Darren Finlay and Rowan Blizzard) 11 and 12 November.

We intentionally kept the invitations to a minimum just to test the waters and see if there is serious interest in pursuing alternative forms of living arrangements. Of course, there is a great deal of interest!
However, it may be a lengthy process to pull a group/some groups together who have similar intentions and interests in exploring alternative forms of housing that are more people driven than crammed into a standard template..

I suggest that we start a series of Zoom meetings to begin to have the conversations out of which one or more cohesive groups might form.

I propose that we hold our first Zoom meeting on Monday, 6 Dec, at 6 pm.
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/2207501505 . No password required.

Unless any of you makes another suggestion, the agenda for this meeting can be fairly open and flexible. It will likely be more about sharing what our particular needs and wants are and exploring how to go about meeting them in future than about setting anything in stone at this beginning point.

Do let us know what days/times suit you best for Zoom meetings (and/or a preference for F2F gatherings) but don’t worry if you cannot make this meeting. The intention is to hold a series of conversations which will then begin to define directions more precisely.

Please feel free to forward this invitation to those you know well who might also be serious about establishing small, place-based/intention based communities on the Tablelands.

Cheers,

Christine Doan

https://youtu.be/Y-8yujUYuOs

Darren Finlay and Rowan Blizzard (https://innovationhouse.com.au/people-driven-properties/) talk to Christine Doan about news ways of looking at housing opti...

10/11/2021

Hi Tablelanders,
We are working with two long standing colleagues Darren Finlay and Rowan Blizzard from Innovation House/People Driven Properties (https://innovationhouse.com.au/people-driven-properties/) to deliver on a small-scale intentional community. (An intentional community is a voluntary residential community designed from the start to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork) We would like to see a pilot project succeed on the Tablelands.
With apologies for the late notice, we have planned some info sessions on the Tablelands THIS THURSDAY 11th November!!! There will be similar info disseminating and advice gathering sessions in Cairns this Friday.
There will be two short information/advisory sessions to gather a few Tablelanders with similar interests in alternative housing solutions who want to find out more about our progress so far.
These information sessions are intended to be quite narrow in their focus and small in number so that ideas/needs can be shared. It would be great if you could bring a select one or two others along who are keen to see some new housing options available before the present housing crunch becomes a crisis! In the interests of all being able to share ideas rather than watching a presentation, we do want to keep numbers low. Hearing what you have to say is at least as important as disseminating information.
We want to focus on three areas of need/interest:
1. Living in Community ( eg. Aging in Place).
2. Affordability.
3. Filling out the lack of affordable and suitable housing by putting in place robust practical steps, evaluation, processes and possibilities. Could this also function as an ethical investment?
***SESSION 1
When : This Thursday November 11th
Time : 12:30pm to 2:30 pm
Location : Tablelands Business Hub, 49 Loder Street, Atherton.
Focus for this session:
Living in Community (Age in Place, or NDIS or Home Assist)
If you can’t make it in person please join us via Google Meet
meet.google.com/xcf-zvvd-ccz
***SESSION 2
When : This Thursday November 11th
Time : 5:30 pm to 7.30pm
Location : at Tablelands Business Hub, 49 Loder Street, Atherton.
Focus for this session:
Community Leaders Forum Why we should deliver a great response for the Tablelands community. Our future depends on it!
If you can’t make it in person please join us via Google Meet meet.google.com/rqy-shnt-bpc
Feel free to ring for more info on any number below.
Cheers,
Christine Doan and Alison Eaton
CD office: 07 40 914 593
CD mobile: 0419 656 247
AE mobile: 0457 487 777

04/11/2021

Hi Cairns and Tablelands people, we are working with some locals, to deliver on a small-scale intentional community. This is a project that is moving forward with the aim to see it really happen. We are in the Cairns / Tableland area from the afternoon of the 10th to the lunchtime of the 12th of November.
We are looking at providing 3 short information sessions to see if anyone is interested in finding out more information about what could be.
We are aiming to have these information sessions quite narrow in their focus, to help engage with the concept, here is the 3 areas.

1. As a family or a group you are thinking about a better way to plan for your future life, some call it living in place at any age, others call it enhancing your lifestyle.

2. Tackling Affordability in housing and finding your own sense of Place.

3. Interested in the idea of small-scale intentional communities, but want robust practical steps, evaluation, and possibilities. Maybe this could even be an ethical investment?

Get in touch and we can plan a time that works to chat.

13/01/2020

I’ve mostly had condolences (appropriate!) for my decision to sell my Malanda property I have long held with the intention of doing at least a small part in developing Malanda with a more holistic, triple bottom line (environment, community, economy) approach. So many have wished for success in uplifting Malanda without trashing it, as conventional development all too often does!

I’ve had one question relayed to me asking why I would pick a Cairns real estate agent rather than a local one.
I have anguished over this decision. I have consulted my local advisors, including Jeanette Suffield, who gave me very good advice and welcomed the fact that I wanted to speak openly with her about what my choices are. Jeanette was, in fact, beautifully able to empathise with my agonies about selling and how/when to sell. She was generous and understanding.

I feel I need to give this property a chance to attract just the right kind of buyers, those who have a more noble purpose for it than extracting a fast buck. I concluded , after much research and consultation, that I could do without a metropolitan or overseas agent but that I needed an agent with extensive domestic and overseas connections to the kind of client who might be able to do Malanda and this particular property proud.

I am working with an agent who claims to offer that in spades. It remains to be seen if that works out for me and for Malanda.

What I would really like to hear is what kind of buyer you would see as the ideal next owner of this magnificent piece of land.

17/12/2019

We put a drone up over Malanda North a couple of weeks ago and got this fantastic footage!