Trevor and Scilla became members of Narara Ecovillage in 2014 – very soon after their partnership began. For Scilla, at least, an understanding of the challenges presented by establishing an ecovillage, knowing the history of Narara and the awareness that Deep Ecology had a presence were all factors in her decision to join.
From the start, Scilla and Trevor were very involved with both practical activities and community life here. This is ongoing!
Scilla has always been at the heart of our Community Circle and accompanies many prospective members on their ‘journey to joining’ Narara. She supports the quest for greater inclusion and was a strong advocate for setting up the Collaborative Living at Narara (CL@N) initiative as well as introducing our Alumni program. Trevor complements Scilla by having done significant training in Compassionate Communication, otherwise known as NVC. Their home is frequently shared with those in need of a night or two of hospitality.
Promoting peaceable, aware relationship within and between people (and all of life) is Scilla’s passion and together they have a deep commitment to creating a compassionate, aware, inclusive and socially sustainable community at Narara. As a Quaker, she has a strong commitment to the principles as well as the practice of Sociocracy and has also been a catalyst in building respectful understanding and connection with our local First Nations communities.
Scilla: ‘I first dreamed of an ‘intentional community’ when I was 21 – approx. 50 years ago, and Narara presents a REAL POSSIBILITY for this vision to be realised.’
Trevor’s love of community activity and engagement also attracted him. His generous nature and creative practical skills also draw him into numerous re-using, re-cycling and re-purposing projects. He scrounged wood from skips to make the first outdoor chess set, with version 2 now in the pipeline. The bicycle wheels ‘decorating’ their car port fence reflect his love of cycling – as well as willingness to help those needing support. With his ‘working at heights’ certificate, he is a very useful volunteer on roof-top repair jobs, and on the ground, he can now slash long grass and move heavy objects with tractor and truck licences under his belt!
He also helps to maintain the equipment in the all-important Mower Shed. Being part of a sustainable community entails sharing the ride-on mowers, push mowers, brush cutters and many other tools. Trevor’s skills with computer software and tech are called on to create Wiki pages for Circles and Events Calendars for the website. Another much-appreciated task is picking up the weekly bread order from a local sourdough baker.
Trevor and Scilla regularly take visitors on private tours sharing their experience and knowledge of the ecovillage, providing an honest and balanced opportunity to see what we have to offer.
Trevor: ‘Now in my 70’s, I upgraded my driver licence to drive a Medium Rigid truck licence so I could drive our tipper truck. Being part of community opens many possibilities.’
Trevor cycles around 100km per week keeping him fit and healthy whilst offering opportunities for socialising outside the village. He was a ‘pilot’ cyclist for blind ‘stokers’ on intrepid tandem cycle rides in India. Scilla supported the establishment of a local equine-assisted therapy program. She is an active Quaker, a respectful student of indigenous wisdom and excited by the potential for Narara to add Sacred Circle Dancing to the list of heart-warming connection opportunities for members and our local community.
Trevor is almost a local having grown up in the Blue Mountains. At age 23 he rode a motorcycle across Asia, through India and Afghanistan to Europe, arriving in London 18 months later on a by-now clapped-out motorcycle and with 3 pounds in his pocket. Scilla is a Scot who found her way to Lutrawita/Tasmania in the 1980’s. She and her husband, plus 2 little boys, travelled for a year in Australia, Pacific and USA, precipitated by the need to escape Thatcher’s UK.
By the time Scilla and Trevor met, each had two children but while Scilla’s were adults, Trevor’s were still at primary school. Trevor had his own IT consultancy and Scilla worked in restorative conferencing for child protection and juvenile justice and also offered equine-assisted therapy and education from her beloved rural property near Hobart. While motor-bikes gave Trevor the freedom he craved, the horse had always been Scilla’s anam cara.
Both were strongly drawn to ‘conscious community’. Trevor is very comfortable in the company of others: he loved ConFest and he has many of the skills that are critical for success in community – both practical and interpersonal. For Scilla, the road to Narara was paved with many community-oriented dreams and disappointments, including years of research, planning and project development. She had spent time at Findhorn, visited many co-housing communities and helped to set up a small ecovillage in Tasmania.
Narara offered an exciting opportunity for them to embark on a new journey together and they both sold their ‘family homes’ rather more quickly than they had anticipated. Their cluster house took a bit longer to complete than expected and they were nomads for 3 years. They chose to be house- and pet-sitters (often for Narara members), Camino pilgrims and guests of Scilla’s extensive Scottish family.
Scilla: ‘Community is in my blood, I have been part of a few and it’s not always an easy choice but the rewards and richness far outweigh the few conflicts or pressures that come with living together’.