We have lived on this property for ten years, alongside its rainforest and established native habitat. Some native food plants were here before us. Over that decade, we planted more than a thousand trees, including bush tucker and fruit and nut trees, and grew orchards alongside the rainforest. By the time the community gatherings began, this place already held years of planting and care. Inviting others to add their trees let that work grow into a community food forest.

In May 2026, I invited friends to bring a fruit or nut tree instead of a present for my 60th birthday. They added their trees to the landscape we had been tending. We planted, ate and danced together, and a vision I had carried for many years opened into something the community could grow with us.

I may never see every tree fully mature. That is part of the point. These trees can continue feeding and sheltering people and native habitat long after I am gone. What began with me has always been an invitation for others to shape it through their own care, skills and participation.