Indigenous Plants for Health field day

It was a balmy 4 degrees in the morning of Saturday 13th November, with gale force winds, when around 40 people gathered for the Indigenous Plants for Health Association’s Field day, organised by IPHA President Dr Andrew Pengelly, at his own home.

People from all sorts of backgrounds and interest areas made the journey to Ballandean, (close to Stanthorpe) in Queensland, even travelling from north of the Sunshine Coast  (a number of hours away). Backgrounds of attendees included natropathy practitioners, farmers young and old, new land holders, native plant enthusiasts, natural medicine enthusiasts, native food product developers and more.

The field day was packed full of demonstrations and presentations. A copper oil distiller was set up, as a demonstration of how to extract essential oils. Presentations on the medicinal uses of different native plants and plant oils for  were given from experienced practitioners, native foods were displayed, spoken about and tasted by all (yum!). To end the day, Andrew Pengelly, gave a tour there was a walk around the property to see a range of different medicinal native plants and spectacular wildflowers.

Sophie Ader from the ARC Training Centre, who recently joined IPHA as their Director of Research, gave a talk about all of the different research themes the ARC Centre is involved with, the new research equipment, how it approaches working with Indigenous communities, its research themes, and some of the different PhD projects happening. The ARC Training Centre and IPHA have formed a wonderful partnership, each supporting the other with service and information, coming from a place of shared values and aspirations.