Straight after the Regenerating Food Systems conference you’ve been hearing from in recent weeks, we headed south for the Grounded Festival. It was my privilege to host proceedings there on the last day, in one of the two marquees by the lake, on the wonderful Galloway Springs Farm near Bridgetown. There were three panel conversations there that the team at Grounded has generously allowed me to share here.

Those panels happened to be such emotional, substantial and funny pinnacles of what had been an extraordinary week as a whole here in WA – from Government House, through the conference at the city Stadium, to this festival in the field.

These panel conversations offer something of a debrief on the week, some significant early outcomes and resolutions, and the spirit that had summed along the way.

First up, then, the extraordinary morning panel, still reverberating for many, featuring three people who had been at the three major events – and some others - through the week:

• West Australians of the Year, farmers and previous podcast guests, Di and Ian Haggerty; and
• Noongar and Thin-ma Warriyanka woman and also a previous podcast guest, Heidi Mippy.

On the topic of First Nations Integration into the Food System.

And how this yarn builds.

Chapter markers & transcript.

Recorded 20 September 2025.

Title image: AJ, Heidi, Di and Ian on stage (pic: Alan Benson).

See more photos on the episode web page, including the illustration by Brenna Quinlan, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.

If you’d like to see that image of the Wagyl on Heidi’s first visit to the Haggerty farm, head to episode 143.

Music:

Barefoot, by Mark Grundhoefer (from Artlist).

Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.

The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.

Send us a text

Join us for a journey on the Murray River, Australia, for the first Confluence 2026.

Pre-roll music: River, by Onyx Music (sourced from Artlist).

Support the show

The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. We'd love you to join us.

Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.

Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.

While you can also visit The RegenNarration shop. Come to an event. And please do share, rate and review the podcast.

Thanks for your support!

Last week’s episode and bonus extra featured the first panel conversation and my MC's introduction, respectively, to the Regenerating Food Systems conference hosted by RegenWA last month at Perth Stadium. Today, a final brief instalment from that event – a summary of all that happened during day one. With a little experiment.

I was relieved and grateful when a bunch of people came up to me afterwards to say how much they appreciated that experiment. One person I respect even asked if they could access a recording of it. Well, there was a recording, and you’re listening to a podcaster of course, so maybe it could be podcast fodder. Could be a good way to share a taste of what went down with you too. It sure was an outstanding day.

So I gave it a listen back (thanks to RegenWA), and on balance, it got the green light. As always, you’ll let me know if it shouldn’t have. But here it is. My ten-minute close to day one of the Regenerating Food Systems conference.

Here’s the conference program if you feel like tracing who I’m referencing throughout.

For more from both days, you can read RegenWA’s written debrief, standby for their release of other recordings, and of course listen to last week’s episodes.

Chapter markers & transcript.

Recorded 17 September 2025.

Title image by Alex Hawkins from Simple Ben Stories.

For more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.

Music:

Beat Blitz by Sunny Fruit (sourced from Artlist).

Regeneration, by Amelia Barden.

The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.

Send us a text

Join us for a journey on the Murray River, Australia, for the first Confluence 2026.

Pre-roll music: River, by Onyx Music (sourced from Artlist).

Support the show

The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. We'd love you to join us.

Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.

Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.

While you can also visit The RegenNarration shop. Come to an event. And please do share, rate and review the podcast.

Thanks for your support!

Welcome to this brief bonus extra to episode 279, which featured a very special panel conversation from the recent Regenerating Food Systems conference.

Now you might ask, why would anyone who wasn’t at the conference want to hear my MC’s introduction to it? Well, if you’re interested in some of the story of the conference, the movement in Western Australia generally, RegenWA in particular, including its moving roots, some of the rest of what became an incredible week of events in WA, from Government House, through the conference, to Grounded Festival and more - and maybe even some of the story of how I came to be connected to all this at about the same time RegenWA started – then here’s the short version for you. All of six or seven minutes. With the Governor of WA and his wife, former Ministers, current MPs, and 300 others filling the room at Perth Stadium last month.

Recorded 17 September 2025.

Title slide: Introducing the conference, with the Governor of WA in the front row (from the film by Alex Hawkins of Simple Ben Stories).

See more photos on the episode web page, and for more behind the scenes, become a supporting listener below.

Music:

Music by Jeremiah Johnson.

The RegenNarration playlist, music chosen by guests.

Send us a text

Join us for a journey on the Murray River, Australia, for the first Confluence 2026.

Pre-roll music: River, by Onyx Music (sourced from Artlist).

Support the show

The RegenNarration podcast is independent, ad-free and freely available, thanks to the generous support of listeners like you. We'd love you to join us.

Become a paid subscriber to connect with your host, other listeners and exclusive benefits, on Patreon or the new Substack.

Or donate directly via the website (avoiding fees) or PayPal.

While you can also visit The RegenNarration shop. Come to an event. And please do share, rate and review the podcast.

Thanks for your support!