Help us keep farming: our farm is being sold

Many of you would be aware that Cana has been managing a farm in western Sydney for nearly 15 years.

Located in Orchard Hill, some 10 kms east of Penrith, adjacent to the M4, this 45-acre block is owned by the Polese family. The family patriarch, Beppi, offered Cana the opportunity to use this land and integrate it into our work.

We have done just that! The Cana Farm has provided us with the opportunity for our community members, many of whom are our house guests, to work, interact, learn, and develop. It’s certainly a somewhat unique site from which to deliver a range of supports to our community members including regular sessions with their counsellor, the community nurse, art therapist, etc. The Farm has also proved to be a special place to involve small school and corporate groups interested in getting their hands dirty while interacting with our community members and spending time together reflecting and learning.

Unfortunately, the site has been sold as part of a broader plan to redevelop the area. This shouldn’t surprise us, given the housing shortage across Sydney we know only too well!! We need to vacate the site by late in calendar 2024.

That is certainly not the end of the story. Far from it. We continue to work closely with the Polese family, in particular Beppi’s son, Marc. Cana and its community have benefitted enormously from their sincere generosity and unwavering support, and that will continue.

With the backing of the Polese family we are on the lookout for a new farm to which we can relocate our existing operations – including the horses and the chooks. The new site is unlikely to be in the existing area. Land values around there have gone crazy!!

This process is unfolding right now. The task before us in undertaking this transition is enormous for an organisation of our size and resourcing.

Over and above all logistics, leaving the existing site will be heart breaking for many. The Farm, like every part of Cana, has so many layers that are difficult to capture in words.

Any support you may be able to provide us in undertaking this major change would be enormously appreciated. All ideas are valued. All contributions are treasured.

We will strive to keep our supporters up to date on developments on this front over the course of 2024.

David Ballhausen

CEO, Cana Communities Inc.
e david.ballhausen@cana.org.au