Justin Calverley is a horticulturalist and permaculturist with over 20 years experience and will be the lead trainer for the Urban Farmer course. He has extensive knowledge and experience in permaculture, garden design, organic gardening and native bushfood plants. He specialises in edible gardens and is an expert in fruit tree cultivation and pruning. For over 10 years Justin has taught workshops at CERES in sustainable gardening and permaculture. Justin was a regular broadcaster on 3RRR’s ‘Dirty Deeds” and “Breakfasters”, is a presenter on Ch 31’s “ The Garden Tap” and author of The Urban Farmer.

Lizzie Bickmore grew up in a family that gardened and her first memories of gardening were creating fairy gardens, turning compost and eating home grown raspberries. Lizzie moved from Canberra to Melbourne in 1998 to study the Certificate IV in horticulture at Burnley college. Growing more environmentally conscious, Lizzie then went on to complete a bachelor of ‘Social Science-Environment’ and realised the great potential to bring gardening and people together to make the world better. Lizzie has spent much of the past 20 years working towards this through a variety of projects and organisations. Working in Landcare, Green Corps team leading, local neighbourhood greening projects, community gardens, family-based horticultural therapy programs, food swaps, Edible Eden Design, composting projects. Lizzie has also worked in a range of nursery settings, including, the Victorian Indigenous Nursery Co-operative (VINC), Fitzroy nursery and is currently at CERES Nursery from Tuesday to Friday.