WARRANWOOD LETS – HOW IT ALL BEGAN………….

How did Warranwood LETS begin? Who started it? And when was it first formed?

I asked Graeme Sweeney, one of the founding members for the story! Here’s what he wrote:

“Back in the early nineties, one matter very much on the minds of a number of parents at the Rudolf Steiner School was the payment of the school fees. When someone heard about the LETS idea, a few parents thought – “Wouldn’t it be a great idea if, through membership of LETS, parents could save actual money outlay and therefore the burden of the payment of the school fees would be eased.” So, Warranwood LETS was formed with a membership of Steiner parents. As we gained more experience of LETS and of the importance of the local aspect for practicality of minimising travelling times — and realised how many of the Steiner parents lived a long way from the school — it seemed a good idea to open up membership to local people. This then made for a membership more or less centered on Warranwood — and for more of the transactions taking place with minimum traveling.

In the early days, we had an electrician as a member and he could have been full time doing LETS jobs. Some of my earliest transactions included — as a receiver of services –haircuts, typing, window cleaning, Shiatsu, digging out blackberries, lawn mowing, gardening, pruning, tree felling and branch cutting, computer advice. With my truck and large trailer, I shifted cars, caravans, rubbish, branches, house contents and lots of odds and ends.

One joint LETS activity, which gave all the participants a wonderful feeling of satisfaction, involved a member shifting house. She had done an excellent job of pre-packing everything, which could be pre-packed. A combination of LETS members and friends of the couple, aided by two trucks and large trailers and sundry cars, started about 8am on the Saturday morning and by 2.30pm, everything had been transported and furniture and boxes placed in the appropriate rooms in the new house, ready for the unpacking of the boxes — and a good time had been had by all.

I remember, after having been in LETS only a couple of years, coming to the realisation that, through LETS, I now had a number of friends whom I could contact if I were in difficulty and who would come and help me get out of my difficulty. For someone comparatively new to the area, that was a very comforting feeling to have.

Happy days,

Graeme