Riverside Community has turned 75 years old!
Community members and friends - young and old - celebrated this milestone on Saturday, 3rd September, with the planting of native trees on our 'Bushwalk', followed by afternoon tea at Riverside Cafe. Merle Hyland, one of the last surving founding members of Riverside Community, had the honoury seat in our gathering and shared some hilarious and heart-warming stories from the past before she was 'inundated' with flowers from her little friends (Riverside kids) :)
As New Zealand's oldest intentional community, we have experienced many changes over the last 7 decades, and today our members come from a wide array of cultural as well as spiritual backgrounds. What has not changed, however, is our belief that coperation, sustainability and the sharing of ressources are crucial for living in peace and creating a better world for our children.
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We are in awe of Riverside's founding members, who risked their personal freedom and had to endure many different forms of discrimination in the early years because of their pacifist beliefs. We are dedicated to their vision of living in a society based on equality, social justice and compassion, and hope that future generations will continue to honour their ideals.
May those who have come before us 'Rest In Peace'!
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