Last week's speaker at the Cowra Rotary Club was Architect and Sustainable Development advocate, Dylan Gower.
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Dylan was born in South Africa and was educated there including attending University in Capetown, after which he did a "prac year" in London honing his craft as an Architect.
He met an Australian girl and came with her to Australia where he finished his last two years of study in Sydney, thus qualifying as an Architect with what you could possibly call a worldwide degree.
Obviously, like many of us, Dylan quickly tired of the city traffic as he cited this as the main reason he ended up in Cowra, to avoid the traffic.
He bought "Tullie Hole" 15 years ago and moved here in 2007, setting up his Architecture Practice.
One of the projects he has been associated with in the Cowra district has been the conversion of the old shearing shed at "Riverslea", one of the best known sheds in the district, to a cultural/educational and environmental facility.
He also is heavily involved with Clean Cowra Inc. which wishes to use the biomass produced in agriculture especially as well as associated industries to convert to clean energy and to decentralise this conversion.
In the future we may be able to produce our own energy from reusable sources such as biomass and solar thus reducing and even eliminating our dependence on the big energy companies.
Dylan is an advisor to the Cowra Shire Council as well as within his Architectural Practice specialising in the conversion and re-use of buildings.
His design philosophy is one of regional sustainable development with sustainability of homes and buildings being a major part of the overall planning of new developments.
He is also involved in the Canowindra Rail Precinct Project an educational project for students, which aims to reuse, renew and update the area.
Dylan will be heavily involved in the Sustainability Conference to be held at the Cowra Showgrounds on Friday 2nd May.
More information can be obtained by contacting the Council or Cowra Tourism.