Three months on Flinders Island was meant to be a quick posting.

Nearly 60 years later, Peter Sheriff is still here — and he’s lived enough working lives for a whole town.

Postmaster on the manual phone exchange. Farmer through collapsing wool markets and soaring interest rates. Builder. Cartage operator. Concrete bridge maker. Council Warden. Shipping advocate. Fire brigade captain during the 2003 bushfires.

A huge 115kg of items were saved from landfill at Saturday’s Repair Fair at the Flinders Arts and Entertainment Centre! It was a brilliant couple of hours of fixing, sharing skills, learning from each other and giving everyday items another chance — with a Repair Fair sausage or two along the way, of course. 🌭

And we’re doing it again! The next Repair Fair is planned for November at the Whitemark Showgrounds, alongside the Garage Sale Trail and Too Good to Tip.

A remote island can sound like a postcard until you’re the one carrying months of supplies, keeping tracks clear, and watching the weather decide whether you arrive by boat or plane. 

In this episode of Latitude 40, Jacqui sits down with Spud and Kim Murphy, a Flinders Island couple whose lives are shaped by hard work, community, and a deep affection for wild places and they don’t just talk about Deal Island in Bass Strait, they’ve lived it, five separate times, as volunteer caretakers in the Kent Group.  

Join us at the Flinders Island Repair Fair on Saturday 8 August, from 11.00am to 1.00pm at the FAEC, for a practical and welcoming community event focused on repairing, reusing and sharing skills.

Bring along clothing that needs mending, small wooden items, IT questions or gardening needs, and connect with local people who can offer advice and hands-on support.

Flinders Island is home to remarkable native wildlife, but when an animal is injured, orphaned or in distress, help is not always close by.

With support from Animals Tasmania, Furneaux Collective is delivering a Wildlife Carer Education and Recruitment Campaign to help build local knowledge, confidence and capacity.

What does it mean to police a community where everyone knows your name?

Former Senior Sergeant Tony Power and Senior Constable Will Broadbridge reflect on policing across two generations, sharing stories of service, trust, resilience and the unique relationships that come with living and working in a close-knit island community.

In a special episode close to home, Jacqui sits down with her father, John Cooper, for a heartfelt conversation about family, farming, community, and life on Flinders Island.

From lighthouse keeping connections and King Island beginnings to the challenges of farming the outer islands, this episode captures the perseverance, humour, and quiet determination that shaped a generation.

With funding support from Circular North, the Furneaux Collective is excited to launch a series of Pop Up Repair Fairs across Flinders Island.

Before we throw it away, could we fix it? We're seeking local fixers, makers, menders and practical problem-solvers to share their skills, inspire others and help build a stronger culture of repair, reuse and community connection. We'd love to hear from you. 💛

From 4–7 May, the Furneaux Collective hosted Portals to Place, a gathering shaped around a simple but powerful question: how can communities shape their own future, on their own terms?

The conference brought together people from across Tasmania and beyond who are living, working and caring for isolated and special places.

In this episode of Latitude 40, Gwen Bailey shares a lifetime of island stories - of family, faith, hard work, and the love that carries us through life’s greatest joys and deepest losses.

Calling those interested in regenerative place based development, economic and community development and tourism profesionals

If you’re curious about how communities like ours are shaping their own future — you’re invited.

What begins as a visit becomes a life.

In the 1980s, Dawn Zelman chose to stay on Flinders Island — buying land at Lackrana, opening an art gallery, and even taking on a trial role cooking for 12 men on a cattle run to Hogan Island.

The Furneaux Collective will be hosting an event at the Flinders Arts & Entertainment Centre on Saturday 2nd may as a fundraiser for the Patriarchs Sanctuary.

We’re working hard to welcome visitors in a way that stays true to island values. That means tourism that gives back, supports local livelihoods and protects the environment that makes this place so special.

Travel inspiration now arrives instantly, amplified by social media and global demand. From Santorini to Maria Island, places are being asked to carry more than they were ever designed for. The Islander Way exists because we are choosing to act early, welcoming visitors while protecting place, community, and the future we share.

You may have noticed our gorgeous feedback postcards popping up around the Island lately - at the Airport, Bowmans, Walkers, at the Council office, or handed over with a friendly smile.

They’re designed especially for visitors and include a QR code linking to a quick 2-minute survey.

A Year in Review from the Furneaux Collective

As the year comes to an end and the Island eases into summer, we wanted to take a moment to say thank you and reflect on what has been a big and meaningful year for the Furneaux Collective.