Di Maxwell – 12th February, 2026
Buckminster Fuller once said, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” That idea has guided much of my thinking over the years. Real and lasting change rarely comes from confrontation; more often it grows from patiently building something practical, constructive, and genuinely useful until people naturally gravitate toward it.
That is how I see the Old Packhouse Market project. It is not simply about purchasing a property, nor is it a short-term campaign or a single initiative standing alone. It is one essential cog within a much larger and longer-term vision for strengthening community life across the Far North.
The Old Packhouse Market is the starting point because it is already a proven and functioning community asset. It is a place where food, trade, creativity, and connection happen every week. By securing it in community ownership, we are not creating something abstract or speculative; we are protecting and strengthening something that already works. From that stable foundation, we can carefully and responsibly build outward.
The Market becomes the central hub in what we call the Outposts Project, a network designed to reconnect and support the smaller communities scattered throughout the Far North. Many of these communities are rich in skill, produce, and initiative, yet they often operate in isolation. Through the Outposts model, goods can move more efficiently, local producers can reach wider markets, and knowledge and support can flow both ways. It is a practical approach to resilience: strengthening local enterprise, encouraging cooperation, and reducing unnecessary vulnerability.
This kind of work does not happen overnight, nor should it. Good things, especially those intended to endure, take time. The intention is not to move quickly and dramatically, but to move steadily and thoughtfully, building trust and capability as we go.
Over time, this networked approach lays the groundwork for something even more significant: the development of locally grounded Community Councils. These would not replace existing councils or compete with formal structures of government. Rather, they would operate as constructive, community-based forums that help ensure local knowledge and lived experience are organised and brought forward in a coherent way.
Each Community Council would focus on six foundational areas: Food, Housing, Education, Economy, Environment, and Community Cohesion. These are not ideological categories; they are the basic building blocks of a healthy society. When we speak about Education and Economy, we are not rejecting national systems or international connections outright, we are showing that alternative systems do have a place in our communities. We are recognising that strong communities benefit from developing practical, ground-up initiatives alongside those broader frameworks. This might include systems development, local skills training, cooperative enterprise models, mentoring networks, or alternative approaches to lifelong learning that respond directly to local needs.
The way these Community Councils would function is deliberately simple. If a housing issue arises, for example, the housing representatives from each participating community could come together to share what they are seeing on the ground. They could discuss what has worked, what has failed, and where support is most needed. The same collaborative approach could apply to food security, environmental stewardship, youth education, or small business development. In this way, decisions and initiatives are shaped by real experience rather than distant assumptions.
This is not about opposing existing structures, nor about concentrating power in a new form. It is about widening participation and strengthening the flow of information from the ground up. Communities retain their individuality and autonomy, yet benefit from being connected to a wider table of shared learning and coordinated effort.
The Old Packhouse Market is therefore both practical and symbolic. It demonstrates that community ownership is possible. It provides a physical base from which economic, educational, and social initiatives can grow. It anchors the Outposts network, which in turn supports the emergence of Community Councils that reflect genuine grassroots insight.
None of this is driven by urgency or impatience. It is driven by commitment and persistence. We will continue to chip away, building carefully, learning as we go, and inviting others to participate where they see value. If we succeed, it will not be because we have fought what already exists, but because we have built something constructive enough, stable enough, and beneficial enough that people choose to be part of it.
That, in essence, is the long view.
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