Vale Jeff Thierfelder

It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of a very important member of the Witchcliffe Ecovillage team and community, Jeff Thierfelder, and send our deepest regards to his family and friends.

Jeff and I shared a common dream of creating sustainable and resilient communities—simply better places for people to live—since long before we met, and the Witchcliffe Ecovillage gave us the opportunity to fulfil our dreams together. We met through an email that Jeff sent me in September 2018, outlining his passion for sustainable and resilient communities, and his desire to meet and have a closer look at what we were planning with the Witchcliffe Ecovillage. He included his CV with his email, which I’ll never forget reading – a kindred spirit! 

I phoned him the next day and we had a long chat about what we’d both been doing over the past 20yrs, at the end of which I said – do you want a job?! He replied, I think so, but I’d better come down and meet you first! Incidentally, his wife Jo was a journalist who was redirecting her focus towards sustainable food systems and businesses, and had just arrived in Italy to attend the biannual Terra Madre, the largest artisan food festival in the world. Wow, they were both permies and passionate about sustainable agrarian rural villages: maybe Jo would like to join our team as well? 

Jeff came down to meet me the following weekend, while on a trip to Molloy Island with two mates and their sons. We met over a coffee, or three, and talked for hours! Jeff was both a Town Planner and Architect by degree and training, and I realised my initial instinct was correct, he would be a wonderful member of our team, and he agreed! He returned to Perth to wait for Jo to return and within another couple of weeks they were both down to visit us, bringing their two wonderful sons, Henry and Hugo. Shelle and I took them out for dinner, and over many pizzas and glasses of good wine, the decision was made, the Thierfelders were moving to Margaret River!

By the time they joined the WEV team, we had completed the overall Ecovillage design, and our scheme amendments and structure plan were approved, but we still had lots of town planning work for Jeff to sink his teeth into and leave his mark, including creating the Local Development Plans and helping with the Sustainable Building Design Guidelines that would successfully drive the sustainability and character of homes within the village, developing a bespoke life cycle analysis tool for the Ecovillage with Cerclos, and working closely with me on the various pre-designed house plans we provided for residents. He also took over dealing with all of the builders, and local and state government bureaucracies, which was a great relief for Shelle and myself! Jo was also incredibly capable and passionate about the project, and soon became one of our most valued team members, doing absolutely brilliant work on our website, newsletters, and marketing material. 

I was totally exhausted after a very challenging ten-year process to gain all of the necessary approvals for the project, which was far more difficult than anticipated/necessary, so finally having such a capable person that was so passionate about what we were trying to achieve felt like a godsend. I don’t think Shelle and I would have signed off on the contract to proceed with construction at the end of 2019 if I hadn’t had Jeff, Jo, and Wayne, by our side. 

Unfortunately, Jeff had literally only just moved into his new role at the beginning of 2021 when he received his shocking cancer diagnosis in March. What followed was four years of treatment, including seven surgeries, yet throughout this time Jeff remained positive, with his cool and calm perspective, which we were all in total awe of. He continued to work part time while undergoing treatment and his passion for the project never seemed to wane. As they say, when the going gets really really tough, the genuinely extraordinary people shine. And shine he did!  

He lived his life so well, deeply loved by all that lived and worked with him, and he was such a great credit to his profession, to the very end. Above all else, Jeff was a truly wonderful person, and there was no role he took more seriously than that of being a devoted husband to Jo and father to Henry and Hugo, who are without any doubt his greatest legacy. Both boys have been blessed with his cool, calm, caring, diligent and patient nature.

It was such a great honor to have worked closely with Jeff, and I was so proud to read his final post on LinkedIn where he stated that the Ecovillage had been the most rewarding work in his career.

Like so many others that were so looking forward to living around the corner from Jeff in the Ecovillage, we will all remember him with very fond memories and respect, forever.