Permakultura Zlatna jutra

27/10/2025

Getting the land back in our name, Part 5

Dear friends, family, supporters, and ,

It’s now been a year and a week since, with your help, I managed to pay off all the “debts” to the state. Then in June, there was that meeting at the Commercial Court in Osijek, where it turned out that I still have to pay one final bill for state procedural costs — an absurdly high €7,000, mostly due to an appraiser’s invoice of €3,400.

The lawyer said he would handle it and try to get the amount reduced. Yet again, I got the impression that the man simply doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Since June, I’ve been waiting to hear what’s happening, but there’s been complete silence.

Two months ago, I wrote to both the curator and the lawyer suggesting we should take some action, for example, to make a payment proposal. The lawyer replied with a firm “No, that amount is far too high considering what you’ve already paid.”
And that’s true: over the years there have been many separate payments — in 2018 and 2019, then €6,500 in 2020, then the bankruptcy, and again around €5,200 thanks to all of your help.

But despite repeatedly asking the lawyer by email and text message, I get no response — and he won’t answer my calls.

This morning, I received an email from the trustee saying that if we don’t make a proposal soon to pay the €7,000, the land will be sold.

A local landowner had previously recommended another lawyer who has more experience with these kinds of cases. I called him right away this morning — and finally, someone who actually knows what he’s talking about and immediately understood the situation. I have an appointment with him next Monday.

As it stands, the outstanding amount remains €7,000, and the fundraiser currently holds €4,092 after paying off the previous debt.
The new lawyer can help me finalize everything quickly, but his fee will be around €500.

That’s why I’m once again asking for your support — one last push to finally get the land back in my name.

🙏 Thank you for sharing, helping, donating, and thinking along with me.
Every bit of help counts and sharing this message also helps a lot.

🔗

Bart Meijer Heeft je hulp nodig | ```htmlHelp Restore Tradition and Build a Sustainable Future at Our Heritage Farm Zeven jaar gele...

02/08/2025

With the coöperation of Gamera Adria Rocket Stoves and Heaters I will host a Rocket mass heater workshop.

Weekend Workshop: Build Your Own Rocket Mass Heater 34000 Vidovci, Požega, (8)-9–10 August
Join us for a hands-on weekend workshop where you'll learn everything you need to know to build an efficient rocket mass heater.

Only 3 places left !!

This workshop is a deep dive into both theory and practice. We'll explore how rocket stoves work and how to design and build one that’s safe, effective, and tailored to your needs.
Together, we’ll build a rocket mass heater for an 80 m² greenhouse, as well as smaller models for experimenting, learning, and improving. I’ll also demonstrate two commercial rocket stove systems for comparison and inspiration.

Accommodation:
You’re welcome to sleep in the barn on hay bales or bring your own tent and camp in the meadow.
You can arrive and set up camp on Friday 8 August evening from 18:00.

Goal of the workshop:
By the end of this weekend, you’ll be able to design and build your own safe, efficient rocket mass heater.
You will also get acces to the Gamera Adria workshop group, so that before or after the course you will be able to ask questions and get support with your build.

Details
📅 When: 9–10 August (camping available from 8 August, Friday evening)
📍 Where: Vinogradska 15 a 34000 Vidovci
👥 Max. participants: 12
🥕 Food: All meals are included — partially prepared on rocket stoves, using fresh, local vegetables from the gardens of Trudi Borsos. Please let us know if you have vegetarian of vegan preferences for your meals.

Program
Friday evening (optional)
• Set up your tent or sleeping spot
• Campfire and stargazing
Saturday
09:00 – Welcome & introductions
09:30 – Theory: How does wood burn?
10:30 – Hands-on: Building small rocket stoves
11:30 – Theory: How to improve combustion
12:30 – Lunch
13:00 – Q&A session
13:30 – Experimenting: Modifying and improving the first stoves
14:30 – Design briefing: Greenhouse rocket mass heater
15:00 – Start building the greenhouse heater
17:00 – End of day

Sunday
09:00 – Theory: How a rocket mass heater works; the role of thermal mass
10:00 – Hands-on: Scaling up — can we build a basic mass heater from a small rocket?
11:00 – Theory: Materials and design options
12:00 – Q&A session
12:30 – Lunch
13:00 – Continue greenhouse build: Thermal mass and exhaust layout
16:30 – Final Q&A and wrap-up

Price
💶 Price: €65
To book your place, send us a message and transfer €25 to:
IBAN: HR09 2402 0063 2107 5583 5
Name: Bart Jan Meijer

07/07/2025

Getting the land back in our name – part 4?

On June 18th, a creditors’ meeting was held at the Commercial Court in Osijek, due to the bankruptcy of our company. Officially, such a meeting is meant to decide what happens to the company's assets. But in our case, things are a bit different: the people who supported the fundraiser helped pay off the company’s debts, which means we are now the only creditors.

Just before that, we got news from the Netherlands that we would be receiving compensation because of the Dutch child benefits scandal. On paper that sounds great, but honestly, over the past few weeks and months, it’s dragged up a lot of old pain. Memories I’d rather not revisit.
The realization hit me hard: I wasn’t crazy, or strange, I was right.
We went through hell back then, and probably even more afterwards, likely because we ended up on all sorts of government lists. Sure, the official recognition is nice. But old wounds hurt, no matter how late the apology comes.

I used that compensation money to buy a solid Fiat Panda 4x4 something practical that lets me go up and down the mountain again. But even that didn’t bring much joy. The car had several issues that had to be fixed right away. I did it, of course, but with a bitter taste in my mouth.

Back to the meeting: thanks to the fundraiser, we are now the creditors. That means we have the right to decide what happens to the company’s assets, including the land. I received the minutes from the meeting afterwards, translated so I could fully understand them.

The meeting itself felt intimidating. After all the formalities, ID checks, taking attendance, the case was presented. The court confirmed that all debts had been paid.
Then came the question: what do you want to do with the property?
My answer was simple: I just want to keep living there.

That was possible, they said, but I would have to pay the legal fees for the process. When I asked what that would cost, there was a bit of squabbling among the people in the room, and they eventually estimated it at €7,000.

When I saw the itemized list, I was shocked.
The highest fee came from the appraiser: €3,600. That made my blood boil.
His report is full of nonsense, clearly rushed or even AI-generated. For example, he claimed the tractor is in drive able condition. Technically it moves forward and backward, but it has no brakes, no electrical system or lights, and it only starts with jumper cables.
He photographed a tiny 2x3 meter shed and called it “a house.” And the land prices he listed were five times higher than the actual local market.
There were many more mistakes.
Meanwhile, the court-appointed trustee, who has genuinely put in a lot of hours and helped us over the past three years, asked for less than half that amount.

When I voiced my protest, I was told, quite bluntly, that we’ve been living there illegally for years, and that I wasn’t allowed to change or fix anything on the land or buildings Better to keep my opinions to myself, they said.

That really rubbed me the wrong way.

Technically, the lawyer admitted, they were right. But I kept the electricity from being shut off, reconnecting here is very expensive. I’ve repaired roofs, kept the buildings standing, and by living there as sort of “anti-squatters,” we prevented the place from being stripped or destroyed.

The judge acknowledged that, at least.

So, the cost stands at €7,000, plus €1,500 in legal fees. The big question: can I pay it?

There’s still €4,092 left in the fundraiser, and I might be able to sell my motorbike, be it with a broken ABS, though. The judge asked if I could also sell some land, or the broken car and tractor. I said: In theory, yes. But the question is. will they sell, and will they even cover the cost of selling?

The judge couldn’t answer that either.

In the end, we agreed to suspend the meeting until September. In the meantime, I need to find a way to raise the money, and decide whether I’m willing to sell anything.
There are two forest plots I never use, and a field that’s pretty much inaccessible. And then there’s the broken car and tractor. But again, I have no idea if selling any of that would actually help.

Luckily, the lawyer and trustee are going to try to do something about the ridiculous appraisal fee. They’ll keep me posted.

Sharing is great, donating awesome, good thoughts are a great help and a message for good luck also very welcome.

Thank you all !

Bart Meijer Needs Your Help | Help Restore Tradition and Build a Sustainable Future at Our Heritage Farm Seven years ago, my family and I moved to Croatia with a dream—to establish a self...

17/06/2025

Phew, tomorrow will be exciting, in a scary or nervous way.

It's a whole story again.
I've been bothering the lawyer for months, no answer. Yes, that I have to be patient. . . . .
We were supposed to be waiting for an invoice from the bankruptcy director. So when I ask the lawyer directly, he says: "I'll send her another email.

So I think, I can do that too. I send her the request for the invoice and get an answer quickly.
"You won't get an invoice from me, because first is the meeting of creditors in Osijek. Since you are the only creditor, you or your lawyer must be there to arrange for the land to be returned to you. This meeting is next Wednesday."

That is completely different from what the lawyer says.
I didn't know anything, and I don't think the lawyer did either.

Osijek is more than 2 hours away. To be on the safe side, it's better to go there a day earlier and arrange a place to sleep. Friend Tihomir Lakotić arranged a place to sleep, I let the commercial court know that I'm coming.
Everything arranged.

Then I get a text message from the lawyer, saying that it's nonsense to come, because he's going of course. . . .
So, can it be later?
I let him know that I'm coming, because I've arranged everything to come. After that I don't hear from him anymore.

Scary, we'll see tomorrow.

12/04/2025

Finally some news my friends and .

I asked the lawyer several times if there was some news in the last months, but the legal system is a bit slow here.
Now last Friday the lawyer mailed us some answers, and it sounds good to us.
It took me some to digest, and translation was a bit hard, but here it goes:

He finally got the chance to speak with the judge assigned to our case, and has good news.
His impression from the judge is that this judge is a professional that has dealt with more cases like ours.
He has almost the same opinion as our lawyer has about our case, so the procedure will be simple and fast.

Our lawyer will ask the foreclosure director to let him know the costs of the bankruptcy trustee and the expert that still need to be paid.
When that bill is send to us, we need to pay these costs and on that basis the judge would make a decision.
Our lawyer is convinced that the judge will rule that the property registered as the property of Permakultura belongs to the founders.
This means that the land will be transferred back to us once that last costs are paid.

To quote our lawyer: "Basically, the judge confirmed everything I thought was necessary and correct, so in any case, don't worry about the further procedure."

I am still nervous about the whole situation as you probably understand.
So, basically we wait for the bill from the procedure, and the next bill from our lawyer and pay both for the next step.

I want to thank you all for the help, donations, kind messages and good wishes.

Bart
Sharing is caring, donations, even small are welcome, in fact any help is welcome.

Fundraising

17/02/2025

Dear friends and

We finally got news from the lawyer!
The state attorney has submitted the confirmation that the debt to the state has been paid!
The court will now amend the table of reported claims and a creditors meeting will be scheduled to decide on the further course of the procedure.
Now, as we are now the only creditors, we together with the lawyer will attend this meeting, and further course of the procedure will be decided.
What that means is, as we are the only creditors, we will have the only vote on what happens.

So there we will ask the court to hand over the property to us, they will do that after all costs of the procedure are paid.
Finally, I am still a bit in awe, I can tell you.

Costs for the lawyer will be 500 € ex VAT for this part, plus the procedure costs that are not known yet.
After the payment to the state 22 October 2024, we left the rest of the money patiently on the fundraiser, to be ready for this moment. That amount we kept in reserve for the procedural costs and the lawyer.
This really is big news.

I want to thank you all, up to the next step now!

Bart
Sharing is caring, donations, even small are welcome, in fact any help is welcome.

Fundraising

13/12/2024

It is getting winter, and I should be slowing down.
Not likely, as long as the frost stays away, I can do things outside.

This week there were 2 special donations.
Daniel Rakuljič let me know he was experimenting with grafting trees, and had a lot of succes.
So much so, that he wanted to donate trees for the farm.
He drove all the way from Ljubljana to Zagreb, and I drove Zagreb to pick them up.
I could hardly fit in my car myself, so many trees.

After talking about permaculture and orchards for some time, we both drove off.
I drove to Zagreb center for a meeting with architect Shane Fletcher.
Over a great pizza, we discussed a new project: I am asked to build a rocket stove mass heater in a newly build straw-bale house. Calculations, formula’s and theories flew over the table, while we ate the pizza with math like precision.
We both agreed this would be a great prestige project, a huge challenge and a fun place to do a rocket-stove workshop.

On the long way home, I almost forgot that I was donated a ladder, to use for the Alaskan sawmill to mill wood much more precise. So after filling up the tank, I turned around, to see what ladder I could get.
I had to have one, that was no longer than the car, but long enough to finally cut the wood for the last shed that needs renovations. Together with the chaps from the DIY shop we found the best ladder and the way to transport it. We strapped in on the roof, as there was no place in the car due to the trees, and off I went.

Here on the hill, I had 3 challenging trees that needed to be removed. One was a sick oak tree, that still could be used for good timber, it would be a waste to leave it rot away. Against it, there was a tree leaning, that was long dead. Next to it, the biggest challenge, was a damaged wild cherry with its damaged and almost totally broken top still hanging at 7 meters high.
Too bad I didn’t make a photograph of that situation.

I really had to look for a few afternoons, even called a logger friend of mine.
Yesterday, I carefully cut one after the other, step by step. It was like playing chess, or Jenga rather, but I removed a lot of dangerous trees and one huge so-called widow maker.

Today I cut all the straight pieces out of the logs, coming weekend I hope to cut boards and beams.

If you want to help, I'd really appreciate it. Sharing is great, donations are awesome, but sending good energy and positive vibes this way is just as amazing.

Hugs, Bart

https://whydonate.com/en/fundraising/beyond-obstacles

27/11/2024

🌍💚 Big News for “Beyond Obstacles”: A New Goal 3! 💚🌍

Dear friends and ,

We’re excited to share two important updates in our journey to make the “Beyond Obstacles” farm a reality:

1️⃣ We’re almost ready to complete Goal 2! With just a little more clarity on lawyer costs, we’ll begin renovating the old farmhouse and digging the well.

2️⃣ This means we can now shift focus to Goal 3: starting a permaculture farm! 🌱

Why the Change?
We’ve decided to invest in a plan that offers long-term sustainability and growth. Instead of a campground, the permaculture farm will:

🌳 Provide year-round food through fruit trees, bushes, and gardens.
💧 Generate sustainability with irrigation and smart garden design.
🌾 Create income opportunities by selling produce and hosting educational workshops.
This farm will not only pay for itself but also embody everything we stand for: resilience, community, and sustainability. Together, we can make this vision a reality. 🌟

Your support makes all the difference. Help us plant the seeds for a brighter tomorrow! 🌱💚

Joshua Meijer
https://whydonate.com/en/fundraising/beyond-obstacles

21/11/2024

I've been waiting for over 2 weeks for a response from a sawmill regarding prices for special wood sizes. I've been there 5 times, but there's never anyone there.

So I was thinking:
I had bought a big chainsaw for my birthday, but it had some challenges, what if I use that as a sawmill? The challenges like filed down bolts where the saw blade is supposed to go, probably for a new type of blade was one, but there were other issues as well.

I've been looking for parts for 5 days now, and eventually had to 'McGuyver' everything myself. Despite the fundraiser, I still want to keep everything as cheap as possible and turn every penny I spend 10 times. But anyway, I don't want to wait to do chores

Yesterday, I finally put on the original chain and the original .404 chain. It didn't work; I had a feeling there was a different coupling on it. So, together with a guy from the local DIY store, we figured out that a ⅜ chain could fit! Very nice, it's narrower, requires less power, and causes less wood wastage.

Well, yesterday I thought I could cut a plank, but unfortunately, I had to sort another challenge. So today, I had just a little time left. I quickly put everything together for the Alaskan sawmill, which took a while, darn it. But after a lot of hassle, I still had some daylight left to try.

I put the chainsaw into the wood, and it was slow at first, but then it picked up speed—wow! It was even going fast at half throttle, amazing. I expected it to take nearly an hour for each pine plank of 3.5 meters long and 25 cm wide, but it went really fast! So for the second plank, I timed it, nerd alarm, haha.

It took less than 8.5 minutes per plank. I'm really happy with it. Now I can get back to fixing the last roof.

If you want to help, I'd really appreciate it. Sharing is great, donations are awesome, but sending good energy and positive vibes this way is just as amazing.

Hugs, Bart
https://whydonate.com/en/fundraising/beyond-obstacles

10/11/2024

Wow, finally the 2nd roof done.
This roof was a challenge to say the least. A lot of woodwork was rotten, and I found out why.
With these roof tiles, the top layer should be doubled up, so I had to change how the roof battens were setup.
Plus some of the trusses needed to be fixed, the old traditional way.
The last bit, the tile job, was too high for the likes of me.

Sharing is caring, but
if you want to help, yes please, donating is super as maybe I can even hire help.

https://whydonate.com/en/fundraising/beyond-obstacles

28/10/2024

Friends and

We met the first goal !
Today, the friends from Permaculture Croatia and Perforum.info Nenad Maljković, Danijel Višak and Vedran Šančić transferred 1750€ euro from their Croatian fundraiser https://www.perforum.info/obnovimo-projekt-permakultura-zlatna-jutra-u-pakracu/ to the international fundraiser at Whydonate.
This is monumental, to say the least.

With the help of this 3 man team, the lawyer has been asked to take the next steps in the procedure, and that is to liquidate the LTD and to see to it that the land comes into our hands again officially.

Tomorrow I will show you, what has been done on the land, repairing tornado damage and preparing for renovation.

So, no sitting still. Now that this first goal is met, we are going to make the dream for real, and with your help we can.

Bart
Sharing is caring, donations, even small are welcome, in fact any help is welcome.
https://whydonate.com/en/fundraising/beyond-obstacles

Načelo briga za ljude vodi nas u ovu priču, u kojoj se svatko može naći ili ju je i sam doživio - onu kada se snovi urušavaju. Ali ova priča može imati i drugačiji kraj, kada zajednica prepozna poteškoće, odluči se uključiti i pomoći jer brine za ljude.