In the beginning ...
The first conceptions for astraea arose in late 1998 when Pam and Tom were reflecting on where to head in life with their young family. Living in Bangkok at the time, they had seen the devastation of the Asian Financial Crisis where Tom had been working close to the action for two years helping to restructure and refinance companies as part of a small investment manager.
Life was good for them, but they could see the dirty poverty of good people in communities around Thailand. Was it possible to achieve economic prosperity without consuming nature and ensure everyone was looked after? Is there a way to balance economic demands with environmental protection and social equity?
Prosperity for privileged people came at the expense of others, who grew food, made clothes, built homes, offices, industry and infrastructure and so on. That kind of social pyramid seemed to have been around for centuries, but surely humanity had the capacity to move beyond that model. Space technology was a part of life. Air travel, mobile phones, the emerging internet were evident in everyone's lives so surely humanity could share the wealth of understanding and nature's bounty instead of shovelling it all to those of us at the top while polluting Earth.
Tom enjoyed his career helping raise equity and invest in private businesses and had developed the talent for opportunity research and analysis, due diligence and understanding organisational dynamics required for businesses to thrive. Having the benefits of training, skills, network and some modest savings he wanted to explore finding solutions to the toxic economic and social system. So with little idea of the way forward, but knowing that it was the right thing to do, a chose to pause for a while to reflect and explore changing course, and started sketching out ideas for "Astraea", an ancient name evoking the opportunity for universal peace and equity.
The initial concept was simply one of exploring and sharing ideas to help people choose and enjoy life. The emerging internet offered open and cheaply accessible access to "everyone". Leaving Bangkok in early 1999 the family settled in Ireland where Tom's family had a long history and a home-base. Settling in to a 200 year old worker's cottage refurbished by his parents, several initiatives were launched in the first year, including growing food, by the end of which Astraea had been started to focus on ideas for change.
The world has changed since then, but the emergency on planet Earth is more visible. Pam and Tom have bobbed along living more gently on the world, raising children and sharing hope and help in a range of endeavours. Astraea continues. Ideas have been shared. Yet challenges have grown as the pyramid of power has grown, increasing its stranglehold on nature while ensuring that those with property remain in control of those without.
Despite those challenges, we have helped many people see the opportunity to live more lightly yet more fulfilled lives by letting go of fear and greed and choosing to reconnect and share Earth with nature by living more in tune with universal truths.
Pam describes herself as a director, mediator and yoga teacher. She's all of those and a whole lot more. She is a founder of astraea, runs a holiday cottage business, works the land and has been guiding yoga students for over 20 years. (LinkedIn)
Tom describes himself as System Change Entrepreneur, Meta-systems Theorist, Small-holder, which is short hand for the paragraphs above describing initiatives to make the world a better place, searching for universal answers, and growing food and fuel in a hands-on way. (LinkedIn)
If you are inspired to collaborate or work with us, please join our community and consider working with us.
Pam interviewd by Ruth Medjber
Season 1, Ep. 229, Friday, August 21, 2026
Pam mentioned in her directions that the path to her home was a little “off the beaten track” and she really wasn’t lying. As we drove our big camper down the little boreen, we came to her perfect wee house. She had a table set within the walled gardens where we chatted in the sunshine.
Pam and her husband are living an idyllic life, but it's very different to the one they first set out for themselves. They’ve turned their backs on investment banking, and instead have chosen a greenhouse full of organic avocados and lemons, a field of geese and an amazing shebeen for private gatherings and community workshops.
Rx
Sin Scéal Eile - That's Another Story was hosted and created by Ruth Medjber, with sound by Ronan Lally. The podcast is produced by Dee Reddy at Poddle Audio with original music by Elaine Mai.
Tom on Ours To Protect with Ethna Quirke 
Ethna Quirke spoke to Tom about his retreat from the corporate world, a return to nature and his work with the Carlow County Environmental Network and their upcoming “Feast upon the Earth” event.
The programme was released in two broadcasts: Part 1 and Part 2. The complete conversation is here.
Ours to Protect is a radio and audio project spearheaded by Independent Broadcasters of Ireland (IBI) to broadcast over 1200 new and unique programmes devoted to climate change and climate action. It is funded by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television Licence Fee and is a partnership between KCLR and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland check out ourstoprotect.ie for more details.
November 2023
Tom on KCLR talking about Feast Upon The Earth
Tom click here for radio interviewTom chatting with KCLR’s wonderful Trishauna Archer.
15 September 2023
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Tom on KCLR talking about How to Get Rich and Famous
Tom chatting with Sue Nunn on KCLR95.6FM after the release of How to Get Rich and Famous
7 June 2017
Nationwide talks to Tom at home
Broadcast 6 February 2015
In 2015 Helen McInerney and her team from RTE Nationwide joined us here at Ballin Temple to talk about astraea's book Common Sense. The short interview talks about the history of Ballin Temple as well as the background to Common Sense.
This is the link to the original piece: http://www.rte.ie/news/player/nationwide/2015/0206/ The video above is offered since the RTE link might not work.
Common Sense book launch reported in The Carlow Nationalist
5 December 2014
Tom and Pam on KCLR
Eimear Ní Bhraonáin of KCLR chats with Tom and Pam
Plus a poem The Driving Test by Joe Hickey.
Clonegal National School, 27 November 2014
Thank you VERY much. A tremendous resource. Graham Wilson
Truth
by Jeremy Cassar Torregiani
to commemorate the death of Daphne Caruana Galizia,
martyred for truth on 16 October 2017
She looks at you quite calmly
never angry nor perturbed.
She looks at you, yet sharply
Your every move observed.
She knows you know
You know she knows
That it’s too late for you
The act was done
and cannot be
undone
and what was done is true!
She told us so,
many moons ago
about the way false men make hay
the sun shines on their faces…
about all their airs and many graces
Parading themselves as law abiding
yet from the law they shy, in hiding,
blocking the truth at every turn
to steal from us
what they could never earn
Black or white, red or green
the dice will land on 17
while anger will
confusion bring.
She smiles
she waits
she knows her thing.
Money, greed,
right or wrong
from who to heed the truthful song.
A noose tightens around their neck.
All hell breaks loose
as vultures peck!
The state no longer draped in graces
shamed instead like those tanned faces
that find themselves in dire straits
awaiting now their well wrought fate.
The sound of time,
the ticking clock
that struck before the fatal shock,
keeps ticking on
as it did before
It cost a pound,
but now costs more
Too late for her,
her time had come!
Too late for us,
the end’s begun.
At three fifteen the sound of thunder,
the end of mother nature’s wonder!
Yet time and truth are such good friends
that lies and cunning cannot bend.
In the end
you will be caught.
The battle won,
the battle fought.
