This new column in the Good Life section comes about with requests to feature people and organisations involved in the networking and sustainable growth of conscientious businesses and the ever-growing demand for clean food and real ‘eco’ products in the northern rivers and Australia.
From time to time this column will see guest writers, snippets from myself, and your letters published.
To contribute, email Matthew Michaelis: [email protected].
A Growing contribution
Whether it is making soup for a sick friend or dropping a casserole in, we all like to be nourished.
I remember B Gate at Bentley Blockade on a cold evening. A lady pulled up and landed a Moroccan casserole for the crew.
One act of kindness can translate tenfold. It is a feeling like no other, to feed one another and help a cause. It’s another important cause that’s on the menu at the Harvest Vintage event at Imogen’s Winery in Whian Whian this week.
Imogen’s winery is set in the magic of Whian Whian. Douglas and Christine Kesteven, the owners of Imogen’s Winery, tragically lost their daughter just before her 21st birthday in 1997 owing to mental health issues.
The farm was named Imogen’s Farm by her brother, Nathan, in her honour. As a doctor witnessing patients with mental illness, it was Nathan’s idea to dedicate this annual event to raise funds for Grow, a community organisation.
Imogen’s fundraiser, to be held on 21 Feb 2015, will showcase a demonstration of grape picking and crushing – a rare treat to witness.
Mandy Nolan will MC the event while you enjoy an Italian feast by Roberto Costanzo (ex River Cafe London) Nomadic Kitchen. A feast of local producers, Nimbin Dairy and slow-cooked meats by Russell Wilson of Dunoon Garage, sweets by Faith Newman and pane by Heart Bread – I can also guarantee there will be some of those preserved lemons tucked in somewhere.
In the sublime vineyard setting of Imogen’s Farm, feasters will be contributing to Grow, a community organisation that has helped thousands of Australians recover from mental illness through a unique program of mutual support for personal development.
Feed your appreciation for our local farmers – their processes and skills, a reminder of the significance of harvest and our seasons, a contribution by our community to help a cause and other farmers and the community. I’ll toast to that.
– Alison Drover
Find out more about Grow or buy tickets from www.grow.org.au, or call 6621 2737 / 6689 5839 (also available from the Dunoon garage).
Imogen’s Farm Wines: 607 Whian Whian Rd, Whian Whian.
About Alison Drover
Alison is a ‘locavore-frugavore’, sustainable-food consultant, writer, educator, designer, speaker and organic-food gardener. Her passion is to encourage corporate and social responsibility through her skills as a community-engagement specialist and social-environmental activist.
She is a devotee of food that is good, clean, fair, inspired by people making a difference to the environment by voting with their forks.
She would love to transform all fast-food takeaways into ‘Old Macdonald’ mini-farms with kitchen gardens for children to pick and mix herbs and ethical burgers all supplied by local farmers, free-range chickens with drive-through compost bins, worm farms and free heirloom self-seeding packaging with every family meal. www.alisondrover.com /
