21.5 C
Byron Shire
December 1, 2023

Businesses are morphing with COVID-19

Latest News

Reflections yet to adhere to court orders

NSW government-run corporation, Reflections, is yet to fulfil court orders around its management at the Terrace Holiday Park in Brunswick Heads, despite a settlement being reached with Byron Council in the Land & Environment Court in 2021.

Other News

Marisa takes on 621km Melanoma Walk

Margaret Pierce Ballina’s Marisa Worling is about to undertake a marathon walk from Merimbula on the south-east coast to Port...

Eltham Hotel, noise complaints and cancelled shows

Balancing the needs of a diverse community is always a challenge but it is one that owners of the Eltham Hotel Matt Rabbidge and Luke Sullivan, just 15 minutes from Lismore, are determined to do following complaints about loud music at the pub. 

Urgent aid required to ensure future of endangered species

The Maalan Cloud forest is specifically suited to a range of endangered species and if the forest is not saved, they will become extinct.

Minister Stephen Kamper – it’s time to talk about the Dirawong Reserve

Dear Minister I am writing this Open Letter to you as Minister responsible for Crown Lands. Previous letters to you...

Southern Blast in Byron

Surfrider Foundation Australia – the not-for-profit agency dedicated to the protection of Australia’s oceans – has launched a series of film events across Australia’s east coast to raise support for their campaign to Save The Southern Sea from fossil fuel exploration. Their 12th stop will be at Byron Community Theatre on 30 November.

Teens call for youth housing support, better transport

Local youth representatives have told Byron Shire Council that young people need their own housing advice service to help them navigate the shire’s treacherous housing market.

Many people are morphing their businesses – even photographers are doing it – the Tree Faerie is using isolation to work for rather than against her, on a new photographic project she has mounted on Facebook called COVIDcosy, where she visits people with the purpose of taking socially distanced photos. COVIDcosy in Myocum is Sandra, Jessica, Estelle, Jamie, Evan and Mikayla.

Eve Jeffery

Sectors of the north coast community who have really hit a financial wall owing to the COVID-19 pandemic are the food and entertainment industries and in particular restaurants and musicians.

Two local Ashes are making the best of the talents they have by morphing their business.

Ash Bell has stepped out of his singing and performing comfort zone to start teaching guitar online.

Singer/songwriter Ash Bell, most recently working with Sara Tindley, had his work come to a complete stop.

While Sara has her small family business, Singing Farmer Organics, to see her through, Bell’s ‘day job’ at a nursery stopped, owing to a lack of business.

What to do? When a friend prompted him to teach his skills online, Ash wasn’t sure.

‘It’s something I’d only half-thought about but never really took the leap, because I’m almost totally self-taught and I figured out most of the theory just from playing and listening – but it turns out to be a great model for teaching!’

Ash says he loves getting people into playing and songwriting.

‘I can get them going with all the stuff I wish I’d learned early on,’ he said. ‘Plus, I’m playing heaps of music, probably more than when I was doing gigs!’

With a background in teaching, Ash Grunwald has taken to the net to teach guitar, singing and mentoring for musicians. Ash will perform a ticketed event on Saturday, May 16. Photo Tree Faerie.

The virus in Spain fell partially on Ash’s tour

Another local muso, Ash Grunwald, was just on the first leg of a tour of Spain when he had to cut the trip short and come home.

This meant a big chunk of his yearly income was lost, and he couldn’t recoup a lot of the expenses he had already laid out for the tour. With his work, Ash usually doesn’t have much time for anything more than touring and recording, but he has also turned to teaching and performing online.

‘The way that I have morphed my business is that I have done everything I can to digitise it, and do things remotely,’ says Ash.

‘I’ve been offering private online live gigs and online live mentoring for musicians and those wanting to get into a certain headspace, and guitar lessons and vocal coaching.’

Ash says it’s a new experience for him ‘The learning curve has been really steep. It’s kind of a really weird enforced relaxed vibe, and it almost feels like “olden” times in some ways, but then I’m having to learn a whole new set of skills in the digital realm, so it’s everything at once.

Grunwald has also been giving a lot of free mini-concerts in recent weeks and will perform a full-length concert by donation on Saturday May 16.

‘It’s a lot to adjust to, but that’s the challenge at hand, so I am just doing what I can.’

Tough times for restaurant industry

Blue Bay Gourmet on a delivery run.

People whose business it is to cook and serve and supply food to eat in diners are really doing it tough.

Cressida and Pete Campbell food wholesalers at Blue Bay Gourmet say that with restaurants and cafes closing they have lost about 80% of their business. ‘It was dramatic,’ said Cressida. ‘Literally from one day to the next. Within a day we had to let go of most of our staff.’

Ms Campbell said their only choice was to rapidly put together a plan for an online delivery store appealing to retail customers. ‘Our warehouse was well stocked with about $500,000 worth of stock, a lot of it perishable. It took two weeks to get the online store ready.

Ms Campbell says so the response has been slow but it is building which is encouraging. ‘We are appealing to our customer base and our chefs inviting them to email and phone in orders, we will deliver and they can still pick up if they prefer.

‘When this is all over we can convert the online store to a wholesale site for our chefs and implement an app for ordering. If the retail actually takes off over the next month then we will have the choice to keep it going along side our main business – which will be quite exciting.

Chloe Hart – talented and hardworking chef by day, Your Gourmet delivery driver twice a week during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo Kate Holmes.

Weddings and events too risky

Leela Brett says it has been a whirlwind three weeks for her business Your Gourmet. She said right at the beginning of lockdown it was obvious that weddings and events would be too risky for quite some time. ‘Big events, which I specialise in, were the first to stop,’ she said. ‘I suspect that they will be the last to come back. So all the chefs, waiters, dishwashers and bartenders who come together over the weekend suddenly had no work.’

Ms Brett said she called my crew to get an idea of who was working, or had been fired, or if they had a partner still working. All of my staff are casual and have at least one other job, but many have been working for me for over 10 years and we have a strong bond.

‘It became clear that about five of my crew would be fine and could weather this pandemic storm for 5-6 months. The other five were going to be in dire straights with no income for food or rent. So I decided to turn the business around and offer something very different from gourmet luxury catering: home delivery meals.

‘I am making home cooked meals like lasagna, malai kofta and fish pie, but with the quality ingredients. I only cook what is on order, so all meals are cooked fresh, chilled then delivered the next day. Right now we are delivering twice a week but as more people order I hope to expand to four or five days a week.

A waiting list of staff

Ms Brett says she currently has two chefs working two to four days per week and has a waiting list of four staff as soon as they get enough orders.

‘We have also started delivering meals to families in need around the shire, from a list of nominees sent in from the community. We are delivering bags of around 10 meals to around four nominees per week so far and this week hope to deliver more.

‘Our new “baby” means we have had to spend a few thousand in investment in packaging, advertising and things like shopify – the last of our savings. its means long hours in the kitchen and at our computers (while homeschooling two kids).

‘It’s been hard. Hard physically and hard emotionally. But the fact that we are making something beautiful and healthy that the community wants, getting our crew back to work and bringing help to the families that are hurting the most makes it worthwhile. Time will tell if this is something we will do longterm but we are really proud of what we are doing now.’


Recent stories, information and updates regarding COVID-19

COVID-19 update for New South Wales

Let’s not forget that Covid-19 is still a big issue in our community with 31,935 cases reported across Australia in the last week – an average of 4,562 cases per day.

9

Five graphs you need to see before the Global Carbon Budget...

The Global Carbon Budget is about to be refreshed, giving the world a critical insight into how efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are (or are not) progressing.

2

Public transport mask mandate to end

Masks will no longer be mandatory on public transport from tomorrow, Wednesday 21 September.

1

NSW Police: be COVID-vigilant at Splendour in the Grass

SW Police are urging festival-goers at this weekend’s music festival to celebrate in a safe and responsible manner, whilst also being aware of COVID-Safety measures.

2

COVID-19 update for the NNSWLHD – May 23

The Northern NSW Local Health District reports that to 4pm yesterday, Sunday May 22, there were 40 COVID-19 positive patients in hospital in Northern NSW, with one of these in ICU.

0

AEC says COVID voters can phone from home

The AEC says that voters who have recently tested positive for COVID-19 will be able to phone in their vote in the federal election.

3

COVID-19 update: May 16

The Northern NSW Local Health District says that to 4pm yesterday, 15 May, 384 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the District, including 82 positive PCR tests and 302 positive rapid antigen tests.

0

It’s National Volunteer Week

Volunteering Australia says volleys are the backbone of the country in times of crisis and emergency.

1


Support The Echo

Keeping the community together and the community voice loud and clear is what The Echo is about. More than ever we need your help to keep this voice alive and thriving in the community.

Like all businesses we are struggling to keep food on the table of all our local and hard working journalists, artists, sales, delivery and drudges who keep the news coming out to you both in the newspaper and online. If you can spare a few dollars a week – or maybe more – we would appreciate all the support you are able to give to keep the voice of independent, local journalism alive.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

A racial slur or a just a tree name?

Changing the name of a local street because it is derived from a racist slur might seem a simple decision at first glance. 

3G networks phased out Dec 15

The peak lobby group representing Australia’s telecommunication industry announced last week it will phase out 3G networks in the region on December 15. 

NSW Planning Panel unanimously rejects controversial development on Ballina floodplain

Yesterday the NSW Planning Panel unanimously rejected Gemlife’s proposal for a major 'seniors living' development on a flood prone site on Burns Point Ferry Road, West Ballina.

Editorial: The best democracy money can buy

Last week, The Juice Media published a YouTube video, Honest Government Ad | How to rig elections.