On the 18th of October, more than 110 dedicated food educators, advocates, producers, gardeners, and passionate food enthusiasts converged for the annual Connecting Over Fair Food event at the Shellharbour Civic Centre. Together, they explored how to build a food system that is more sustainable, fairer and resilient here in the Illawarra, especially in the context of climate change and the rising cost of living.
The evening commenced with a vibrant atmosphere as participants explored a diverse array of Fair Food information and market stalls. These stalls served as platforms for connecting and learning about various initiatives in the Illawarra region. Building on the previous year’s success, the event featured a bustling Crop Swap, where attendees exchanged surplus produce, fostering discussions on growing, preserving, and seed-saving practices. The Swap featured garden greens, herbs, citrus, mulberries, macadamias, eggs, honey, seedlings, and more.
To quench the thirst and fill the bellies, attendees were treated to an apple cider from Glenbernie Orchard, a selection of tea from Flametree Community Food Co-Op, and plates of local goodness by the Civic Centre Café before the speakers took the stage.
The speaker session, led by Maree Thompson from Hidden Harvest, began with a heartfelt Welcome to Country by Uncle Richard Davis. Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer followed with the event opening, underscoring the interconnectedness between the food system and climate change. Keynote speaker Emanuela ‘Manu’ Prigioni, co-founder of Farm It Forward, shared her inspirational journey connecting residents with unused land and passionate growers. Local speakers Sarah Anderson and Suzy Pickles from Foodtalks Illawarra and Narelle Happ from A Garden for Life, added a local lens to the conversation, emphasising community involvement opportunities and the significance of indigenous foods.
The event culminated with a screening of “Rachel’s Farm,” a thought-provoking documentary depicting Rachel’s transformation from the entertainment industry professional to a passionate farmer. The film provided a unique perspective on ecological awareness and the movement to restore Australia’s farmland, food, and climate.
“Connecting Over Fair Food” is the collective effort of Shellharbour City Council, Wollongong City Council, Kiama Council, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, University of Wollongong, and Healthy Cities Illawarra, under the banner of Food Fairness Illawarra. It is initiatives like this that reinstate how shared purpose, resources and expertise provide community outcomes that are more effective, efficient, and sustainable than could be achieved by any of us stakeholders working alone towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger & Goal 13: Climate Action.
For those who couldn’t make it, keep reading for more details about the night!
Our smorgasbord of stall holders
We would like to thank our amazing stall holders – we feel very fortunate to play a part in amplifying the inspiring and enthusiastic work that so many of you are doing in this space! From permaculture educators to native bushfood nurseries:
- Permaculture Visions
- Green Connect
- Sustainable Shellharbour (Shellharbour City Council)
- Food Not Bombs Wollongong
- Darkes Cider
- Mountain Range Nursery and Farm
- A Garden for Life
- Flame Tree Community Food Co-op
- Growing Illawarra Natives
- Healthy Cities Illawarra
Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in a Bustling Crop Swap, bringing surplus backyard produce, seedlings, preserves and more to share and swap with their neighbours. For more on crop swaps, head here.
Speakers
We would like to say thank you to our speakers for sharing their experiences and wisdom. Manu, Sarah, Suzy and Narelle – we loved listening to your stories and witnessing the immense passion you all bring to the Fair Food movement.
Emanuela ‘Manu’ Prigioni from Farm It Forward shared how the isolation she felt as a migrant, neurodivergent young mother in the Blue Mountains inspired her to start Farm It Forward, a social enterprise tackling social isolation and food insecurity through connecting local young growers with landowners. For more on socially engaged food growing, watch Manu’s TED talk.
Next up, we had Sarah Anderson and Suzy Pickles from FOODTALKS Illawarra, an emerging project that aims to connect local producers, eaters, food retailers, advocates and more. Sarah and Suzy shared the origin story of the project and how it grew from an informal gathering of food-obsessed friends into a series of sell-out community events, the most recent of which was a book launch and panel discussion hosted in Suzy’s front yard. Keep an eye on their Instagram for upcoming events.
Lastly, we welcomed Narelle Happ from A Garden for Life to the stage. Narelle is a garden designer and horticulturist with a passion for permaculture and native plants. She showcased some of her recent projects and spoke passionately about introducing native bushfoods more readily into our schools, communities and homes. Narelle regularly puts on gardening and native plant workshops which you can find here.
Movie Screening: Rachel’s Farm
We rounded up the evening with a screening of the uplifting and hopeful, Rachel’s Farm– complete with freshly made popcorn, of course!
Rachel’s Farm follows actress and director, Rachel Ward, on her journey with regenerative agriculture. The film provides insight into the ecological impacts of conventional agriculture as well as solutions that benefit not only the food system and changing climate, but the wellbeing of farming communities.
Next Steps
Whether you’re a seasoned advocate or just taking your first steps! The our Food Fairness Illawarra website is a treasure trove of resources that can help you connect the dots.
Thanks again to everyone that came along to Connecting Over Fair Food 2023. We already look forward to the next one and we hope to see you there!
