Why I love our not-for-profit shop

As Thirroul’s Flame Tree Co-op campaigned to raise $50,000 to save the community store last month, regular shopper Stacy Carter shared her story

I moved to the Illawarra in 2016: until then I’d lived in Newtown. In 2006 I rescued a beautiful but traumatised young working dog, Harper, from north of Mudgee where the Millennium Drought had baked the ground hard as concrete. I would bring Harper down to Sharkeys because the soft sand made her so goofily happy! Loving the northern suburbs eventually turned into buying the tiniest house in Thirroul, on George Street.

Soon after we moved, I got a job at UOW, to establish and direct the Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values. We specialise in health research focused on what really matters to people, bringing communities into conversations with decision-makers on difficult policy issues. I also discovered Flame Tree Co-op at the end of our street.

I started shopping, then volunteering, and we realised we could buy our weekly shop at Flame Tree for about the same bill as a supermarket shop. We love it because we’re supporting local, sustainable agriculture and makers, minimising plastic waste, eating better food, and building relationships with fantastic people.

Harper died last year, and we moved to Bulli, but I’m still volunteering and shopping at the Co-op. It’s a wonderful constant in our community and lives, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.

NSW Justice Association Wollongong Branch provides free JP services at Community Desks at Thirroul, Corrimal, Wollongong, Dapto & Warrawong Libraries. All services given by JPs are free of charge. They cannot give legal advice and there are certain forms and documents that they are unable to sign or witness but they can assist you in finding where these can be dealt with. More information: Morgan Prosser on 0432 378 318.