Food

food Quarterdeck raises the bar in Narooma

Merivale has officially opened the doors to The Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018 Quarterdeck Narooma. The popular cafe, si ng out over the water at Wagonga Inlet, is a 20-year-old local ins tu on. Recently reincarnated, the building has retained its tradi onal ki vibes with a modern twist. Head chef Tal Buchnik’s menu offers coastal gems in a vibrant and innova ve style. Key dishes include Wagonga rock oysters, snapper ceviche, grilled citrus pork belly tacos and a Quarterdeck sundae, served simply, with the local produce as the star. The interiors of Quarterdeck have had a light refresh and, much to the delight of Quarterdeck fans, s ll captures and presents that essence of dining by, and over the water. The venue retains its combina on of casual and comfortable furnishings and the magic, heavy sash windows are in place to climate control as they have been for the past two decades. One of the pleasures of the venue is its curated reggae soundscape that gives the venue a vibrancy and a buzz that brings an added smile. It is an intelligent add to quality food, excep onal professional service, a great choice of beers, wines and cocktails and a stunning view. Jus n Hemmes, CEO of Merivale, says: “Quarterdeck is a slice of unique local culture in one of the most beau ful spots on the south coast. It is somewhere for people to connect, celebrate and dine on the best produce the south coast has to offer, while enjoying an incredible view with a cocktail in hand.” “Narooma has become my second home and the backdrop to many of my happiest memories with my family. It has been an absolute privilege to spend so much me here over the past six years and becoming part of the local business community is enormously exci ng.”

Above: MEET VICTOR : he is originally from Brazil and studied graphic design. He fell in-love with the hospitality world a er moving to Sydney and working casual jobs. Now one of Merivale’s incredible bar managers, Victor has carefully curated the Quarterdeck cocktail menu, and boy has he outdone himself. Pictured below with his jus fiably, much loved, ‘Banana Daiquiri’

Merivale purchased Quarterdeck in March 2021, becoming the group’s first venue outside of Sydney, closely followed by its accession of Narooma’s The Whale Inn, a bou que hotel and restaurant, in June 2021. With the acquisi on of these two iconic south coast venues Merivale is proud to have created a diverse range of employment opportuni es for locals and is commi ed to providing professional, top-notch training. In addi on to crea ng career paths for locals, the opening of Quarterdeck will support complementary businesses within the community and aims to help to boost the local economy through the a rac on of yearround tourism and visita on to the NSW south coast.

Gadfly 202 By Robert Macklin What’s the point of a target if you have no bow and arrow? The thought occurred as we drove past the archery course beside Streeton Drive, Weston Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018 shortly after Scott Morrison delivered his latest announcement on climate change. We were heading to the coast after the Canberra lockdown was lifted so there was plenty of time to chat about this latest manoeuvre from the Prime Minister to remain in power. And like all the others, it was bereft of substance, responsibility and morality. In other words, it was a con trick. He has built quite a list of such devices since he shoved the hapless Malcolm Turnbull out of the Lodge. Remember that gawky arm around Malcolm’s shoulders as he said ‘This is my leader,’ while his own supporters were counting the numbers. Then in short order came the Sports Rorts and the even bigger car park grants to Coalition and marginal seats in the lead up to his ‘miracle’ election. The revelations of Brittany Higgins brought us the endless Phil Gaetjens investigation into who knew what in the PMO; and the plethora of inquiries into workplace harassment which will never result in meaningful action. Next came the opening scene of the Christian Porter saga with his vigorous denial of a sexual encounter with a young debating partner; Morrison’s refusal to call a real inquiry to sort the matter out; and Porter’s final departure from the ministry (though not the Parliament) with the revelation that an anonymous slush fund had been set up to pay his legal fees. Even then, Morrison used his numbers to prevent a referral to a parliamentary committee to inquire into it. But the most telling con job has been the pretence that his government is fair dinkum about establishing an anticorruption commission that actually exposes corruption among politicians. Publicly, the flim-flam operation initially proposed by Christian Porter when he was Attorney-General has been laughed out of court. The distinguished former judge of the Victorian Court of Appeal and a director of the Centre for public Integrity, Stephen Charles QC, said, ‘It would hide corruption, not expose it.’ But it’s hollow laughter since the very idea of a corrupt government is the stuff of nightmares. Literally. I still vividly recall exactly that from the early 1990s when I was trapped in Belgrade during the war that marked the dissolution of Yugoslavia. I was sending reports to my newspaper that angered the Serbian government of the day; and was suddenly in a world where a knock at my 12th floor hotel door could have had the most unhappy consequences. There was no appeal to the kind of justice we have taken for granted in Australia. Until now. Just ask Bernard Collaery, Witness K or Witness J. Of course, Morrison is not Milosevic (despite their physical resemblance) and Australia isn’t Serbia then. Even Serbia now isn’t Serbia then. But corruption is a disease like Covid. It enters through the mouth and is transmitted the same way; it spreads exponentially and if unchecked can create new variants fatal to the entire body politic. The only viable weapon is the truth serum we call science. But today’s clamouring media outlets can overwhelm resistance with the jabber of the crowd. And the Morrisons with their announcements from the seat of power hold sway. They talk of net zero targets and it sounds as though they’re serious…until you notice that there’s no bow and not a single new arrow in the quiver. www.robertmacklin.com

RETURNED. – Our proprietor, Mr. R. H. Harvison, a er five months’ absence in the metropolis, returned Vol 16 September 15th 2017 home on Wednesday, looking remarkably well a er his recent severe bout of bronchi s and whooping Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018 cough. OLD LINEN WANTED. – Our local Hospital is urgently in need of old linen, and we have been asked by the Secretary, Mr. A. M. Wilson, to appeal to the charitable ladies of the district to send to the ins tu on all the spare white linen they have. BUSINESS CLOSED. – Owing to the slump in the mber industry, which has caused depression in trade at Bateman’s Bay, Dunne Bros. have been forced to close their blacksmith and wheelwright business there for a while. FENCING SCHOOL SITE. – One of the last acts of the late Capt. Millard on behalf of his cons tuents in this district was his representa ons to have a fence erected around the Dwyer’s Creek public school site. He succeeded so far as to get the Department’s promise to supply the necessary wire and gates provided the local residents supply the posts and carry out the work. Mr. A. J. Harper, one of the pe oners, informs us that they are willing to erect the fence on these condi ons. EARLY CLOSING. – As will be seen by our business columns, general stores here will from Tuesday next close at 5 p.m. every day except Wednesdays [12am] and Saturdays [8pm], owing to the 44-hour week being applied to the storekeeping business. BATEMAN’S BAY. – The district is shortly to receive a visit from Mr. Harper, the Government Geologist, to report on certain deposits which our observant and progressive friend, Mr. Greatrex, has placed under his no ce. For years past fossickers and prospectors have been searching for the origin of the alluvial gold of which abundant visual evidence is found. It is proposed to locate the ancient bed of the Clyde River and to examine what early earth history in the carboniferous and devonian periods has placed here right at our very door…… NERRIGUNDAH. – (From our Correspondent) A er a long silence I venture to submit a few lines about the “Old Gulph.” The old field never was so low as it has been of late…. The eucalyptus industry created employment for many workers, but of late that has failed, and although Nerrigundah oil is of the finest quality there is no sale for it. Several who were working in the oil business have now turned their a en on to prospec ng, with the result that Wilson and Ha ley are on a new “show” about four miles out in the region of Belimbla. Since the closing of the hotel Nerrigundah has been sadly in need of a place of accommoda on for travellers. This want has been filled most sa sfactorily by the opening of a first-class accommoda on house opposite the post office in the house formerly held by the late Mrs. O’Keefe… Extracted from the Moruya Examiner by the Moruya and District Historical Society Inc. h ps://www.mdhs.org.au

Post Office at Nerrigundah

The Beagle Editor, Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Moruya Bypass: Please, not the Purple Route Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018

I recently received a flyer from the Moruya Bypass Ac on Group protes ng the Orange Route for the new Moruya Bypass and calling for the Purple Route that runs through town to be selected instead.

The Ac on Group is led by people whose property would be affected by the Orange Route and I completely understand why they want the bypass moved elsewhere.

Five bypass route op ons were presented by Transport.

The push in the flyer for only the Purple Route to be considered worries me because that route will carve our town in two and change the charming character of Moruya forever as the town is bisected by an elevated concrete bridge and road.

The Purple Route will see a bridge and elevated road up to 9 metres high to the east of the shopping district. The elevated road will cut through Riverside Park and across South Head Road near the bo om end of the Golf Course.

The noise of high-speed trucks and traffic on the elevated road will affect residents in Braemar Estate and other residen al areas of town.

Also, the Purple Route leaves the highway to the north of town halfway across Mullenderree Flat so it cannot deliver the flood-free access to the new hospital promised to people in Batemans Bay and the north of the shire.

I do not envy the state government planners who have to select the bypass route, but whichever one is built, I hope it is not the Purple one. Phil Herrick Moruya

Old growth trees actually contribute to co2 as they are not gaining a net growth by dropping leaves twigs genera ng aerosols and suppressing re-growth by compe ng species. Regrowth converts co2 at 3 mes the rate per hectare than old growth. Wood is locked up carbon By removing old growth trees we allow higher conversion rates of green house gasses and the locking away usable carbon products. Checkerboard logging will allow for plant and animal protec on which can be supplemented with the construc on of nes ng boxes and new trunk holes. We should be focused on living with logging and growing with the industry Peter Anderson

New Eurobodalla hospital, climate change, sustainability.

Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018 The Beagle Editor, Now that the Na onals have finally acknowledged climate change and want to protect regional jobs, what does this mean for our region, the Eurobodalla?

The Healthcare sector is the biggest employer in Australia - and one of the biggest polluters. Looking regionally, the new Eurobodalla hospital must come under scru ny for their plan to increase road transport of pa ents, meals and even bo led water.

During the fires, thousands of people were stuck in cars on the

Princes Highway while trying to evacuate. A wind shi could have been catastrophic then. Yet the new Eurobodalla hospital plans to greatly increase road transport of pa ents to Bega, because it will have less capacity than currently exists between Moruya and the

Bay hospitals.

That's a big exposure to fires, flood, road works and accidents enroute to Bega.

Health is a massive contributor of plas c waste (second only to the food industry), which leach toxic chemicals into the soil, air and water, dras cally reducing resilience of all species and amplifying climate change.

Yet the Southern Area Local Health District no longer even has a sustainability commi ee -despite the fires and COVID being the result of environmental perturba ons.

Indeed, the document driving sustainability in NSW Health,

“Resource Efficiency Strategy 2016-2123” doesn’t men on plas cs once, despite plas c being about 25% of Health waste. Health should absolutely be leading the way but does nothing.

Hi ng the road... We just can't wait to hit the road For that road trip and unload To country towns across the state And stop to appreciate The town, its folk and the pub Nothing like being, out in the scrub! With rolling hills and cloudless skies We'll look for signs to guide the way Off the highway for our stay. There’ll be a sign to welcome us As we find the place to rest... A co age... Built of stone with a frontage Of coloured flowers and na ve trees Wai ng to welcome us with a breeze! But first we’ll have to collect the key So, it will be off to the pub to ask for Leigh Then browse the board for a feed! By Mary Murray

Christopher Nimmo

The Beagle Editor, As a rural doctor and parent of three young kids, I am relieved to see that climate ac on is finally on the poli cal cards for Australia. Rural Australians are set to be the hardest hit by the climate crisis. In my region, the South Coast of NSW, we have had a taste of the climate crisis already. We have experienced the ho est year on record alongside the worst drought in history fuelling unprecedented fires across the East Coast of Australia. While almost two years ago now, these fires have changed the course of many lives of rural Australians. Thirty-three lives were lost and many more sha ered. It was impossible to get away from the heat and smoke when there was no electricity - it seeped into our homes, hospitals, aged care facili es and schools. I wonder, which one of my pa ents lost their lives prematurely? Was it the elderly man who had a heart a ack or the mother who had a s llborn baby? The mental health impacts from this extreme trauma c event are s ll quietly rippling through the community today. Rural Australians already face major challenges in access to healthcare, and as a consequence suffer poorer health outcomes.

The climate crisis, set to make these extreme events far worse and more frequent, will compound these challenges further. The Na onal Party of Australia say they support Australians living in rural communi es. If they did, they would have stopped dragging the chain on climate ac on decades ago. Along with the Liberals, together the only target they are going to meet and beat is the global warming limit of 1.5 degrees. It is me for both par es to wake from their climate denialism slumber and show courage. Courage like that displayed by my fellow nurses and doctors through this pandemic. Clear targets are urgently needed to halve carbon pollu on in this decade, not just a far sighted target of 2050. It is me to commit to ambi ous climate goals this decade, revitalise the regions with jobs of the future, and protect our health and prosperity.

Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018

Dr Luke Mitchell is a GP/Anaesthe st based in Eurobodalla.

Reading - le er Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announces new company name will be Meta Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018 First published in Crikey www.crikey.com.au/2021/10/29/mark-zuckerberg-facebok

Dear Leslie, Should I quit Facebook? Besides ge ng stuff into my calendar, I can’t see the use of it and Zuckerberg is a dick. An -Social from San Souci ---- Hi An -Social, I’m inclined to say yes, everyone should quit Facebook (or is that Meta?) because it’s a determinedly monopolis c and rabidly self-interested company that does li le good and a whole lot of terrible in the world. This includes commodifying our personal informa on, allowing misinforma on to flourish and algorithmically encouraging the poli cal radicalisa on of users, all of which is like rat poison to democracy. Why give your me, a en on or custom to that? Having said that, I confess that while I despise Facebook, I’m s ll on it. Why? Because in the same way you are a ached to the events page, I am served by being able to promote my wri ng to followers that right now I can’t reach anywhere else. In part, that’s the fault of Facebook and the other big tech monoliths too, who have done all they can to gobble up compe tors who did or might have provided something be er like Instagram and WhatsApp while monopoly regulators did — and con nue to do — nothing. LinkedIn offers the best alterna ve to date. A different business model but the same gender breakdown of users and an events feature, though the average user age is older. However, if that’s not an issue for you and those you plan events will come with you, maybe give that a try? I’d also like to have provided you with a link to a pe on you could sign suppor ng Facebook being broken up, which is what US Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren, the best thinker on this problem, says is the way forward. But no such pe on exists, so perhaps as a first step to both our libera on you could start one? Leslie.

h ps://www.crikey.com.au/2021/10/29/mark-zuckerberg-facebok

Reading—A beer with Baz Bazza nodded at the full schooner whilst Mick took up a bar stool, took a deep breath and shook his head. Mick took a decent drink and sighed again. “Bloody supermarket checkout, Bazza. It seems to take forever. I got caught behind this old bloke and…….” Bazza took a sip and leaned back. “Hang on there, Mick. We’re not exactly spring chickens.” “Spare me, Bazza. There I am, ready to go, with my credit card in hand and my groceries, all lined up, behind old mate’s half a dozen items. Well, the cashier greets him and asks how he is going. I kid you not, he tells her how he really is going….. I mean, in detail. He then asks how she is going and she responds quick smart, in the automated manner. Thankfully, he has got his reusable bag all handy but he then needs to locate his wallet. He digs around for the right card and by now, I think the rest will be pre y quick…...” “By gee you’re a busy man, Mick, but I’m sure you can spare a minute or two.” “But it goes on, Bazza. The cashier asks him if he has a rewards card and he pauses and puts his glasses on and nearly emp es his wallet. He finds it eventually and also pulls out his Seniors Card. The cashier says it does not apply today. He nods and compliments her on her politeness…..” Mick took another long sip. “Well, I think we are all set, and I start to shuffle up a bit, and eye my mel ng ice cream…..but no…… he decides he be er show her his double vaccina on cer ficate and digs out his phone and starts scrolling. Through gri ed teeth, I let him know it’s not necessary in a supermarket and he turns to me and says ‘Well that’s a good thing. Otherwise, it would take forever to get served.’” Bazza took a drink and laughed. “Mick, I think you have got to realise the supermarket is more than just a place to buy groceries. It’s a social ou ng. I grew up in a corner store back in the six es and seven es and I reckon my mother would have known the ins and outs of each customer’s life. It could take old Mrs Blacke half an hour to buy a bo le of milk and a loaf of bread. She would give us young’uns short shri if we tried to hurry her along, when mum was busy. In fact, she would even wait around un l she was free for a chat.” Mick took a sip and laughed. “Well Bazza, that explains why your old man had to go and find alternate employment to supplement the family income.” Bazza half chuckled. In fact, I was reading this week in the Netherlands, a supermarket chain has introduced what they call a ‘Kletskassa”, a chat checkout. Its a winner with people who want to have a chat. The cashiers apparently love it as well. It recreates what the corner store used to offer, once upon a me. In fact the ini a ve is being backed by the Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Support as a means of dealing with loneliness. A case of what’s old is new again.” “Well, I’d back that idea Bazza, if it meant I could get my ice cream home before it melted”

Vol 16 September 15th 2017 Vol 28 December 7th, 2017 Vol 48 April 27th 2018