Young couple seek support to continue farming Three years ago, young Perth couple Kat Atkinson and Dan Tibbett packed up their busy city life in Perth, WA, and travelled across country to the Sunshine Coast hinterland. They haven’t looked back since starting their mushroom farm, Mountaintop Mushrooms. Seeking a lifestyle change and chasing a desire to produce rather than consume, the young couple were drawn to the beautiful lush region. Being a relatively new and niche industry, they weren’t sure what to expect but as their passion grew, so did their popularity and their production has grown considerably over the past 18 months. Kat and Dan started their farm with very little but determination and curiosity has resulted in their products - which are not only tasty, but stunning to look at – being extremely well received. To their knowledge, they are the only farm on the Sunshine Coast growing a variety of oyster, shitake and lion’s mane mushrooms. They supply a number of local restaurants, as well as directly to the public. On top of both working part-time jobs, as the demand to supply produce grows so does the need to farm, which means they need to upgrade their systems to keep up. They are calling on the support of the community to help them continue the successful function of their farm. “Choosing to become a farmer is not an easy decision,” Kat said. “You know you’re faced with hard work, long hours and minimal income but for us it was more a calling of the heart - we were drawn to grow organic, nutritious food and medicine. “It’s something we hope to continue to do with
Glenview water park start postponed again
the support of our community.” Kat and Dan are currently running a campaign through Pozible. You can make a donation or pledge support by purchasing their products, which include various grow-your-own starter kits, through to full day workshops. Their goal is to raise $10,000 by October 9 and, if successful, money raised will go directly to upgrading their systems to continue to provide the region with their unique products. “We’ve put everything into the farm, ensuring we use the most organic methods available and we really want to continue to expand our varieties and growing techniques to continue to supply to the public,” Kat said. “We’re also really passionate about educating others and have a number of workshops booked in for later this year”. To learn more about Mountaintop Mushrooms and to support Kat and Dan in achieving their goal, you can visit pozible.com/project/help-our-farm-becomesustainable or follow them on social media at Mountaintop Mushrooms.
Twinnies’ fence gets a revamp It’s an exciting time of year for the Twinnies Pelican and Sea Bird Rescue, with their premises on Steve Irwin Way at Landsborough receiving an exciting revamp to the entrance.
The bright green fence, complete with handpainted cut-outs of their beloved pelicans, was finished last week and the Twinnies’ mum Helen Powers says they’re excited about their new look and grateful to those who helped make it happen. “We’re so pleased with the new look and we hope to be a little easier to spot for those wanting to come and see all the great work we do here,” she said. Other great news coming from the Twinnies’ camp is that they recently welcomed some new baby pelican chicks who have recently hatched. For those interested in finding out more about the Twinnies’ work in rehabilitating our local wildlife, they offer guided group tours of the grounds. For more information on the wonderful work Paula and Bridgette Powers (The Twinnies) do at Twinnies Pelican and Sea Bird Rescue, visit www.twinnies.com.au or follow their Facebook page for regular updates.
After the fanfare of being announced in early 2016, work on the long-awaited water park at Glenview has again been postponed. Developers Sanad Capital have requested a two-year extension on their operational works permit from Sunshine Coast Council, taking the timeframe out to September 2021 for the project to break ground. This is at odds with their previously stated position when they lodged an amendment to a material change of use approval. A cover letter lodged with the amendment dated May 27, 2019 said: “We would also appreciate council’s expedited issue of the confirmation notice, so that the necessary referral to the state can be made. We note that timing is critical, as our client is intending on lodging the next stage within the coming weeks, so we greatly appreciate council’s cooperation.” Sanad Capital and council have been at loggerheads in the Planning and Environment Court in a disagreement over the amount of stormwater infrastructure charges imposed by council under the original development approval. A mediation meeting in late July failed to resolve the dispute, with the judge now listing the matter for review on September 20.
Meet the Indigenous elders The Sunshine Coast Reconciliation Group will host the next seminar in its series of shared history events. It will be happening in Maleny to introduce the local Indigenous elders from the Jinibara traditional custodians. Elders from the Jinibara First Nations people will be talking about their culture and history in the hinterland. The event will be held in the Maleny Community Centre (main hall) on Wednesday, September 25, from 10.30am-1.30pm with morning tea provided. The group is planning a follow-up seminar early next year to pursue in more depth ideas and questions raised in this seminar by local Maleny people. Tickets are $20 and $10 for concessions and are avaailable at the door. To find out more about the group you can check out their Facebook page Sunshine Coast Reconciliation Group Inc. The Sunshine Coast Reconciliation Group gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the Sunshine Coast Council’s grants program in staging this seminar.
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Glasshouse Country & Maleny News
