Issue 15 online

free nment

enviro d n a e ur , cult y t i n u comm

Nicholas Chamber o rch est Thrive Cam ra, bodi a, in wi ld du ed

concerts e s u ,ho k n u more! p d n a l bs ia r r e st le h ib

Winter Issue 15 * 2014

Popping up soon!

Gorgeous natural fibre yarns for discerning knitters and crochet enthusiasts.

Pop-up Tactile Day in the Dandenongs coming soon!

Register your interest via our website or follow us on Facebook @ayenforyarn.

Online purveyors of fine natural yarns.

ayenforyarn.com.au

Escape Winter with the arts @ Burrinja Melbourne Cabaret Festival Gala Saturday 19 July @ 8pm

Enjoy a titillating selection of acts from one of the world’s largest cabaret festivals. Ranging from broadway-style glamour to risquÊ and provocative acts, the Gala is a true degustation of some of the shiniest acts around.

Artist: Joan Ross

DLux Media and University of Sydney - Striking Contrasts 4 July - 31 August

Striking contrasts reflects on two opposite visions of the Australian cultural landscape, the vast centre to the built up cities. Using techniques such as documentary film, narrative sequence and the use of found footage, this screen based exhibition features ten contemporary Australian video artists.

Melbourne Ballet: Infinite Space Performance + Workshops Saturday 2 August @ 7pm A breathtaking example of classical dance being reinterpreted to be relevant and inspiring for both new and loyal ballet audiences. Infinite Space takes audiences on a choreographic journey leading them through four original works.

Melbourne Ballet photo by Chris Dowd

Burrinja - Cnr Glenfern Rd & Matson Drive, Upwey ph: (03) 9754 8723 w: burrinja.org.au

burrinja - BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH ARTS

This is truly a special issue of the hillscene. If you’re at the launch you will be reading this now and enjoying a fresh set of talented hills performers doing their thing.

While the hillscene was always meant to be a maga’zine to celebrate the amazing talent of our locals, I never imagined that this would go on to have it’s own live show to be able to experience artists that work in mediums beyond what can be reproduced easily on paper. We’ve definitely entered another dimension with the help of Gareth Hart who has joined our editorial team to produce these live events/mini festivals.

I’ve been kept a little bit in the dark about what hillsceneLIVE would be, partly because I’ve been getting this issue together and partly because it’s all new so it’s hard to describe exactly what something will be when it doesn’t yet exist. But I didn’t mind, from the bits and pieces that were discussed and leaked with delighted anticipation, I’m just excited to be able to see it with fresh eyes, when it unfolds on the night, along with everyone else.

It has been an amazing journey to get to this stage where the hillscene is taking on a life of it’s own, independent from me, even though I am still a part of it. Like watching your child grow into a confident young adult. You have to let them fly and take on their own identity.

Now with the blog and hillsceneLIVE I feel as though the hillscene has got a lot of scope to explore more of the hills potential.

This issue is filled with what the hills has to offer. People who are doing the things they are passionate about and are getting out into the world. Whether it be into their own backyard or going further afield, there’s always fresh talent to explore and the experience of people creating a community that we can all be a part of. We’ve got craft, art, food, poetry, music,

environment and even a charity that’s helping those in less fortunate countries, covered. Plus some of our stylish locals , youth theatre and more. Make sure you visit our blog where you can get a weekly dose of what’s happening around our beautiful area.

If you missed the first hillsceneLIVE make sure you get to the next because, from the rumblings I’m hearing it will definitely be worth it. I’ll see you there!

Editor/Designer

Adriana Alvarez

Cover

Elaine Pullum

Editorial Committee Ross Farnell, Zac Exner, Amy Middleton, Gareth Hart Contributors Elaine Pullum, Gareth Hart, Danielle Quarmby, Shona Menzies, Tiffany Morris North, Louise-Reid Simmons, Edward Willoughby, Joshua Levi Collings, Cameron Semmens, Amy Middleton, and Adriana Alvarez facebook: The Hillscene www.hillscene.com.au blog: hillsceneblog.wordpress.com/ For submission and advertising enquiries e: hillscene@westnet.com.au Printed by Ferntree Print on Envirocare 100gsm recycled paper. © Copyright 2014

The hillscene is created in partnership with Burrinja

Proudly sponsored by 3

Me et in g E l a in e Words by Amy Middleton The cover of the Winter Issue of the hillscene was created by Elaine Pullum. She lives in Olinda and describes the hills as a beautiful, peaceful place where “ideas just come”. She divides her time between doing the necessary research in her study and making things in her studio, that also happens to be a gorgeous old bakery.

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Elaine’s 3D sculptures and 2D digital imagery tackle serious concerns with a great deal of intention. Using clay, bronze, polyurethane, digital imagery and mixed media, Elaine creates a fusion of quasi-prehistoric, semi-sci-fi, yet still rather familiar animal forms (how’s that for a wide and wavering description!). When I asked Elaine to share her thoughts about the importance of an artist’s intent in creating art, her response surprised me. “While I think it really helps the viewer to know the artist’s intention in appreciating a work, as well as its details and nuances, I really think the best art stands alone and works with no such knowledge at all.” Having understood her work to be layered in metaphor and symbolism. I was charmed by her willingness to allow art, and its significance to hold its own ground.

I recently visited her studio/gallery and left with a curious stirring in my mind. Elaine describes mankind as having, “enormous power over other creatures in the way we produce our food, recreation and practice religion… we should be respectful, at the least, of those beings whose lives we take.” At first I assumed that my disquiet was brought on by the dominating themes in her work that explore our understanding and treatment of animals. However having brought the most memorable of Elaine’s works to the forefront of my mind, I think it is the human likeness embedded in her work that makes them so compelling. Each art object has qualities that blur the line between animal and human forms and expression.

Elaine is a delight to spend time with and I am excited about what creative wonderments are next on the horizon! To find out about upcoming exhibitions please contact Elaine on elaine.pullum@bigpond.com.

Turnpike Studio - 29 Monash Avenue, Olinda Open by appointment, please call 0418 580 176.

“Walking through the forest early one morning, I happened upon this scene.

Not wishing to disturb the ceremony involving the burnt rabbit priest and his acolyte, I withdrew.

Every now and then a shape appears in the landscape, which seems to be some being, unknown before. I found these burnt tree shapes at Birdsland, in Belgrave South, after the fires of last year and they reminded me, somewhat, of what had been lost at that time. Sometimes such creatures allow themselves to be found, and sometimes not, but each time I discover one, it is completely “out of the blue”.

A reincarnation of her work, The Meeting (cover image) will be presented at the launch of HillsceneLIVE on June 6th at Burrinja, for more information about hillscneLIVE check out www.hillscene.com.au.

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Funkey Chocolates Words by Adriana Alvarez What do biochemistry and chocolates have in common? Complex mixtures, controlled experimentation and Chris Key. Chris is the maker of Funkey Chocolates, which have been making us all oooh and ahhh with delight at a few local markets lately.

Chris studied biochemistry and now teaches it at University and has studied science all his life.

But when his wife Narelle sent him to a chocolate demonstration by Tad Lombardo of Cioccolato Lombardo, he was hooked. From there he went and did a number of courses at a school in Brunswick and then started making his own Funkey Chocolates.

In his modest kitchen Chris whips up the most delicious concoctions of chocolate to delight our senses. The kitchen is a registered food safe kitchen and he has a food handlers license which is all part of the deal of making and selling food at markets and holding chocolate making demonstrations. He mostly makes molded chocolates and dipped chocolates and embellishes them with edible transfer sheets, glittery powdered dust or sprayed with a spray gun to add to the unique handmade, artisan experience.

But the important thing is the flavours. All the fillings and infusions he adds to the chocolate are handmade using natural ingredients. “I’m really interested in infusions from natural things like teas, spices, vanilla and really lovely flavours that everyone likes. If I’m using an ingredient it’s come from a fresh natural source. So let’s say I’m making raspberry jelly it’s made from raspberries not made

with a few drops of raspberry essence in it, there’s no artificialness in anything I make. There’s no preservatives, so everything that I’m producing has a short shelf life and is produced specifically for that time, it lasts a month” says Chris. “If people enjoy that particular flavour it goes on the list of things to make another time, so for the next market I’ll produce some of those things that everyone enjoyed and I’ll try another four or five that people haven’t tried yet.“ Perhaps that’s the biochemist coming out in Chris where having careful control over your ingredients allows you to experiment and create new flavours of your own. “I don’t want to have flavours that people can just go and pick up from a supermarket. I really want people to just go ‘wow, that’s something’.“ Some of his unique flavours include vanilla caramel with butterscotch at the end, pralines spiced with four different spices and Buccaneer which is a chocolate tea.

The only thing he can’t make himself is the chocolate. But even this ingredient is carefully considered. Chris uses Felchlin chocolate which has a reputation for paying their farmers above fair trade wages, providing them long term contracts and encouraging sustainable farming.

For the forseable future everything will be handmade. With dreams of ending up in little cafes and selling online and perhaps a long way down the road a little shop somewhere. But for the moment Chris is happy to enjoy the artisan nature of his chocolates and the beautiful view of the hills from his kitchen window. For more information go to www.facebook.com/funkeychocolates

poetry

Cam’s Poetry Patch This season’s new growth - A Beginner’s Guide to Belgrave

… or… How to Get Free Karate Lessons in The Hills!

In Belgrave I’ve learnt there are lyrebirds just off the road impersonating chainsaws to impress a girl.

In Belgrave I’ve learnt if you stand by the CommBank ATMs on a hot night karate lessons are free! (The dojo door wide open).

In Belgrave I’ve learnt there are three trains: the tooting, touristy stream train; the beeping, commutery metro train; and the mini raw-fish rattling sushi train – and my kids love ‘em all!

In Belgrave I’ve learnt the best place to eat pizza is in the roundabout car park at sunset, the best place to skip with your child is down the ramp to the train station, and the best place to swap stories is on the grassy lawn of Earthly Pleasures.

In Belgrave I’ve learnt to esteem the CFA! Revere the CFA! Visit their website. Note their warnings.

Listen to their howling siren swirling down between the hills – and if it keeps going – we get going!

In Belgrave I’ve learnt the joy of the perfect wind to a hillside road, the perfect consolation – five black cockies against a pastel sky, and the perfect protest – with spangled, flowing robes Baba Desi waving his Gandalf staff at the golden arches.

In Belgrave I’ve learnt a love of hill and fog and tree, a love of markets and op shops and king parrots, a love of localness, summer greenness and multiple quality, cosy cafes.

Grow your own poem: hoose a place to write about – 1. C somewhere meaningful. pend some time in that place. If you 2. S g can, write while you’re there, as bein in the actual location will let all the memories bubble to the surface. It takes time to remember things, for the best moments and insights to emerge. (Poetry is a slow art!)

3. I f you’re struggling, find a refrain – write down a list, and see which sentence stands out the most: Who put the Sass in Sassafras? or Olinda is my hilly home hideaway, or Up Upwey way… This repeated line will help you structure your piece. s 4. Try writing both specific memorie known only to you as well as broader insights that everyone can relate to.

The specific reveals the authentic – s your truth – while the broader give your readers common ground. y rdering your different bits is reall 5. O good a at’s Wh important, think: catchy line to start with? What’s the most dramatic/climatic moment – don’t put that in too early. What’s the best bit to finish with? hare with a friend. Post on 6. S Facebook. Pin on a public notice board.

In Belgrave, I am still learning….

Cameron Semmens Cameron Semmens is a full time poet and performer living in Selby. He’ll be running a series of poetry workshops in July, see his website for full details: www.webcameron.com

House concerts rock !

Words by Adriana Alvarez.

A few weeks ago I enjoyed a fantastic evening of music with friends in an amazing venue, with lots of great food and views overlooking the city. It was a small, intimate affair and it was so engaging that fellow musos got up and joined in with the band and even the crowd was getting up to tell jokes and singing along to the music.

Where was this amazing place I hear you ask? It was a house concert organised by Josh Collings at Tiffaney Bishop’s house in the hills.

The idea is sheer brilliance and allows you to enjoy live music, for a small cost, in a welcoming atmosphere. With time to mix and mingle in between sets and food aplenty provided by the hosts. The only thing you have to bring is a drink and cushion, and then find yourself a good spot on the floor to lounge on.

The real highlight of the evening though is the music. Kate Crowley started off the night with her beautiful soulful voice with the occasional musician joining in, like Josh Collings on banjo and Coen Dixson on snare drum. After a short intermission for food, drinks and great company it was time for the April Maze, who did a great set with some beautiful story telling along the way, and Amy Pinkster joining in on a double bass and Coen, again, on guitar.

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The beauty of these nights I think is their intimate feel. It’s a night out, with the unique experience of being up close and personal and without blowing your budget at a pub or night club. For the musicians, it’s a chance to tour and earn some money during the low season.

Todd Mayhew from the April Maze explained how these house concerts are big overseas. Todd and Sivan Agam, fellow band member and wife, had toured Cananda doing 12 house concerts which provided them with a meal and a place to stay for the night. A large percentage of the money from the door goes to the musicians and allows them to make a decent living, literally singing for their supper, whilst giving them a real insight into what life is like in people’s homes, rather than hotel rooms, around the world. For the hosts it’s a chance to have a great night, sharing good music with friends and getting to know the musicians.

Keeping musicians touring and working is one of Josh Collings main intention when organising these special experiences. The idea is to create a tour of 8-16 gigs for a band during the Winter when festivals and gigs aren’t readily available.

Since this first concert was organised, Josh has now hooked up with people in four states

Photos by Josh Collings

including a circuit in WA, Adelaide, QLD and NSW which will be implemented slowly.

“It’s about bringing music to your friends” says Josh. He’s already got 30 people happy to hold a house concert and it’s just a matter of marrying up the musicians with the house.

The hosts get to invite their friends and Josh keeps a database of people interested in seeing bands. That way there are always around 40 people at a concert making it a well paid gig for the musicians. The one hour concert is then filmed and used for marketing purposes. It’s by invitation only, which means it’s more secure for the host who’s offering their house and 10% of the ticket price goes to help pay for the food provided on the night.

So what can you expect if you decide to offer your house for one of these events? A really amazing night of great music, meeting the band and sharing their stories. It’s a way of bringing your friends together for a unique experience and keeping musicians touring to new territories.

To find out more about house concerts email Josh Collings at joshualevicollings@gmail.com

The April Maze has a new album ‘Sleeping Storm’ coming out soon, funded via a pozible campaign which succesfully reached it’s target last month. To hear their new single ‘I’ve seen the Rain’ go to www.theaprilmazemusic.com Image by Adriana Alvarez

Misfits rule Words by Gareth Hart.

Sarah Ward is a busy woman, splitting her time between being the owner of a successful costume shop in Woori Yallock and the Artistic Director of MISFIT youth Theatre.

MISFIT is a youth Theatre company based in Warburton, who produce bold theatrical work.

They have continually grown since their inception in 2009, and are about to embark on their latest production which will tour Healesville, Warburton and Upwey.

That is one of the interesting things about MISFIT, that it is run by, for and with youth…

Yes! The fact that it is entirely youth run and that we do predominantly youth written material, about issues that matter to youth. When we first started it was 15 kids, but we worked out the other day that we have involved over 100 people. Which is great, particularly in our area, where youth don’t get engaged very much at all.

Was that always the ‘thing’ it was going to be?

SW: Well no, it started as a school project where I chose to write, direct and produce a play; because I’m crazy! So I did that. Then I got approached by the [Yarra Ranges] council who asked ‘do you want to continue?’ It became really clear to us that what we wanted to do was discuss issues that were important to us as youth: suicide, teen pregnancy, sex, alcohol, peer pressure, bullying.

What personal growth have you noticed in your participants?

The thing for me is when people come to MISFIT just because their friends are. We had one guy last year, who was literally just hanging around at auditions, and I asked him ‘do you want to be involved?’, and he said ‘no, no’, but he came to the next four rehearsals with his mate. So I said ‘we have an open pirate role, it’s only two lines, are you interested?’ He actually had tickets to go to a music festival, which he ended up giving up, because he didn’t want to miss rehearsal – not even a show,

just a rehearsal! He loved it, and during the next show, he ended up as a lead role. That’s the thing that makes me most excited: when people who previously had no interest in theatre develop that kind of passion.

So what’s the new show?

The new show is called the Children of the Clock and it’s a steam punk fantasy show about a girl that discovers children are going missing (her little brother is one of them) and she has to figure out what is going on. She gets caught in a world where there is no obvious good or evil side: it’s about trying to find what you believe is the moral and right thing to do when faced with really tough decisions.

So, why the name ‘MISFIT’?

When we sat down, and I looked at this group of people [the Theatre company], I realised that we are all either from different schools, religions, backgrounds, ethnicities, or sexual orientations.

That’s why we called it MISFIT: because we didn’t necessarily logically fit together, but we did, and it worked.

What does the future look like for MISFIT, in ten years?

I guess I would like it to be doing the same thing on a small scale, but on a larger scale I would like us to be running as a professional theatre company. That is my dream, getting material written by youth and for youth out there.

Children of the Clock will tour Upper Yarra Arts Centre, Healesville Memorial Hall and Burrinja in June/July 2014. Info and tickets via: www.facebook.com/MISFITTheatre

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Belgrave South Community House Monday 10.45 am 6pm and 7.15pm Gilmore Court, Belgrave South - 9754 2274

Selby Community House Wednesday 6pm and 7.15pm Wombalana Rd. Selby - 9754 2039

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Words by Adriana Alvarez.

Down a hidden driveway not far from Olinda lies a real hills gem. A unique B&B waiting to give you a different experience of the Dandenong Ranges.

Balangara, which means lyrebird in Aboriginal, looks like an ordinary hills home but once you step inside you are transported back in time to an innocent 1950’s Australia that will have you squealing with glee at every turn.

Sue and Frank Tapp have turned part of their home into a unique B&B that offers a nostalgic experience. “What I’m trying to capture,” says Sue, “is a 50’s Australian family home, it’s a little bit cluttered, it’s homey. With beautiful materials and handworked things, like the mosaics, which were hobbies that people used to have. It’s about coming back to the Dandenongs in the 50’s.”

The self contained unit captures the 50’s style aesthetic perfectly, including having 50’s board games, books and movies available to use. It also has a few modern touches to make the experience an enjoyable and comfortable one. There are two 12

Retro Balangara bedrooms so it can accomodate a family or two couples at a time. The first is the ‘Frank Sinatra’ room which is the more sophisticated parent style room with muted colours and beautiful side table. The second is the ‘girlie-girl’ room with vibrant pink walls, ballerinas, pretty flower pictures, and even a retro electronic make up mirror, all the things that girls were supposed to aspire to. Then when you step out onto the deck you get a sense of the real spirit of the place. Here you can breathe in nature’s calm.

Sue retired from teaching a few years ago and with her daughters leaving the house had the opportunity to transform it into a B&B. People had often said to them they should have a B&B and I can see why. The gardens are divine and they are very well situated close to many of the hills attractions. “It’s different all the time with the seasons, it’s lovely and cool in Summer and really crisp in Winter, when the leaves are gone and you get sunlight through. You just put on a warm coat and you get out and do something and in Autumn the colours of the leaves are beautiful.”

Photos by Gareth Hart

The main living area is so inviting. It feels like home straight away and as you look around you get a real sense of a long forgotten memory, with so many retro details to encounter as you wander around.

“You hear people walking around going ‘ohhh’, and you hear them squeal, ‘oh look at this, look at this!’ and running around taking photos, people find memories in it and that’s really cute.”

There were certainly plenty of those moments for Gareth and I as well, so many squeals of delight and little trips down memory lane. Perhaps like stepping into your Nanna’s house, with everything beautifully preserved. “People have said to me, am I super nostalgic? Well, I’m kind of preserving this stuff. It’s just a fun experience because so many B&B’s up here are like walking into Ikea, now. They’re not an experience. They’re what everyone thinks is super comfortable, but it’s not the spirit of this place.”

Balangara - 500 Mt Dandenong Tourist Rd, Olinda www.balangara.com.au www.facebook.com/balangaraaccommodation

street style

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All these stylish peeps were seen out and about in the hills recently. Take a leaf out of their book and shop local for a unique look and expereince.

Check out some of their fave local stores.

1 Emma Jennings at ‘Balance’

Open Studios exhibition opening night.

Likes to shop at Epoche, The CourtYard and Limerence. “Walking to school in fog so thick you can’t see makes life like a dream. Watching my boys living an active natural life outside with other kids in the neighbourhood. I love being part of the most amazing, supportive, generous, helpful, friendly, creative community. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

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Sarah Hancock from Upwey.

Favourite shopping - Grassroots and Big Dreams markets, Silver Compaq and Walk in Wardrobe. Likes the hills because of the trees and birds, the space, clean air and the community spirit.

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3 Sarah Lee from Tecoma.

Limerence, Geppetos, Mettisse and The Courtyard for homewares are Sarah’s favourite shops. “What’s not to like about living in the hills. The like-minded people and life long friends I’ve made here, the unique shopping and beautiful surrounds”.

4 Tiffaney Bishop from tbC.

At a Save the Platypus drain painting project.

Shops at Limerence, Grunge, Sherbrooke health foods, Wilga and Belgrave Book Barn. She loves the weather, the fog and rain and the cool green feeling of the trees. “Ascending the hill immediately makes me feel calmer.”

5 Amy Middleton and Gareth Hart.

Goofing around at Burrinja. Amy likes Quirky Best Bits and Rusted. “I love that people aren’t ego driven and that you never have to queue for anything.” Gareth loves the MS shop in Monbulk and the ice creamery in Emerald.

What he likes about living in the hills is that he has been able to refind his brain.

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cafe tarts Billy Goat Hill Brasserie - Mt Evelyn For this review, we took a drive to the other side of the mountain to Mount Evelyn, to Billy Goat Hill Brasserie. It‘s got a lovely rustic and welcoming atmosphere and we immediately felt at home.

I was equally delighted and surprised at the menu, which consisted of quality produce and different ingredients and, as usual, found difficulty deciding.

I chose the free-range corn fed duck rillette with cucumber, crisp bread and orange-port jelly-$16.50.

This came served on a wooden board, the rillette in a small jar. A great idea, as I couldn’t finish my rillette so was offered the lid to take the rest home with me.

We also ordered the mushrooms and goat curd on toast-$15.00, the wild goat sausage roll-$14.00 and the minestrone soup-$13.50. The prices on the menu were getting up there, but apart from the soup (there was nothing wrong with the soup but it’s just soup!) it was well worth it. The main meals were priced between $30.00 - $36.00. I would be interested to try the red deer pappardelle with quince, shallots and bitter chocolate or the duck breast with potato fondant, shallot puree and roasted fig.

We couldn’t leave without sampling a few sweets and we weren’t disappointed. The salted caramel chocolate tarts were extremely rich and sweet, the lemon curd tarts were light and fluffy and the fig frangipane tart was fresh, delicious and moreish.

Most importantly the coffee and service were great!

A great place to lunch with friends.

They also cater for parties and offer cooking classes.

17 Wray Crescent, Mt Evelyn. www.billygoathill.net.au

Tiffany Morris-North Tiffany is a passionate artist/crafter/foodie living with her family in the beautiful and inspiring Dandenong Ranges. Follow her adventures on her blog tiffanymorrisnorth.wordpress.com 16

The Frank Hudson story

retail

Words by Amy Middleton

The CourtYard furniture gallery was created

by Catherine Court just over a year ago and is based just outside of Sassafras on the tourist road near the Ferny Creek border. It’s a treasure trove of unique, handcrafted imported furniture from her family furniture business Frank Hudson Ltd of the UK. Frank Hudson Ltd was formed in 1947 by Catherine’s grandfather and father. Frank Hudson started the company after training as a master carver with Tulio Caine of Italy by repairing bomb damaged furniture after the Second World War. He was joined shortly after by his son Rex who had completed his furniture design studies at the renowned High Wycombe Art College. The furniture industry which was borne in High Wycombe in the UK, was as a result of the surrounding beech tree forests including Burnham Beeches just outside the town. The irony is not lost on Catherine in that she is now bringing back to the doorstep of

Check out our blog post on The CourtYard at hillsceneblog.wordpress.com/

Burnham Beeches in the Dandenong Ranges, a local estate built by Nicholas Aspro, and home to the new Shannon Bennett project which is a short stroll from The CourtYard.

Catherine was lucky to grow up surrounded by this beautiful furniture, spending many Saturday mornings earning her pocket money by sweeping up the wood-shavings and watching her Grandfather carve his magnificent pieces at the manufacturing factory in High Wycombe.

Catherine is very proud to be able to continue the legacy left by her grandfather and father with the magnificent range of Frank Hudson furniture. “We have all grown up with our grandfather’s legacy of beautiful furniture,” Catherine explains. “It’s in our blood and part of who we are.”

Drop into The CourtYard and discover for yourself the many delights to be found, or jump online to the new retail site at www.thecourtyard.net.au

Doris Pozzi

Onion weed

Anyone care for some weeds?

Words and images by Gareth Hart

Foraging is one of my favourite things, be it collecting drift wood on a beach, vinyl records in op shops or bark from the side of the road, I get a huge kick out of a good find.

So, at the discovery that localite Doris Pozzi operates ‘edible weeds and garden plants’ workshops, I was instantly fascinated. Wandering through her edible paradise, Doris earns my full attention, stating, “I like really unusual and exotic food plants.”

Do people often say to you: ‘Whoa! You eat weeds?’

“Yes! It’s weird though, foraging is such a big deal in other countries, yet never translated into Australia. I think it is just a mindset that we have, this idea that weeds are somehow different to everything else on the planet: ‘they must be poisonous, they’re evil, they take over your garden, they must be expunged at all cost!’

We have just forgotten that they are edible, and useful.

So many things (Dock, Chickweed, Wandering Dew) are edible. Suddenly people say ‘wow!

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That is so cool. You mean all of a sudden I don’t have this weed problem, I actually have this abundance that I didn’t know I had.”

I’m strolling through the garden, having a wonderful time with Doris, laughing along with her light hearted nature, when suddenly she shatters the very core of my garden understanding.

Oh, is that deadly nightshade? I ask.

“That’s Blackberry nightshade. We all got brought up in Australia being told that it was deadly nightshade, but it’s not. Those little berries are actually edible.”

After a moment of shock, and subsequently squealing with excitement, I eat a berry. And unless this is nature’s slowest poison ever, I still sit here writing this article fit as a fiddler.

I learn that only one or two things from the garden are very bad for you; yet others may disagree with your belly a little. I wonder, in my ignorant bliss, if it’s just about tolerance? The first time I ever drank whisky I had a stomach ache for 4 hours….

A formal question: is there a definition of a weed?

“The classic definition is ‘a plant that is in a spot that it is not supposed to be in’. So that’s basically it! Although I like to think, as an old philosopher once said ‘a weed is a plant that we haven’t found a use for yet.’ “ Then things get really interesting for me: time for an edible weed degustation.

Violet leaf: soft peppery notes touch my tongue.

Oxalis: it’s tangy zest makes me loudly exclaim “I love that!”

Fuscia flower: slightly sweet, almost like summer punch.

Ok, so I have to ask the boring question.

What’s your favourite weed to eat?

“Oh, onion weed! I also like to say that one, because that is one of the most hated weeds.

Inevitably, I just get this outcry from whoever asked: ‘onion weed, how can you like that?!’”

Onion weed: A palatable and subtle onion flavour.

Doris reminds me that Rhubarb stalk is delicious, but their leaves are poisonous. Potatoes, uprooted too early, are poisonous. Yet our brains and our upbringing tell us this is ok. A vegetable that was poisonous a week ago is now delicious when boiled, stewed or roasted. As Doris so rightly points out, “It’s all about changing people’s attitudes of these things.”

I read on Doris’ website that there are over 20, 000 species of edible plants in the world. And sadly we only consume around 20 of these.

Doris tells me that one of her favourite recipes is to replace the leek in potato and leek soup, with onion weed. Which she swears is “just divine”. I cannot wait for winter to try this out. (My real estate agent will probably be happy that I’ve seemingly ‘weeded’ the garden too).

A warning: You should always do your research before foraging for wild foods. Luckily, Doris regularly runs edible weeds workshops throughout Spring and Summer! For bookings or to buy an edible weed guide book, go to www.edibleweeds.com.au Through the website you can also book for the upcoming Women’s Permaculture Pamper Day, which includes a Foraging Walk, Natural Soap-making Workshop, a Natural Cosmetics Workshop and an Wild Edibles Gourmet Lunch.

garlic cream cheese, shredded beetroot and oxalis weed lunch

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Yarn love Crafting is big in the hills and you often see beautiful products lovingly created by their crafty makers available at local markets.

So craft enthusiasts will be pleased to hear about a new online yarn store. Shona Menzies tells us about ‘A Yen for Yarn’.

A new online yarn store, A Yen for Yarn, is set to have discerning knitting and crochet enthusiasts reaching for their wallets as well as their needles and hooks, as a wide range of high quality natural fibre yarns becomes available from the comfort of their living rooms.

The online store is the brainchild of hills locals, Kirsten Yarra and Shona Menzies, who recognised the business opportunity earlier this year.

“We were sitting in our crochet group one day and everyone was complaining about how there were only a few stores where they could get the types of yarn they loved”, explains Shona. “When you’re putting so much time and effort into a project, you want to work with something that makes it all worthwhile, and those products were getting harder to get our hands on locally.”

Small retail boutiques in the outer suburbs have struggled in recent years, drastically reducing their product ranges or closing their doors completely.

This has left keen crafters with no option but to accept the lower quality offerings from larger chain stores, or travel great distances to find suitable yarns for their creative pursuits.

A Yen for Yarn’s extensive product range will feature 100% natural fibre yarns, 100% Australian wool.

Luxury fibres including, possum merino, alpaca, silk blends, mohair and bamboo and machine washable merino wool. Along with the yarn and patterns highend crochet hooks and knitting needles will also be available.

Kirsten will also be developing an exclusive range of crochet patterns under the A Yen for Yarn brand.

Both women have pursued yarn crafts since early childhood, which means not only do they have extensive knowledge of their product, but also a deep understanding of their customers’ needs.

For example, while A Yen for Yarn utilises an online business model, they have not forgotten the importance of giving their customers the opportunity for hands-on experience and face-to-face interaction.

Pop-up Tactile Days will be held across Melbourne, commencing in their local area.

“Tactile days give our community the opportunity to “touch before they buy” says Shona. “We will have our first tactile day/launch party mid-June.”

These events will allow craft enthusiasts to come together not just to try out the product range, but also to share tips, ideas and camaraderie with likeminded people. Kirsten will also facilitate crochet workshops as part of the event – continuing the work she has been doing in the hills for four years.

A Yen for Yarn will be launching in June at www.ayenforyarn.com.au facebook.com/ayenforyarn

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Helping Cambodia thrive Hills locals Louise Reid-Simmons and Anne Redsell talk about Thrive Cambodia Inc, an association they started to fund Sim’s Free School in Cambodia, which helps educate the local community.

We believe education is the key to a thriving community. That’s why funding Sim’s school makes such a difference. The Free School was started in 2009 to provide English language lessons and primary level literacy and numeracy classes to children in Som Rong Village, a poor rice farming community. It costs $4000USD per year to provide a teacher and a meal for each child per day and a further $2000USD to sponsor 12 teenagers to attend secondary and high school (years 8-12). 100% of donations go to running the school.

We love Cambodia and could see that with a little money (by our standards) we could make a big difference to a lot of people. Our friend Sim decided to start the school without our help but we felt we could help to sustain this endeavour. Our teachers cost $65 per month and it costs only $7 per day to provide lunch to about 50 children. This is a meal provided to the children of the poorest families and directly improves nutrition and indirectly helps parents who struggle to provide enough food for their families.

Just about every parent and child you meet in Cambodia is desperate for a good education.

Unfortunately, the government only provides a couple of hours of classes per child each day.

It’s very difficult to progress through the classes and finish high school. Most children in the countryside have to leave school by about 15 or 16 years to help support their families and are lucky to have reached grade six. Low levels of education contribute to poverty and thus the cycle continues.

By providing free extra primary classes (literacy and numeracy), the children in the village can progress more quickly through the grade levels.

Free English language lessons help prepare the children for work life. Many of them hope to go to the city to work in tourism and hospitality.

We also provide a nutritious lunch which is prepared by Sim’s 70 year old mother with the help of the young women of the village. This meal is served to the children from the poorest families in the village and is often the first meal of the day.

We hoped our families, friends and local community would help us raise the funds – and they have! Many from outside the Hills area too.

We have many $100 per year sponsors and hold fundraising events each year. The Star Bakery in Belgrave raised over $1900 last year and think they’ll triple that this year. Customers drop their change and tips into our donation box and we’re watching the tally rise each month. The Dandenong Ranges Steiner School have an ongoing stall with donated goods in the foyer which raised over $1100 in 2013; and Epoche in Kallista made a big donation last year. We

community How was Angkor Bath and Body born?

are sincerely warmed by the generosity of our friends and the Hills community. One local family donated a very large sum which enabled verandahs to be erected around the open classroom, extending the space and providing shelter from the sun and rain. Several families from the Hills have visited the school while travelling through Cambodia and give us wonderful feedback.

As a soapmaker and business owner, Louise (owner of Quintessence Soaps) was keen to share her skills and knowledge to improve incomes and outcomes. Lack of access to work, poor work conditions and low wages are serious problems in Siem Reap. Angkor Bath and Body was created in Siem Reap, Cambodia, as a separate entity from Thrive Cambodia in June 2013 with the aim to make and sell soap in the local tourist market and hotels and later to export fair trade products. Angkor Bath and Body is being built around the Social Enterprise Model where fair wages are paid and profits shared. At the moment, it donates 10% of profits to Thrive Cambodia too! They’re small but growing with a stall at the Shinta Mani Market, a shared stall in the Old Market (coming soon), several wholesale customers and interest from local hotels. www.angkorbathandbody.com

As an association incorporated in Victoria Thrive Cambodia must comply with book keeping and record keeping regulations. We are also very small with direct and ongoing relationships with our partners in Cambodia and we visit regularly. Donations can be made by contacting us at www.thrivecambodia.org

an eclectic mix of local culture experience a ‘hillscene’ moment

www.hillsceneblog.wordpress.com

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log life Season with saltbush Be Inspired to choose Native

Season with Saltbush aims to inspire you to enjoy using Australian native foods in your everyday home cooking. Every now and then a new recipe or meal will be added, and over time this will create a handy resource of ideas for cooking with native foods!

If you have any questions, requests or suggestions, please email me at danielle@curiouser.com.au seasonwithsaltbush.blogspot.com.au

Lamb Chop and Bush Tomato Curry

Everyone in the family from the age of 3 to 35 finished their bowl of this new and tasty curry tonight, so I figure that’s a recommendation :) With the scent of cinnamon and subtle smokiness of bush tomato, it is a mild curry in layers of flavour.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients: Olive oil spray 6 lamb chops (I use free range bbq chops) 1 tbsp ghee 2 onions 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tsp grated ginger 1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tbsp ground coriander 2 tsp Outback Pride Bush Tomato Seasoning* 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp Outback Pride Tanami Fire* (more for additional spice) 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tin diced tomatoes 1 cup chicken stock Natural yogurt, to serve (optional) Fresh coriander, to serve (optional) Method: Spray a large non-stick frying pan lightly with olive oil spray. Heat over high heat and brown the chops on each side, in batches. Put the browned chops in the base of a casserole dish.

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Melt the ghee in the frying pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook the onion gently for ten minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, Bush Tomato Seasoning, turmeric and Tanami Fire and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the cinnamon to the tin of tomatoes and pour into the pan. Bring to a simmer and then pour it over the chops in the casserole dish. Pour in the chicken stock and lightly stir.

Bake at 160 degrees for 1.5 hours for the best, soft lamb that falls off the bones. Use tongs to remove the bones and pull away any fatty strips. Serve with rice, and garnish with natural yogurt and fresh coriander. Serve!

Danielle Quarmby Danielle is a stay-at-home mum, photographer, scrapbooker and artist. She enjoys cooking, even though she hasn’t got time for anything fancy, and would love to inspire other everyday cooks to use the fantastic range of native Australian foods that are now available. She also has a blog about creative things, family and everyday life at www.danielleq.com * The two spice blends used in the lamb chop curry recipe are both available to buy online through Oxfam. There is a list of stockists, on the outback pride website www.outbackpride.com.au/where-to-buy Maxi Foods also stocks other brands of native spices.

Industrial Punked Words by Adriana Alvarez In a makeshift plastic greenhouse come shed in Ferny Creek, Stephen Hermans is working away on his latest upcycling creation. His resourceful ethos and eye for potential in the things people throw away, means that he makes amazing pieces that would add a touch of ‘Industrial Punk’ and flair to anyone’s home.

Stephen moved to the hills from Thornbury about five years ago, with his wife and children for the sea/tree change. And it seems to suit him really well. Sending his kids to a local school and spending his time upcycling items from materials which have been discarded by others, whether in hard rubbish, garage sales or industrial auctions.

“I’ve never really worked for anybody else, always done my own thing and I used to go to a lot of auctions and stuff like that about town, just doing anything to make myself viable. Then I started getting into hard garbage, upcycling or general opportunism,” says Stephen. Finding and selling furniture like retro Danish pieces. When that became unviable because too many people were doing it, he turned his eye to an industrial style, looking for materials to rework into new pieces, “opportunities that were missed by other people.”

His deprecating sense of humour hides the fact that he’s got an artists eye. Not everyone could make a great table out of some rotten pieces of wood covered in posssum poo found at a garage sale. But Stephen, with no background in design, has years of experience in making things happen.

Known as “Mr Everything” when he worked for music festivals, he was the go to guy to get things done: fences, car parking, toilets, whatever.

Using whatever you can find is Stephen’s ideal.

“New parts cost money and it takes away from the thing so that’s why I choose to upcycle. I’m a bit of a greenie, it’s a good answer to waste. A lot of my tools come out of the rubbish, screws, nails, all that stuff.” But he’s not a puritan so he does occasionally use new materials when the job demands it. Like being able to stencil onto boxes and crates and he is happy to reproduce or custom make any items that he’s made before.

When I ask him how he likes living in the hills, his answer says as much about his off the cuff, humorous style as it does about the hills.

“Yep, fantastic, love it, the whole fresh air thing.

Admittedly I probably ruin the whole thing for a lot of people, with my constant angle grinding... She gets a bit dusty, but no-ones really complained.” www.industrialpunk.com.au www.facebook.com/industrialpunked

music

Nicholas Chamber Orchestra In the fast-paced, disposable culture we find ourselves in today, it would be forgivable to assume that classical music might hold mere megabytes of space on perhaps a handful of iPods the world over.

Far from the in-your-face antics of today’s pop stars who disappear as quickly as they came, classical music appears on first glance to have been relegated to the status of cultural relic; no longer relevant to today’s society. A closer glance reveals that this enduring musical tradition continues to hold great significance and bring joy for audience members and musicians alike, communing with the musical masterpieces of composers past, as well as the work of living composers who continue to find new forms of expression in this potent musical form.

The Nicholas Chamber Orchestra (NCO) is one such group of musicians, keeping the magic of classical music alive for the communities in the Dandenong and Yarra Ranges. Formed in late 2010, the NCO brings a dose of much-needed ‘sonic therapy’ to fans already well-versed in the haunting imagery and strange landscapes conjured up by shimmering strings and fluttering woodwinds, as well as rapidly winning over new audiences and building a solid following in its short few years since forming. In the words of NCO’s music director/conductor Eric Klay, classical music “enriches the soul and moves people in many different ways,” and indeed provides experiences unique to this form.

It seems today more than ever that classical music’s greatest struggle is against the misconception that it is inaccessible, elitist – 26

perhaps even terminally ‘un-cool.’ With this in mind, Eric aims to steer the NCO’s repertoire choices to music that is above all accessible. This indeed seems to be the NCO’s secret ingredient to success, seeing audience numbers triple in its short three-year life so far. Inclusion of new works such as a piece for didgeridoo and orchestra by Dindy Vaughn promises to keep audiences on their toes, as well as quintets and solo pieces composed by ensemble members, showcasing the talent that surrounds us here in our local community every day. Eric tells me that audience members quite often let him know of the positive effect that the NCO has on the community; that they “fulfill a real need, and having it locally produced was fantastic.”

Following on from a sell-out performance at ‘Stones of the Yarra Valley’ in March, NCO will be treating audiences to some musical magnificence at Burrinja Cultural Centre on June 1st featuring soloists Elyane Laussade and Tracey Roberts.

With more performances to come later in the year it is the perfect opportunity to experience the astounding talent that exists right here in the hills - and perhaps discover a little of that magic that stirs such passion and excitement in those open to the experience. www.nicholaschamberorchestra.org Edward Willoughby

Edward Willoughby is a Cockatoo-based composer, pianist and sound artist. He is an ardent believer in the importance of music in our lives – especially live music.

He also composes for dance, theatre and film, and sings power-ballad duets with goats in the paddock next door when nobody’s listening.

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work in progress

Amy Middleton’s studio

Amy draws from traditional media to produce objects, drawings, paintings and collage. Her aim is to acknowledge serendipitous threads in everyday life.

As Community Cultural Development Officer for Burrinja she is part of our talented hillscene editorial committee. www.amymiddleton.com