3 minute read
Meet a Member
The Torpey Family
Live: Central Maitland |Members: on and off since 2009
Flowers from Simone Torpey's sustainable home-based business The Little Urban Flower Farm in Maitland.
Who are the Torpeys?
Steven is a criminal defence lawyer, I (Simone) am an organic flower farmer and florist (The Little Urban Flower Farm), our kids Bea, Oscar, Fred, Henry and Matilda are either at uni or school and/or are ‘still deciding’ what they want to be when they grow up.
How long have you lived in Maitland for and what do you like about it?
We've lived in Maitland since November 2001, although there were only five of us when we first arrived. We lived in France for a few years in the middle, but after that adventure chose to come back to Maitland. We wanted to move back because of our incredible community, family, the beautiful historic homes and buildings, and the location. We feel it is the perfect combination of rural/country – lovely crunchy frosts in winter – and ‘city’, with all the amenities you might need either right here or close by.
What have been some of your best experiences at MRAG?
Simone, Steven and Henry: one late Winter afternoon a few years ago we all had a lovely nap under weighted furry blankets in the ‘sensory’ exhibition. I’m ashamed to say I can’t remember who the artist was, or whether it was a collaboration. But as I’ve never, ever, had a snooze in a gallery, that stands out! Matilda: doing work experience at MRAG in 2019.
Please tell us a bit about The Little Urban Flower Farm.
The Little Urban Flower Farm came about in response to a series of events. A number of years ago two family members became very unwell at a time when I was working as a lawyer and CEO for an International Association based in Melbourne. It suddenly became both impossible and undesirable for me to leave my family to get on a plane every week. Around that time, I was also reading about community-based lifestyles as an antidote to the problem of food miles and was reflecting on my own massive carbon footprint consequential to my corporate travel. Everything came together when I read an article about the traditional cut flower industry. Most cut flowers sold in this country are imported, incurring thousands of ‘flower miles’, and are produced in countries where there is little or no regulation of working conditions, the chemicals used on crops or even the age of workers. There is a reason why you can buy a bunch of flowers from major supermarkets for $10! I was also deeply alarmed by the amount of plastics and chemicals used right across the cut flower industry, even here in Australia.
The Little Urban Flower Farm has created a home-based life for me, allowing me to be with my family whilst doing something creative, sustainable and optimistic. The response has been tremendous, and my increased, joyful connection to my local community here in Maitland is an unanticipated bonus.
What are some of your favourite things to do in the Maitland area?
Our home is in Central Maitland and we love that we can walk or ride just about everywhere we need to go. A glass of wine with friends at Coquun on a Friday night, inhaling the smell of real leather products at Dennerley Leather, a coffee at The Bikesmith, a sneaky beer at The Pourhouse, walking along the river to the library, MRAG (of course), and being able to buy local produce from Organic Feast, makes us very happy that we live in Maitland. Steven loves doing laps at the Maitland Pool, especially now that it’s open all year round, and the kids love swimming in the river (because teenagers have no fear).
