Labour of love

Labour

of love STORY: ANNA MCGUINNESS PHOTOGRAPHY: RECHELLE ZAMMIT

KEEPING ALL THE BALLS IN THE AIR IS A CONSTANT JUGGLING ACT FOR WORKING WOMEN — BEING AN EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE OR RUNNING A BUSINESS, CARING FOR KIDS, FINDING TIME FOR SELF-CARE. ONE SHEPPARTON BUSINESSWOMAN AND MOTHER SHARES THOSE CHALLENGES WITH BETTY.

THERE’S ABOUT a decade of Daina Winch’s life she describes as a blur.

Those days were filled with running multiple restaurants, a function space and a food store, while raising three children.

“There were probably 10 years where I was a shell and just so tired,” she said.

“When the kids were babies, in between working, feeding, getting kids to school; it’s a blur.”

The Shepparton Brewery co-owner has been in the hospitality business, alongside partner of 24 years Matt Milsome, since she was in her mid-20s.

When they returned to business with the brewery in 2019, Daina decided she would take a step back and do things a bit differently.

After working in hospitality, it was natural for Daina and Matt to step out on their own.

They built a great reputation and client base with a kitchen lease at a Nagambie winery and even after they moved back to Melbourne, decided to return to the Goulburn Valley.

Daina was 26 when they opened Teller in the old Mooroopna bank building.

“Matt’s six years older and he’s the chef side of it — it was just the perfect storm, front of house and back of house, that’s quite traditional with hospitality owners,” she said.

They also opened The Chairman’s Kitchen in Fryers St, Shepparton, across the road from The Vic hotel.

“We were trying to run two places and I had a five-monthold baby and then someone approached us and wanted to buy it as a bar,” Daina said.

“We ended up deciding to move into Shepparton, just as the next step for our business, and we built The Teller Collective.”

During that time Daina recalls saying, “that’s it, I’m never having another restaurant”.

Famous last words.

They had three children aged under fi ve, running restaurants and function space the Vault, and then, the shop next door came up for sale which became the Food Store.

Albi, Ava and Austin are now 15, 13 and 11 respectively, and all grew up in the restaurant — when they weren’t with their grandparents in Cobram or family day care.

But the nature of the work meant while Daina and Matt were often run off their feet, they still had time with the kids.

“Matt would start at fi ve o’clock to make all the bread and Albi would just walk downstairs as a fi ve-year-old and have porridge with Dad at six,” Daina said.

“It’s those little things you wouldn’t get in a normal work life.”

Whether it was a baby sleeping on a shelf in the kitchen, being passed to the least busy staff member when they wouldn’t settle, or strapped to Daina while she was making coffees — they made it work.

As the business grew, Daina and Matt brought in business partners before eventually selling out and moving to Beechworth.

Daina managed Brown Brothers restaurant for a few years and she and Matt had a “role-reversal”, as he worked around the kids’ schedules.

“We decided, we’re out — that was it,” she said.

“But I think it’s just in your blood.”

So, in April 2019 they opened Shepparton Brewery and 11 months later the pandemic arrived, delivering a crushing blow to business owners.

“In that fi rst year of the pandemic, if the government wasn’t propping us up with grants for people with liquor licences, you just wouldn’t be here,” Daina said.

“We obviously have a lot of experience in business; I can’t imagine being us at 24 and having our back to the wall the way that we did then and trying to get through [COVID-19].”

And while the world tries to move on, the situation is still fraught with staff shortages, fuel prices and interest rates.

The couple has plans to take their new gin venture, Side Hustle, to another level but are still feeling the after effects of COVID-19.

“A couple of weeks in the past month or so, we’ve been down three staff and I’ve had to replace them with my 15-year-old and my 13-year-old — three staff with two kids,” Daina said.

“Customers have been great, but the damage that could have done to the business — people understand, but they’re only going to understand so far.”

Giving back to the community is important to Daina and Matt, whether it’s through their Community Chest nights or Christmas meals.

When the couple fi rst opened in Mooroopna with mediocre kitchen equipment that was all they could afford, they were blown away by people’s generosity.

“One day the oven door fell off and I had a function coming in and the café was going, and I just had to say, ‘this is off the menu, I can’t do it’,” Daina said.

“I’d been bawling my eyes out, Matt’s cracked it — it’s pretty high pressure — and this couple said to me, ‘Daina, we’ll buy you an oven’.

“People were just so kind and we didn’t take them up on the offer but to know you were backed like that.

“This community has taken us in as a business and I feel grateful we’re here — we do try to fi lter that back when we can.”

These days, when Daina’s not working at the Brewery, she has a few days a week doing the paperwork, picking up the kids from school and being home for them.

“You’re constantly ‘on’, but that’s just part of being in business — same as being a mum,” she said.

Daina’s advice to anyone thinking of opening a business is to enjoy it, and “do it because you love it”.

“And never ever count your hourly rate because you just don’t want to know.”

Caring for the Goulburn Valley’s women

Go about your pregnancy the right way

Clinical maternity educator Penny Laidlaw and midwife Milly Foster are there to support women of the Goulburn Valley in their pregnancy journey. THE PROCESS of preparing for the birth of your child is a big task.

Clinical maternity educator Penny Laidlaw knows how stressful it can be preparing for a baby and said the midwifery services at GV Health were designed to make the transition to parenthood easier.

“Pregnancy is most often an exciting new experience for women, but it can also bring about some challenges. As midwives, we hope to be able to provide women and their families with the information and support they require to ensure their pregnancy journey is a positive experience,” Penny said.

“To ensure women receive thorough pregnancy care and early access to pregnancy-specific education and support, it is essential they link in with their GP as early as possible. This also allows for timely referral to antenatal care services at GV Health.”

After connecting with your GP, they will refer you to maternity support services within GV Health from approximately 12 weeks onwards.

GV Health is able to provide obstetric care to both high and low-risk pregnancies. There are several models of care available to women depending on individual needs. One of the most popular models is the Midwifery Group Practice, available to women who have a low-risk pregnancy. “It’s an incredibly popular program because it does provide that continuity of care. Women are supported and cared for by the same midwife throughout their pregnancy, labour and birth, and postnatal period,” Penny said. If your pregnancy is deemed high-risk, you will be referred to the consultant medical clinics where you will be seen by an obstetric doctor at every visit and a midwife or relevant healthcare provider. GV Health also offers antenatal education classes during pregnancy, which include sessions on how to look after a baby and birthing classes. After discharge from the hospital, GV Health provides domiciliary midwifery care where postnatal care is provided in the home in the first few days after birth to make sure the baby is settling in well, parents are up to date with the correct education and parents are connected to community services for ongoing support. If you want more information or need to connect to midwifery services at GV Health, visit their website or talk to your GP for a referral.

Time for a heart health check

HEART ISSUES are common for both men and women. However, there are some key differences in how cardiac disease affects women, which GV Health cardiologist Dr Jennifer Coller explains.

In recent years, there is increasing awareness in the community that less typical symptoms of heart attack occur more frequently in women. While most women do still report classic chest pain, there are some who develop less common symptoms like arm pain, upper abdominal pain, nausea or breathlessness.

Women concerned about these types of symptoms are encouraged to seek medical review early.

Fewer people are aware of the higher risk of heart disease for women that previously developed issues in pregnancy – including pre-eclampsia (which causes high blood pressure and protein in the urine) and gestational diabetes.

“We now realise that women with these issues during pregnancy have a higher risk of heart problems later in life,” Dr Coller said.

“For example, women with pre-eclampsia often have continuing issues with high blood pressure even after their baby is born. They also have four times the risk of heart failure and twice the risk of heart attack or stroke later in life”.

Women with a history of these issues are encouraged to follow up regularly with their GP over time so that cardiac risk factors like high blood pressure and cholesterol can be assessed and treated where necessary.

According to Dr Coller, eating foods that are low in saturated fats and sodium and replacing them with fresh fruit and vegetables, high fibre foods and plant-based proteins, alongside maintaining regular exercise, is key to avoiding cardiac problems in the future.

GV Health has a variety of services available to support people suffering from cardiac problems, including cardiology outpatient clinics, cardiac rehabilitation and chronic disease management programs.

Your general practitioner can advise about your cardiac risk and refer on to a specialist if needed. Heart Health Checks can be done through your local GP.

Call triple 000 immediately and ask for an ambulance if you develop severe chest pain and it’s getting worse or has lasted for 10 minutes.

Early detection is key

WHEN IT COMES to breast cancer, you can never be too safe, which is why it’s important check your breasts every month according to GV Health’s breast and gynaecology nurse Melissa Gilmour and McGrath breast cancer nurse Michelle Parish.

“One in seven women will develop breast cancer before they’re 75, regardless of family history,” Michelle said.

“The majority of our women are in that 50 to 75 age group, so that’s why we have our breast screening targeting women in that area. However, breast cancer can occur at any age. Our youngest patient was 24, and our oldest patient was 100.”

Other non-modifiable risk factors, aside from age, can include being a previous breast cancer survivor or having early menstruation before the age of 12 or late menopause after the age of 56.

However, there are some risk factors that people can control. Having children and breastfeeding lowers your chance of breast cancer as well as staying active, maintaining a healthy weight, minimising alcohol consumption and not smoking.

When it comes to how and when you should be checking your breasts, Melissa says all that matters is that you’re doing it the same way every time. “It is recommended that women who are menstruating should do it seven to 10 days after they’ve completed menstruation and women who are postmenopausal should set a date each month to do those checks as it’s important to know your breasts,” Melissa said.

“It can be as simple as your skin feels a bit thicker in one area, you might notice a node, there might be nipple discharge or an inverted nipple if somebody normally doesn’t have any inverted nipple or even breast pain.”

If you develop any unusual changes in your breast, it’s important to go to your GP and get a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound, which are available at GV Health.

GV Health also offers a breast screening service for women aged 40 onwards which can be organised by calling 13 20 50.

If you have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and require advice or assistance with treatment, contact the GV Health Oncology unit on 5832 3777.

Cardiology nurse coordinator Jemma Rigby and AF clinical nurse Catherine Maulion are encouraging women to keep on top of their heart health checks.

Breast and gynaecology nurse Melissa Gilmour and McGrath breast cancer nurse Michelle Parish are advocating for women to be proactive and check their breasts once a month.