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Warren
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
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Celebration for first year of Rural Trader shopping hub
Referendum voting Hotly-contested Warren Veterans in Warren Shire Championships
STORY: PAGE 3
Dolly’s “working 9 to 5” to help improve our childhood literacy By HARRIET GILMORE WARREN recently jumped onboard the “Dolly” train, joining the legendary country music performer’s book gift-giving program to help improve childhood literacy and encourage a love of reading in children. This follows Western Area Health and the Warren Shire Library, teaming up to introduce the “Dolly Parton Imagination Library” to the local area. The program involves children born since December 2022 being sent a free book every month until they turn five; with the Imagination Library expected to be available to all new babies for the next four years. Warren Family Health Nurse, Nichole Callan and Regional Library Manager, Pam Kelly said they were both very excited to be introducing this program to Warren. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library has been running for more than a decade, and although many surrounding communities were already participating in the program, Warren wasn’t included due to funding issues. This situation inspired Ms Callan to approach Council for support, with suggestions that they apply for a grant to get the program off the ground. Continued page 10
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STORY & PHOTOS: PAGE 19
Smoking win for Collie locals keen to put goat on the menu By HARRIET GILMORE IT’S sometimes got a bit of a patchy reputation, but Collie locals, Jo and Craig Stewart, are passionate about changing our perception of quality goat meat. In good news for the local producers of the “Gourmet Goat Lady” line, they were recently recognised with a prestigious industry award; an esteemed Silver Medal from the Sydney Royal Fine Foods Show, for their Smoked Goat Cutlets in the Smallgoods and Charcuterie section. Founder Jo Stewart, said that she was incredibly proud to be recognised for all their hard work and innovation in the industry; revealing the initial idea for the Smoked Cutlet, came about due to issues in selling that cut. “Surprisingly we were really struggling to move the (goat) racks and cutlets,” Jo revealed. “A rack of lamb or lamb cutlets are the most prized cut and so highly sought-after, but when it came to the goat, it just wasn’t selling,” she added. The innovation, she added, ensures using all of the animal, a far better environmental outcome.
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Jo and Craig Stewart. PHOTO: SUPPLIED.
“We are all about sustainability, and utilising the whole animal,” she said. “So we needed to come-up with something we could do with cutlets.” It was then that a local supporter came up with a new idea.
“A really great butcher in Wellington we work with, Dowto’s, suggested smoking it,” Jo said. “We’d previously been smoking legs for a chef at Sydney’s Shangri-La Hotel, but tried the cutlets, and it really
worked well,” she said. But the recognition from the award, she said, is more than just for the product itself, it’s a win for the goat meat industry itself. Continued page 4