Julie’s Jots
Our guest speaker at the breakfast meeting on Thursday was Dr Fiona Kotvojs who gave us an insight into the truffle growing industry. As with anything to do with the land, they rely on just the right conditions to produce the highly sought after truffle. Most of the truffles she grows are used by chefs on the south coast, with some exported to America. A very highly sought after product! (See more below).
On Friday I attended the committee meeting of the Carer’s Accommodation for the new Eurobodalla Regional Hospital. The car raffle is still going and they hope to have all tickets sold and the raffle drawn by February or March next year.
Thursday of course is our Lift the Lid Day for Mental Health Day (see below) and Ange has organised some great speakers. Please invite family and friends and don’t forget your hat! Hat prizes on the night.
Then on Sunday 27th, it’s our monthly market. All hands on deck please! David will be circulating the market roster.
THIS WEEK
Thursday 24th October: Lift the Lid on Mental Health
This should be a fun night but with a serious message. Please invite friends and family and President Julie encourages everyone to wear a hat of whatever type you want. Rotary clubs across Australia organise a Hat Day dinner each year to highlight the magnitude of mental health problems and raise funds for Australia Rotary Health (ARH), one of the largest independent funders of mental health research in Australia. Everyone is encouraged to give $5 towards ARH. More information on ARH’s website.) Speakers are:
- Our own Laurence Babington on Men’s Long Table. The Men’s Table is a safe place to share and be heard in a confidential and non-judgemental environment, creating a greater sense of belonging, camaraderie and connection. Our local Men’s Table is held once a month in Narooma.
- Sophie Scobie introduces Headspace Narooma, recently opened in Narooma. They provide early intervention mental health services to 12-25 year olds. Headspace Narooma can help young people with mental health, physical health (including sexual health), alcohol and other drug services, and work and study support.
Unfortunately our third speaker Georgia Weir had to pull out. Georgia is from Deadly Runners, an Aboriginal owned and operated programme that fosters health and wellbeing among indigenous Australians through running and cultural engagement programmes. Hopefully we will hear from Georgia another time.
Sunday 27 October: Our Market
The Week that Was
Gulaga Gold shines at Business Breakfast
We had another great speaker at our monthly Narooma Rotary Business Networking Breakfast last Thursday. Fiona Kotvojs of Dignams Creek shared what is involved in establishing a small truffière, why the base of Gulaga is well suited to truffles, and why their truffles are increasingly being recognised as world class with their particularly rich deep flavour. Potential exports is huge, but production is small. For example, the UK could take 10kg of her truffles a week, but Fiona’s total production last year was 40kg.
Fiona’s background particularly in managing and analysing projects means that every truffle is weighed, the production of each tree recorded, and everything analysed including the locations. Fiona and her husband planted three different trees – English and Spanish oaks and Hazel about 10 years ago, and started harvesting truffles after five which was quicker than expected. Truffles grow underground among the roots.
Truffles need frosts, well drained soils with a northerly aspect. The harvesting season is about five weeks mid-year and of course trained dogs find the truffles. Weekend truffle hunts are a big tourist attraction, but you don’t keep the truffles.
The best Gulaga Gold truffles are sold directly to south coast restaurants, and the rest through a wholesaler in Melbourne to the export market. Fiona said the export potential is huge to the UK and USA, and they haven’t even looked at Asia.
“Truffles have the potential to make many small farms in this area viable,” she said. It’s a winter crop, and being underground can handle fire and drought (the spores survive), love lots of rain in February, and like a dry autumn. She is keen to share her knowledge with other potential growers.
Australia is the fourth major truffle producer worldwide. Western Australia is the major supplier in Australia producing 20t a year, but Fiona says theirs lacks the flavour of Gulaga Gold. Australian exports benefit from the different seasons to the norther hemisphere.
The future is bright. Truffles are used in a range of high quality products and she is also looking for people to use truffles to add value to products. She stressed the importance of collaboration, of packaging experiences like truffle hunts with accommodation and restaurants, and spoke of the now established Gourmet Coast Trail and the Fungi Feastival.
From Batemans Bay Rotary
Each year The Bay Club offers a Scholarship to ANU for medical students attending the Rural Clinical School in Batemans Bay, hoping this will encourage and influence the students to consider pursuing a medical career in rural Australia. It was a happy surprise at the end of the student’s presentation at the Club last Thursday to hear they were all looking at General Practice in rural areas as a career.
Out and About
ShelterBox in Gaza and Lebanon
ShelterBox, Rotary’s partner in disaster relief, is delivering vital aid to the displaced people of Gaza when it can. Many more trucks remain stalled at the border alongside thousands of other humanitarian aid vehicles desperately trying to reach those in dire need. These ShelterBox trucks are packed with essentials such as tarpaulins and rope, blankets, mattresses, and floor mats and also carry water basins, soap, water carriers, kitchen equipment, and hygiene supplies, including diapers, toothbrushes, and sanitary items. ShelterBox has also intensified the production of heavy tents.
In Lebanon, people are also being forced to flee from intense airstrikes across the country following months of displacement near the border of Lebanon and Israel. They are fleeing with only what they can carry. ShelterBox is also responding to this crisis and has partnered with a community aid organisation based in Lebanon to scale up its response. They’re supporting people sheltering in communal spaces like schools with essential items like mattresses and blankets to protect them from the cold this winter, as well as hygiene kits.
Much of the work of ShelterBox is funded by Rotary Clubs and individual Rotarians. More information shelterboxaustralia.org.au/lebanon-emergency.
NEXT THURSDAY 31st October
Being the fifth Thursday in the month, no formal meeting. Instead we are heading to Lynch’s Hotel for dinner in the old restaurant 6.30pm. Please let Gero know if you will be coming. Hope to see you there.