PRESIDENT'S UPDATE - NOVEMBER 2021

November has seen the committee planning our first social event for a long time, working through the new e-market software, the exciting Stepping Stone Farm EcoCrews program, calling out for volunteers, working on the charitable status and planning for the future of the SAGE Garden in Moruya.

Our most exciting news this month is that we are finally able to host a social event at the SAGE Garden! The Summer Solstice Gathering on Sunday 19 December will be a time to celebrate the start of a summer of gratitude and I hope to see many of you there.

Following a long development and testing period we have now gone live with our new e-market software. We trust you find it easy to shop with us. We have been well served by the original software but support was becoming too difficult and we decided to transition to a proprietary system offering long term and widespread support. Whilst on the e-market, the number of orders is steadily increasing, we have a great band of volunteers who make it all possible and our vendors really appreciate the additional sales.

The Stepping Stone Farm education program and new partnership with Campbell Page under the EcoCrews banner has commenced and we were delighted that our 2021 intern Shani Keane was selected to lead the new team under Joyce Wilkie’s management. You can read about the Eco Crews partnership in this media release.  

You will see a few volunteer call-outs on this newsletter, for the Tuesday Farmers eMarket and Stepping Stone Farm so if volunteering is one your list of things to do as we emerge from lockdown, please consider these or any of our volunteering opportunities which you can read about here

The management committee continues to work on funding opportunities, working on achieving charitable status, bedding down the new website, planning for the future of the SAGE Garden in Moruya.  

I hope you enjoy this newsletter and look forward to seeing you on 19th December.

Cheers

Mark

 



Also in Sage Project News

Deep Winter Agrarian Gathering, Bellingen, September 2023
Deep Winter Agrarian Gathering, Bellingen, September 2023

Shani Keane, a local grower from Left Field Farm and Stepping Stone Farm, and a regular seller at the SAGE Farmers Market, attended this year’s Deep Winter Agrarian Gathering.

Shani kindly provided an interesting report for SAGE readers, including the Deep Winter Statement which was developed following consultation with the gathering.

2023 AGM reports
2023 AGM reports

Read the reports presented at the 2023 AGM held at the SAGE Garden on 19 August.
  • President’s report from Cath Reilly
  • Treasurer’s report from Jan Maitland
  • Stepping Stone Farm report from Mark Barraclough
  • Farmers Market report from Peter Heyward
  • Farmers representative report from Eliza Cannon
  • Education and Events report from Sandra Makdessi
  • Community food report from Alda Rudzis
  • Food share report from Alda Rudzis
  • SAGE Garden report from Stuart Whitelaw (on behalf of Adrian Cram and Wendy Jones)
New SAGE committee growing the local food economy
New SAGE committee growing the local food economy

SAGE members welcomed in a new committee at their annual general meeting on Saturday 19 August, after hearing that the organisation was in a robust financial position following the challenging years of bushfires and Covid, and well placed to continue its mission to grow the local food economy in Eurobodalla - food grown by local growers, provided to local people, at a fair price.

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