When Zoe Olive first dreamt up the Bangalow Buckle Challenge in 2018, she wasn’t chasing ribbons or prestige – she wanted to open the gates of horsemanship to everyone. The result is a uniquely inclusive competition that’s grown from 39 competitors in its first year to more than 100 horses converging on the Bangalow Showgrounds annually, all vying for the coveted silver buckle.

“It started because I saw riders who wanted to give stock horse challenges a go, but felt intimidated by the strict rules around registration, gear and presentation,” says Zoe. “So I created something independent, more accessible, where it didn’t matter what breed your horse was or what saddle you used – you just had to give it a go.”

The Bangalow Buckle Challenge is now a two-day event held annually in early March, with categories designed to cater to all levels of rider experience and horse age. From juniors and youth encouragement classes to open super horse and master rider divisions, every entrant has the opportunity to develop and showcase their horsemanship across a variety of skills.

“We don’t run a full campdraft,” Zoe explains, adding that each competitor rides four core patterns: a hack (a flatwork sequence judged on movement and presentation), a utility pattern (obstacles such as gates, poles and side-passing), a working pattern (showing agility and responsiveness often used in stock work) and cattle work. “We call it ‘beast work’ – it’s a controlled introduction where each rider gets two minutes with a single beast in the arena, aiming to demonstrate control, movement and flow.”

Campdrafting, which you may have seen in action at the Bangalow Show, requires a rider to select a single beast from a small group, separate it from the mob in a yard (or “camp”), and then guide it through a cloverleaf-shaped course at speed. It demands a high degree of cattle knowledge, horse skill and split-second decision-making. While thrilling to watch, it can be daunting for less experienced riders – which is exactly why Zoe chose a simplified format that allows everyone to have a go, regardless of background or skill level.

And it’s not just the competitors who get involved. The event is run entirely by volunteers, with many participants helping set up, ‘pencil’ for judges (writing down scores) or serving lunches in between their own rides. “It’s a real community effort,” says Zoe. “I couldn’t do it without them. That’s why we introduced the Big Effort Big Buckle – a prize not for the best rider, but for the competitor who shows the most spirit and willingness to help. It started out as a joke but now it’s one of the most prized buckles of the event.”

One of those buckle winners is former Bangalow Herald committee member Ean Jones, who has taken out both the Master Rider Buckle and the Big Effort Buckle. “He’s a real all-rounder,” Zoe says. “Always up for helping out and just such a great sport.”

The buckle itself is a key part of the event’s identity. “I chose a buckle because it’s something you can wear. It’s a visible trophy – you don’t just stick it on a shelf,” says Zoe. “People see it and ask, ‘What did you win that for?’ It sparks stories.”

The design has evolved over the years, with Zoe determined to find a buckle maker who could produce a high-quality, personalised piece. She now works with an Australian-owned company to design buckles with custom engraving, coloured stones and each buckle is stamped with the year, event and division. “We try to make each one special. Whether it’s for the Encouragement Challenge or the Open Super Horse, that rider has earned it.”

That spirit of inclusion is matched by a high standard of horsemanship and judging. Each section has its own judge, many of whom return year after year. “I encourage riders to chat to the judges, ask questions, get feedback. It’s a learning opportunity as well as a competition,” she says. In fact, the event kicks off with a two-hour warm-up session where competitors rotate through each ring to practise patterns and get rid of their “nerves and butterflies” – both horse and rider.

And while Zoe has run the event independently since day one, she’s quick to acknowledge her loyal supporters. Local businesses help feed the judges and volunteers, and a huge array of sponsors keep the event running. “We couldn’t have done this without them,” she says.

Despite running the event, Zoe has managed to ride in previous years – though she admits she’s yet to claim a buckle of her own. “I’ve come second,” she smiles. “But this year I’ve told my team that everyone who helps has to get their ride in too. We’re not riding for sheep stations—we’re doing this so everyone can have a go.”

The Bangalow Buckle Challenge is also evolving. This year sees the debut of a whipcracking competition, complete with community barbecue and bar, judged by a former Australian whipcracking champion. “It’s all part of creating a space where the whole town can come and participate, even if they don’t ride,” says Zoe.

That mindset – of making room, breaking down barriers and encouraging growth – is what sets the Bangalow Buckle Challenge apart. “Whether it’s a child on their first pony, an older rider coming back after a break, or someone just wanting to try something new, there’s a place for them here,” says Zoe. “And if they win a buckle? Even better.”

The Bangalow Buckle Challenge returns to the Bangalow Showground on Saturday 28 February and Sunday 1 March 2026, featuring two full days of versatile horse challenges for all breeds. The program includes the Super Horse Challenge, Encouragement and Jackaroo/Jillaroo Maiden Challenges, Youth and Young Horse classes, and the popular Bangalow Bucket Obstacle Trial. Special awards include the Equestrienne Magazine All Round Lady Rider Award, the Norco Stock Feeds Magnificent Master Rider Award and the Glen Gough Big Effort Big Buckle Award.

The Triple Crown Trophy will also return, spanning three regional events. Saturday begins with practice at 7.30am and competitions from 9.30am, followed by a Lions Club BBQ and the inaugural Northern Rivers Whip Cracking Championship. Sunday features cattle work, obstacle trials and awards. Public spectators most welcome – free entry.

The name of the breed, British Whites, contains two fundamental strands of their story: a Northern Hemisphere heritage, and white hair, which makes them very well suited to the harsh Australian climate. Currently there are about 800 British White stud cattle registered across the country and the breed remains on the Rare Breed Trust ‘At Risk’ list in Australia.

Heritage is the key word: British Whites are one of the oldest breeds of cattle native to the United Kingdom, meaning they have a broader range of genetic characteristics than most of the varieties commonly farmed in Australia. As a consequence, they are robust and resilient, non-selective grazers that produce marbled beef on pasture alone. They were traditionally a dual-purpose breed, good for both milk and beef, and high-quality milk means healthy, well-grown calves.

There are about 55 farmers registered in Australia to help to conserve them. They range from devoted stud breeders to hobbyists, and their enchantment with the breed is remarkable.

Among them is director and company secretary of the British White Cattle Society of Australia, Dierdre Mikkelson. Following a successful corporate career and early retirement, Dierdre’s youthful hankering for a career in agriculture was re-ignited when she and her husband Earle bought a small block 10 years ago at Eltham. Her new life as a farmer launched her onto a steep learning curve: animal husbandry, pasture Cattle and a rare breed of farmer development, soil science, biology, botany, entomology and chemistry.

Wanting to put their land to meaningful use, Dierdre set her sights on establishing a stud herd of heritage cattle to be raised within a regenerative farming model. British Whites’ rarity, attractive appearance and docile temperament were the deciding factors for her when choosing the breed. “They are the most amazingly calm, lovely cattle and yes, we get emotionally attached to them,” she says.

She admits that as a hobbyist she is “by no means a proper farmer”,and hates it when she has to part with an animal. She is, however, hard-nosed when it comes to breeding quality stud stock and promoting British Whites as a viable commercial breed – most likely in niche markets such as paddock to plate, regenerative and hobby farms, or bulls for northern Australian breeding programs.

Dierdre’s introduction to British Whites was through Society president Lindsay Murray, of Dingo Lane Farms, and she bought her first three “girls” from him – Josie, Carmen and Ettie.

Farming got real when the three were old enough to ‘join’ with a bull and nine months later she and Earle had their first experience of calving; it was challenging, as she failed to heed the vet’s warnings to not let the heifers get too fat. Even tougher land-care lessons followed, with additional acreage the couple bought near Lismore going under water in the 2022 floods, and twice after, resulting in water-logged soil, followed by pasture dieback at their Eltham property. The experience strengthened Dierdre’s interest in regenerative agriculture – with its focus on soil health, energy, water cycles and species diversity.

“The more I learn about commercial agriculture, the more it worries me,” she says. “The genetic concentration in crops and livestock brings a massive risk. Nature thrives on diversity.”

A side-effect of “retiring” early was the desire to keep her brain active, and, although she loves being out on the land, she admits to a need for people – through various volunteer activities and, for three years now, part-time work at the Bangalow Post Office. “I need interaction with others,” she says. “It’s a small community, and I can get to know people. It’s a terrific place to work and so different from my old corporate life.”

The land – and community – are also in Lindsay Murray’s blood. He grew up on a mixed farming operation in the Riverina, but left home at 17 to study medicine, which he practised full time until recently in senior roles at Lismore Base Hospital. His childhood experience made farming “very attractive”, he says, “but we were also very aware of how destructive agriculture was becoming in the 60s and 70s” and he dreamt of doing things differently.

In 2010, he bought 130 acres in Myocum. Cleared for dairy 100 years before, and neglected for the previous half a century, it was infested with lantana, camphor laurel and privet. Lindsay says he knew that he couldn’t restore it all to original forest in his lifetime, and also that he wanted to produce food in a sustainable way, so he and his partner developed a plan that would see 15% of the farm restored to native rainforest, with the remainder allocated to grazing cattle to produce beef within a regenerative system. “And British Whites ticked all the boxes,” he says.

Lindsay now runs about 55 to 60 stud breeding cows and grows out their offspring for sale as breeding animals or for slaughter. A similar number of steers brings the total herd up to 120. The purchase of a neighbouring farm took the farm to 100 hectares, 20-25% of it under environmental restoration.

A key role of the Society is to maintain a herd book of pedigreed animals. It’s a meaningful responsibility. “In the last 70 or 80 years there’s been highly selective breeding to meet criteria set by industrial farming, and the genetics of certain breeds have narrowed,” Lindsay says. “However, the genetics required now may not be those we need in 50 years, or even sooner. It may be that having a cattle breed that can do quite well purely on grass and produce good food with minimal inputs is exactly what we need in the future. And if we lose those genetics, we can’t recreate them.”

Maintaining these rare breed genetics is a primary concern of the Society’s treasurer, Wayne Cross, and his partner and former treasurer, Chris Malden, who together work 120 acres at Vale Hill Farm at Knockrow, primarily a stud operation, with 40 breeders and a dozen bulls.

They came to the Northern Rivers six years ago from Victoria, where they ran British Whites and Hampshire Down sheep. They also owned a hotel and restaurant, where their produce was on the menu – a real hands-on paddock to plate operation. Once here they cleared the land of camphor laurel and other weeds, replaced all the fencing, installed new irrigation and concentrated on pasture improvement, including planting about 20 acres in rye grass to keep the weeds down. They have also worked with Bangalow Koalas to plant thousands of food trees along their boundaries.

Their aim is to spread the British White breed around the country, and they have been selling their females and quality bulls to new and established British White studs for many years.

Farming is more challenging in the Northern Rivers than in Victoria, Wayne says, what with a greater incidence of diseases, ticks and flies, more noxious weeds, the rain, and tropical grasses with their undesirable high moisture content.

But the challenges are worth it and Wayne and Chris say they still prefer to farm up here. “It’s nice to have green grass all year round”.

They add that they have met so many lovely people here too, both within the dedicated British White community and outside it. Considering Bangalow’s commitment to heritage values and the region’s support for farmers markets, humane farm practices and regenerative agriculture, it’s only natural that they and their fellow visionary caretakers of the land – and the rare breed they champion – would be warmly welcomed.

Eli Clarke was 11 years old when his family moved onto the Jindibah community, in Fowlers Lane. At the time, his parents, Charlotte and Simon, said of the decision to move onto this rural community title (C.T.) property that they were dreaming “of a happy place where our children can grow with a respect and understanding of the environment.” In the seven years the family of six lived there, Eli fully developed his love of fishing into a fine art – and also created an early career as a passionate YouTubing nature lover, with a following in the thousands.

Running across the property for about a kilometre – including tributaries – is Sleepy Creek. Although Eli had started fishing at the age of six, living at Jindibah “is when my passion for fishing took off. I love fishing, camping and spending time outdoors and there, I had the freedom to walk down to Sleepy Creek whenever I wanted – sometimes with mates, my brother Asher, or just on my own.”

At the age of 15, in 2016, he started his own YouTube channel. “I bought my first GoPro Hero1 and began filming my bass fishing adventures. My channel captured bass fishing in the local creeks and waterways around Bangalow, Clunes, Lismore and Brunswick Heads.” He mainly filmed his adventures himself, propping his GoPro on fence posts and whatever else he could find – tripods “not even being a thought back then!”

His channel built up a large following of keen would-be fishers, wanting advice and practical suggestions – how to find the best fishing spot, what lures to use, what fish could be found where. According to Eli, who still lives locally, the most prominent fish to catch around Sleepy Creek, Byron Creek and the Bangalow area is the Australian bass. “They’re native to the region and are treated with a lot of respect by anglers who ‘catch and release’: they’re considered a sport fish, not something you keep. The bass fishing season is closed between 1 June and 31 August. Every year they need to migrate to saltwater to breed. At that time, fishing for bass is completely off-limits.”

In his experience, other species to be found walking the local riverbanks include “eels, eel-tailed catfish, mullet, the very rare eastern cod, platypus, turtles, bullrout (freshwater stonefish) and unfortunately, carp. Carp are an introduced species, causing major damaging impacts to our local freshwater creeks. Over the years, with more floods happening, this invasive species is growing rapidly and starting to cause damage. They eat the eggs of native fish like eel-tailed catfish, muddy up rivers and uproot river weeds, particularly in places like Emigrant Creek.”

Generations of children living at Jindibah have developed a love for fishing and just hanging out at the creek. Shortly after Carolyn and Neil Hannah moved into the original Fowler family farmhouse in 2018, Neil was delighted to discover the spiny freshwater crayfish (Euastacus fleckeri) in the creek. “I personally release everything I catch and don’t see any sense in taking anything out of the ecosystem,” Neil says. Today, his kids Lotte and Hamish can often be seen down by the creek, sometimes with neighbouring kids Otis, Theo and Nina Bachle. During the catfish breeding season, 14-year-old Otis has been fascinated watching the big circle of rocks the catfish make in Sleepy Creek, where they breed.

Like Eli before them, the kids living onsite today have seen plenty of huge eels, turtles, platypus, bass and eel-tailed catfish – not to mention water dragons and minnows. Otis just loves going down by the creek: “Being near the water makes me feel good,” he says. He likes to check out different types of lures, while Theo, who’s 11, likes the sound the water makes flowing over the rocks. They’re down at the creek several times a week, just a walk of a few hundred metres from their home. They find summer the best season for fishing, given the ease of finding bugs and cicadas as bait.

As youngsters, David and Jenny Kennedy’s three kids also loved exploring, swimming and rafting in the six swimming holes along Sleepy Creek. Though they caught bass and eels, all the fish they caught ended up back in the creek.

Just up Fowlers Lane, in their early teenage years, the two sons of Fay and Gary Dwyer would also spend countless hours along Sleepy Creek. “Our boys and their friends from up the lane, the Henry boys, would mainly build dams in the creek or race blackbean pods along the stream. They would spend hours along Sleepy Creek, hunting and cooking up eels, and catching and cooking yabbies. They were delicious!” Fay recalled. “These are very fond memories.”

Christobel Munson

Christobel, a founder of the Jindibah community, has lived there for 30 years. She has observed generations of children explore and enjoy its 113 acres, including the popular Sleepy Creek.

Group images Lyn McCarthy Niche Pictures, photo of Eli Clarke supplied.

You were named Young Woman at the Bangalow Show in 2024. Tell us a bit about where that has taken you since.

I have just won at Zone alongside Phoebe Southwell (Kempsey Young Woman). We will represent Zone 1 at the Sydney Royal Show 2025 in The Land Sydney Royal AgShows NSW Young Woman competition.

What or who inspired you to enter the Young Woman competition?

My passion for agriculture is the driving force behind entering the Young Woman of the Show competition. Seeing friends go through this experience and hearing about their incredible journeys encouraged me to give it a go. For me, this competition is about more than just personal growth—it’s an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and help raise awareness of the agricultural sector.

As you progress through the competition, what has been the most rewarding experience so far?

The most rewarding part of this journey has been the opportunity to connect with such a diverse range of people. From my fellow competitors to the judges, sponsors and supporters, this experience has opened doors to invaluable networking opportunities within the industry. Building these relationships and engaging in meaningful conversations about agriculture has been a highlight of my experience so far. The competition celebrates the leadership and community involvement of young rural women.

Can you share an example of the ways you demonstrate these qualities?

Giving back to the community is something I believe in deeply, no matter where I am in the world.

In 2014, my family lived on a boat, travelling through Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia, where we supported local schools by donating much-needed supplies.

In 2022, alongside my father, I assisted in the Lismore flood evacuation and cleanup, witnessing firsthand the strength and resilience of the Northern Rivers community.

I’ve been a long-time member of Summerland Dressage Club and Brunswick Valley Pony Club, always keen to lend a hand where needed.

Currently, I’m in Canberra, participating in March On, a charity walk supporting Australian veterans by symbolising the distance of the Kokoda Trail. By walking, we raise funds and awareness for our brave heroes’ mental health.

I hope to continue contributing to more community initiatives throughout the year. To me, leadership in this industry means being a role model—encouraging young people to support their communities and inspiring the next generation to step up in times of need. In a rapidly changing world, fostering leadership in young people is more important than ever.

What is one message or cause you are passionate about, and how does/will the Young Woman title allow you to raise awareness or create change?

I am incredibly passionate about creating pathways into agriculture for young people. Growing up in Byron Bay, without direct ties to a farm, I had to navigate my way into the industry on my own. Thankfully, I had an inspiring agricultural teacher in high school who encouraged me to chase my dream and study AgBusiness.

So, I took a leap—moving to the University of New England without knowing a soul, driven purely by my passion for agriculture. That decision changed my life. I spent three incredible years learning about the industry, met my wonderful fiancé, and built friendships that now span across Australia and the world.

Through this competition, I hope to share my story and inspire other young people— especially those without traditional farm backgrounds—to step outside their comfort zones, explore opportunities in agriculture and pursue their passion with confidence.

What is one skill you have gained through being part of this event, and how can you see this experience shaping your future goals and aspirations?

Through this competition, both at the local and zone levels, I have truly come to appreciate the power of storytelling and advocacy. Being able to share my experiences and engage with industry leaders has reinforced my belief in the importance of effective communication in agriculture.

This experience has given me the confidence to continue using my voice to promote careers in agriculture, highlight the diversity of our industry and inspire the next generation. Moving forward, I hope to build on these skills and further contribute to the future of Australian agriculture.

Wishing Summer all the best for the Sydney Royal Show.

Feature image by Lyn McCarthy Niche Pictures

I bet you can already picture it: a quaint coop, a few feathered friends, and an endless supply of golden-yolked eggs for your Sunday morning sourdough.

But not so fast. There’s a bit more to keeping poultry than purchasing a few pullets.

First, you’ll be needing a coop. One that will protect your flock from foxes, snakes, your dogs, the neighbours’ dogs, wild dogs, and the list goes on. The cute coop you saw on Insta is not going to cut it when it comes to housing your feathered investment.

Yes, chickens love to free-range, but consider your edible garden bed. Those delicate heirloom seedlings, lovingly planted in your new veggie patch? Your chickens will scratch, peck, and dig with zero regard for what you’ve just planted.

Of course, a chicken tractor or such will be the ultimate solution for this problem, allowing you to reposition the birds and make use of their poo as you cycle their enclosure around your garden.

The next step is deciding what type of birds you’re going to keep. Here’s is where research and expert advice is essential (a good thing the Bangalow Poultry Club auction is coming up this month – see What’s On for more details).

Marin Simpson, a backyard chook enthusiast from Eureka, adores her diverse flock. “We started off with just your garden variety Rhode Island Reds and Leghorns, but then we decided to get some heritage chooks – Plymouth Rocks, Sussex, Wyandottes, and the buffest of the Buff Orpingtons. At the moment, we have around 25 chooks, including nine chicks. Warning: the peril of having a rooster is having more roosters!”

For Marin, who once raised chickens in an inner-city Brisbane backyard, it’s about much more than just the eggs (though she admits “that is definitely a bonus… especially when you see them in the shops for $10 or more a dozen!”).

There’s something deeply satisfying, says Marin, about watching your girls potter about, gossiping in their little chicky way. “I love the way they spend their days just pecking around, digging in the earth looking for worms and bugs, scratching around for whatever they can find to eat. Watching the pecking order play out is fascinating—who’s in, who’s out— and then the way the rooster plays his part protecting the flock… and the drama of it all.”

As anyone who has a few feathered friends will tell you, chooks have their own personalities. Every flock has a bossy one, a henpecked one, a curious one, and at least one slightly unhinged escape artist.

If you spend enough time with your flock, you may even find a favourite hen or two. “We don’t name all of our chooks, but the ones that we do name are because they’re special in some way,” Marin says.

Take Apricot, for example. “She was part of a clutch of around eight eggs that one of our hens was sitting on to hatch. When only four of the eggs hatched, the mother hen abandoned the others and happily wandered off with her new chicks. By the afternoon, the remaining eggs were cold in the nest. As I was discarding them into nearby bushes, I heard a little cheep cheep coming from inside one of them.”

Her then-seven-year-old daughter, Peach, stepped in. “Peach took the chick inside, put a heat lamp on her, and raised her into a magnificent Buff Orpington hen called Apricot, who is now a family pet with free rein of the house (with boundaries!). She waits for my daughter at the front door every morning.”

Keeping chooks is more work than you’d imagine. It’s sometimes heartbreaking, frequently delightful, but ultimately rewarding in dozens of ways.

In the chook business, it’s a rookie error to assume hens will be laying from day one, or even every day. Pullets take around six months to start laying. And the birds can be temperamental too—too hot, too cold, too stressed, or just feeling a bit off? No eggs for you.

If you’re keen, the key is preparation. “Regardless of where you live, you need to get their living arrangements well sorted—cozy, dry, private nesting boxes, a perch to roost on, and snake-proofing,” Marin advises. “If you raise them from chicks or pullets with lots of handling, they are more likely to be receptive to being picked up and patted—all the kids love that! And, of course, the feedback loop (getting a few eggs a day) is a bonus.”

“While we are happy to see the back of Cyclone Alfred, his effects are still being felt by our community and farmers. Our hearts go out to those hit hard, including some of our farmers who have had crops wiped out and valuable topsoil washed away.

“Stock supplies might be down on some stalls (and overflowing on others), or some produce might look a little bruised and battered under the conditions. However, our stalls will never be empty like the supermarkets and will be replenished with locally grown and made food every week. Now more than ever is the time to get behind our farmers and support those who do have produce to sell.

“Our food and drink stalls have also taken a loss with markets being cancelled. So, if you don’t ordinarily stop for breakfast at the market, please take the time to grab a bite to eat and drink.

“We are incredibly grateful for your support throughout the year, but particularly in times like this. And it’s what sets our farmers’ markets and community apart—as well as providing a reliable food source, the markets are also a hub for our community (both stallholders and patrons) to come together, to regroup and to be thankful for what we do have.”

Julia Bolam and Taylor Jamieson have an organic farm outside Kyogle called Roseberry Growers. Taylor grows vegetables, and Julia sells her flowers at the Bangalow Farmers Markets.

“Alfred was pretty bad for our little organic farm,” Julia said. “My husband and I grow vegetables and flowers. We grow next to a creek which is in the Upper Richmond catchment and the Thursday/Friday rain blanketed the catchment for our creek. It isn’t a big creek, and it was just too much for it to handle.

“The creek broke the banks and caused a flash flood/flash river to travel through about 60% of our market garden – but it was the 60% that we had most of our crops in. The water was super powerful. It crushed two caterpillar tunnels. It also took a lot of topsoil and all the crops that were in that area.

“The topsoil loss is the worst part, as we had been working on the soil for years and it had started growing some really amazing vegetables. “This means we basically have to start again crop wise, so we will likely miss five to seven weeks’ worth of farmers markets, but then we will be back, initially with fast growing crops only. It is a real bummer, but we are just looking forward to getting back on track now.”

From farmers to those restoring our Big Scrub rainforest, Mark Dunphy, President of the Big Scrub Rainforest Conservancy, added: “After Cyclone Alfred, we noticed that individual trees are far more likely to have fallen, while not much damage was observed to trees within a forest structure. A high number of the trees that went down were eucalypts or exotics such as jacarandas and poincianas.

It highlights the value of promoting appropriate riparian and habitat restoration work that restores the original ecological communities of the site – for the Big Scrub footprint, planting rainforest species to areas that were previously rainforest will ensure more resilience to the weather extremes these plant communities have evolved to withstand.”

Along Byron Creek, Noelene Plummer of Bangalow Land and Rivercare observed: “We have had a look at most of our plantings and they appear to have escaped any major losses. There have been trees and branches down and some sites, like the All Souls’ creek walk, are muddy under foot.”

But the team was happy to take part in a planting session at Twin Creeks community in Fowlers Lane in the weeks following.

This reality is at the heart of an upcoming community conversation, Climate Change and Our Region’s Future, hosted this month by the Bangalow Country Women’s Association (CWA). Here, Dr Joëlle Gergis, a leading climate scientist and lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), will share her insights on the global and local impacts of climate change—and offer solutions for building resilience in our communities.

Dr Gergis has spent 30 years studying climate science, but it was her personal experience in the Northern Rivers that truly brought the issue home. “Watching rainforests burn in the Nightcap and Lamington National Parks during the Black Summer fires of 2019–2020 was the turning point for me,” she recalls. “I was working on the UN climate report at the time and knew that what we were witnessing in Australia was a clear sign of how quickly our climate can change. Things really hit home when I had family displaced by the devastating floods in 2022. Driving through town after the floods broke my heart. Since then, I’ve been doing everything I can to warn the public.”

Her deep connection to the region makes her message even more powerful. The Northern Rivers, with its delicate ecosystems, is already feeling the effects of more frequent and intense weather events—floods, fires, and storms. These are not isolated incidents; they are part of a larger, global pattern. As Dr Gergis points out, the situation is becoming increasingly urgent.

The IPCC reports, to which Dr Gergis has contributed as a lead author, are the world’s most authoritative sources on climate change. These reports synthesise decades of research from thousands of scientists globally and provide the data used by governments to shape policy and international climate treaties.

As a lead author, Dr Gergis plays a key role in distilling this complex scientific data into accessible insights. This careful, collaborative process ensures that the findings are both accurate and actionable. As she says: “The most important thing you can do is vote for political leaders that are genuinely committed to addressing climate change. That means stopping fossil fuel production and the subsidies that are blocking the clean energy transition. We also need policies to protect our native forests, which store carbon and protect biodiversity.”

These actions, both large and small, can help shift the course of the climate crisis – and Dr Gergis’ work is a reminder of just how critical it is to act now.

Despite the overwhelming scale of the climate crisis, Dr Gergis remains hopeful about local action. She believes we each have a role to play, whether through voting for climateconscious leaders, supporting renewable energy initiatives, or making sustainable choices in our own lives. “The next best thing to do is try and install solar power on your home or business. Not only does it save you money, but you become a part of the renewable energy revolution that’s sweeping the world. I’m amazed how good it made me feel!”

Dr Gergis’ message is clear: even small steps can contribute to a broader shift. The more we embrace renewable energy and advocate for systemic change, the more we’ll build momentum toward a sustainable future.

As we mark the five-year anniversary of the Black Summer bushfires, the scars from those fires remain. The fires were a grim reminder of the escalating risks posed by a changing climate. The impacts of climate change, though, are not confined to Australia. As Dr Gergis points out, the entire globe is experiencing similar challenges.

As this article goes to print, Dr Gergis is also working on a piece for The Saturday Paper about the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles—a devastating example of the far-reaching consequences of climate change.

In times of crisis, local communities often provide the first line of support. When the 2022 floods ravaged nearby towns, Bangalow, though not as severely impacted, mobilised in remarkable ways. Our town’s response was a powerful reminder that resilience is not just about rebuilding homes and infrastructure—it’s about strengthening the social fabric that holds us together.

This is where organisations like the Bangalow CWA play a vital role. While the CWA is known for its afternoon teas and community events, its real strength lies in its ability to unite people during times of need. Bangalow Branch President, Ruth Kirby, reflects on how the CWA adapted after the 2022 floods.

“The floods were a real wake-up call for us in the CWA,” she says. “Yes, we could donate money, make meals, and offer cuppas and kindness—but we sort of felt at a loss, that we were in a silo. Since then, we’ve been making a real effort to link up with community groups like the Men’s Shed and Lions, to combine our efforts. We’re now part of a grassroots resilience movement across the Northern Rivers.”

For Ruth, the CWA’s efforts are about more than immediate relief—they’re about fostering long-term resilience and compassion. The group’s focus on building a compassionate, connected community ensures that we are better equipped to face future challenges together.

“The real strength of groups like ours is the ability to unite people in times of need. Beyond the famous scones and afternoon teas, it’s about building a compassionate, resilient community that can face difficult times together and come out stronger.”

Dr Gergis is hopeful about what we can accomplish if we continue to push for change. “What gives me hope is that there’s a new generation of leadership emerging, from all sides of politics, that really wants to make a difference on this issue,” she says. “We’re building a critical mass that will push us toward an environmentally sustainable society. As we saw during the floods, local communities have a crucial role to play in disaster recovery and resilience building. There will be dark days ahead, but we’re always stronger when we face challenges together.”

Zoë Tuckwell

In Conversation with Joëlle Gergis – Climate Change and Our Region’s Future
When Wednesday 12 February, 5–6.30pm Where Heritage House, Bangalow Hosted by Bangalow CWA
Tickets Available via Humanitix https://events.humanitix.com/climate-change-and-our-regions-future-with-joelle-gergis-hosted-by-bangalow-cwa

Seats are free but limited, so be sure to grab yours soon.

When we bought the property, Harry Fowler had been dead six years.

It seems he wasn’t any great shakes as a farmer, devoting so much of his time, enthusiasm and energy into countless worthy Bangalow community activities. Though he hadn’t kept the land looking like a workable farm, his niece and nephew, who inherited the property, spent a few years cleaning it up to make it presentable to market.

As a cattle grazing property – which is how it was marketed – it was too small for a single family to make a living from. But for our purposes, it was perfect.

It was generations since it had been a workable dairy. The land, though recently spritzed up – paddocks all slashed of weeds and the countless tonnes of rocks all gathered up and shovelled neatly out of the way and into the gulleys – looked as good as it could. But with streaks of erosion slicing through bare hillsides, to us, it seemed lifeless and unloved: it felt bleak.

Apart from the original Fowler family farmhouse, 11 additional houses have been built over the years. Our 12 houses stand on around two acres of land per lot – each private individual bubble hanging off the internal road – and together, we care and manage the other 90 communally-owned rural acres.

Inspired by the countless consultants’ reports we had commissioned, covering every possible aspect of life on a potential community, the minute we could, we set to, to transform the land. As well as creating all the infrastructure needed before houses could be built – 1.7km of internal paved road, underground power, fencing, and heaps more – we quickly leapt in, keen to bring our dry paddocks back to life.

Setting the scene for us was an ‘Environmental Enhancement and Management Plan’ (EEMP) that we had prepared by Firewheel Rainforest Services early on. It outlined how we could potentially transform the worn-out land through environmental repair, indicating where and what we could plant: species lists tailored to select the ideal plant for every nook and cranny, whether up on the high, windswept ‘Jindibah Heights’, where nine of our houses were built, or along the frost-prone creek flats.

Our first aim was to create a fertile, thriving environment into which we could build our houses. We created privacy for each one through appropriate native plantings; these also reduced the impact of new houses on neighbouring properties. We wanted to restore rainforest along the Sleepy Creek riparian corridor, and (dare I say) “beef up” the two acres of Big Scrub we found on the far side of the causeway over the creek. We also wanted to protect and enhance the habitat of any endangered or vulnerable threatened species on site.

With the property sectioned off – on maps, at first – into zones labelled ‘Rural Living’, ‘Habitat/Regeneration’ and ‘Agricultural’ – we got planting.

In the early days, there was a rough bush track round the property, requiring four-wheel drive. As soon as construction started on the internal road, we utilised the scraped-off topsoil to plant visual screenings along the roadside, giving each potential house a thick privacy screen. These trees are now 20 to 30m high. An agricultural buffer zone was planted along our eastern border, to prevent any spray drift coming onto our land from the neighbouring macadamia plantation to our east.

Over a decade or so, each year we would aim to plant another 1,000 rainforest trees, appropriate for the site – per our EEMP. Some years, we’d attempt to plant more, and organised working bees where as many people as possible living on the land, would join with our contractor to plant that year’s quota. Today it is immediately apparent how much life all our plantings – nearly 12,000 native trees – have restored to the land. And of course we found out that controlling environmental weeds is both imperative and an ongoing, costly challenge.

A big point of difference from any other communities being established at the time, was our wish to potentially farm parts of the land, or take up any emerging agricultural possibilities. Most of the other communities at the time focussed exclusively on rainforest regeneration. We wanted to retain the option to graze cattle or whatever horticultural pursuits might work well here: we didn’t want to preclude any possibility.

On each of our house lots, owners have landscaped and planted what suited them. Some have created flat areas for kids to play on, with room for veggie plots, swings and trampolines. For others, a stunning seaview from the terraced pool, with a few strategic easily-managed feature plants, has been what’s important. To me, it’s been creating a densely planted garden which supplies food: an orchard, bush tucker, flowers, fruit.

While this property could easily have ended up as an unprofitable farm running beef cattle (as often happens when city people relocate to the country and don’t know what to do with the land), we’ve found a way that 12 households can each care for their own lot, so each garden is loved and flourishing. The trees we’ve planted on the remaining common land have brought the rest of the land back to life, attracting lush flora and abundant fauna in the wildlife sanctuary it’s become, while providing shade for the agisted cattle and horses. The creek, now shaded by mature trees, attracts us to sit, or swim, or simply enjoy nature’s bounty.

At night, I hear possums, bandicoots or echidnas, shuffling about in the jungle outside my bedroom window. Driving home in the dusk, wallabies can be seen leaping across the fields, and snakes and reptiles of all kinds, lurk throughout. On the other side of the house facing east, looking towards the sea, I watch goshawks and huge eagles, floating on the thermals. Bands of raucous yellowtailed black cockatoos, screech across the skyline on summer evenings. When I open my curtains in the morning, there’s usually a few kookaburras checking out their potential breakfast, perched high up on the stalk of the giant Mauritius Hemp.

At ground level, as I walk through the orchard to feed the chooks, past my native bee hives, blue-tongue lizards, or tiny skinks freeze for a moment, then slink on about their lives. When the chooks have left grain, the roundeared bush rats arrive for the left-overs. A series of snakes, all named Monty Python, regularly check out the rat situation from the roof of the nesting boxes in my chicken coop, conveniently taking care of excess numbers. Other snakes have found their safe and happy place in the 300 metres of rock wall, built along a section of our internal road. Everyone’s happy.

It’s been an interesting 30-year transformation.

*This is an extract from a book Christobel is writing on the conversion of the former dairy farm into an intentional Community Title property.

It’s funny to think what we eat, what we discard, what is a delicacy, what we consider edible or what is not. Of course, society dictates what we consider to be food – our families, the wider community, and hospitality businesses present us with meals from these ingredients that we develop a taste (or distaste) for. Some venture outside the narrow bounds of commercially produced farm foods and experiment with an exotic culinary ingredient from time to time. Then, you’ve got people like Peter Hardwick.

Peter has turned a passion for unearthing unlikely edibles into a career as a professional forager, supplying kitchens and collaborating with chefs with a bounty of intriguing ingredients. Returning from foraging trips scouring for rogue rhizomes and escapee greens, Peter and his partner Mee Hee, a psychotherapist and “brilliant home cook” who also enjoys a spot of foraging, get creative. The pair slice, dice, infuse, ferment, smoke, dry, and grind all manner of locally acquired forest and feral foods intended for the restaurant sector. Here, says Peter, is the most logical place for our palates to be introduced to new ways of eating ancestral ingredients.

“I particularly enjoy the feral fruits, like feral peaches and feral apples, the mushrooms,” says Mee Hee. The term “feral” denotes a domestic food plant that’s gone wild, the edible parts taking on unique characteristics that give an artisanal edge to their cultivated counterparts. “Firstly, I’m just inspired by the look of them, and then because I’m a massive foodie, I will think about the flavours, and what sort of foods are going to be really tasty, and there’ll be some kind of a creative twist in the moment of actually cooking.”

Part science, part imagination, Peter’s foraging work relies on sturdy knowledge of plant recognition, and phytochemistry is vital to understanding the uses of wild ingredients, their flavour profiles, and hence culinary uses. Of course, the ‘wild’ food movement – embracing bushfoods or native foods, weeds (introduced or endemic) or feral produce – is not new. Peter picked his first peck at age four, enjoying that childhood rite of passage of sucking the nectar from a honeysuckle bloom. In his teens, he realised that there was more at stake – motivated by the conservation movement, and in particular the preservation of rainforests for more than just timber.

“As a forager, you do see just how much native vegetation, as well as introduced vegetation, gets slashed back or sprayed. Maybe we could be more sensitive to the environment that we’re around?” he says.

Farmers and home gardeners have long waged war on nature, dominating the natural way of things and insisting on lawns and neat rows of perfect crops, grown out of season and rendered tasteless. What we call weeds, on the other hand, are robust and tenacious; they thrive in spite of our best efforts to quell them. We could all learn something from the persistence of these plants.

Eating foraged food is the epitome of eating seasonally because you’re going and picking stuff that’s wild and growing at that moment in time. Native crops further support soil quality, and Peter adds that many wild-harvested ingredients also contain medicinal qualities such as antioxidants and natural anti-inflammatory properties.

“Peter has a very sensitive palate and he’s an amazing flavourist,” says Mee Hee. “He also sparks ideas on what to cook and different flavour combinations, which I wouldn’t necessarily think of myself.”

One of these exotic tastes is a pine bark syrup that Peter makes from the bark of the feral pine trees that grow around Bangalow. The pine bark syrup called mugolio is smoked and then turned into a caramel, or the bark can also be lightly roasted and ground as an addition to pancakes. There’s also been a granola and an ice-cream. Local chef Matt Stone turned another syrup, this time made from bunya nut cones, into a show-stopping dessert. “It’s based on an Italian pine syrup idea, and Matt featured that with the chocolate and citrus.” Back in their home kitchen, Peter and Mee Hee have been experimenting with wild ice-creams, chutneys, and poached fruit, enthusing that the feral varieties have an intensity of flavour that is both familiar and somehow, more.

But bringing the nation’s food habits around to consuming unconventional edibles on a daily basis might take some time.

“I made a sort of pickled kimchi out of young, succulent Farmer’s Friend leaves, and we were serving it up at Harvest restaurant in Newrybar. Someone told me they jumped in a taxi in Lismore and the taxi driver was laughing, saying, ‘Oh, I’ve heard there’s a restaurant down the coast serving up Farmer’s Friend kimchi!’ and the driver thought it was hilarious. It’s funny how the word gets out when you start serving these things up and it creates a bit of amusement because it totally turns people’s heads around,” says Peter.

If you think about your own food journey, you’ll see that your tastes and preferences evolve over time. I didn’t even know what an avocado was when I was a kid, but my children devour them. Similarly, the idea of raw fish – raw anything – would have been considered reckless, deranged even. But today, we gladly accept sashimi, carpaccio, ceviche, tartare, tataki. Look how far we’ve come? Could fungus, bark, and weeds be next?

“What really looks interesting from a food security point of view is that some of these weedy food plants might be able to handle climate change extremes better than some of our conventional crops,” says Peter, adding that salt-tolerant plants like feral tomatoes and beachside succulents could become increasingly more popular as a food source. “Getting the wild ingredients into a form that people can relate to is a big part of it,” says Peter. “That’s the heart of cooking or cheffing with these ingredients. These feral and ancestral plants are important for preserving diversity, as well as our food security. They go hand in hand.”

Join the Sample Food Festival Wild Food Foraging Masterclass with Peter Hardwick for a unique one-hour foraging walk around Bangalow exploring the unusual foods that grow around us. Saturday 7 September, 11.30am samplefoodevents.com

In 2015, Jeanie Wylie and Edward Rawlings moved from Ipswich in Queensland to Nashua, to the west of Bangalow. “We wanted to give farming a go, in a way it could sustain our family for the long-term,” says Jeanie. “As passionate foodies, our dream was to do something we both love.” Both had family connections to farming. Jeanie’s father started Inglewood Organics with his brother, while Edward grew up on an 80-acre cattle and horse farm and, before their move down south, had spent some time breeding rare breed pigs. (The first pig they bought was named Frida – but more of that later.)

The Nashua farm they bought – with Edward’s parents, Andrew and Sandra – had belonged to the Trimble family for 100 years and, most recently, had been used by a neighbour for cattle grazing. Although Edward’s work background had initially been in the finance industry, and Jeanie’s was in marketing and communications, back when they lived in London, both were keen to pursue the farming life. “We’re a good team,” Jeanie says. “I have some crazy ideas while Edward makes sure we think about viability.”

For the first few years, the family took time to get to know the area and the property. Their third child arrived – Arthur, now aged seven, after Evie, who’s nine and 12-year-old Freddie – and while they settled in, they set up an Air BnB cabin on the property. “We always thought we’d do a restaurant, after the kids, and also saw an opportunity on the farming side, to grow food in a sustainable way, andcut out the middle-man, keeping the margins in-house.”

From their early days in Nashua, Edward developed an interest in breeding cattle. They now have a Wagyu beef bull and a herd of about 50 head of Angus heifers, who are managed over their 16 paddocks. “Our primary focus with the cattle is to use them as a tool for regenerating our land, so we keep the herd small and rotationally cell-graze, moving them every few days. This improves the organic matter in our soils and sequesters carbon from the atmosphere.”

While Edward was primarily focused on the cattle, Jeanie was looking to find ways of earning a living from her quarter-acre market garden. There, she grows herbs and vegetables using organic gardening techniques such as composting, mulching, crop rotation, companion planting and making use of natural fertilisers teas. Many of their crops are grown from seed in their small greenhouse.

Next, the couple set about creating a forest, growing timber – such as eucalyptus grandis, blue quandong and silky oak – and food and rainforest trees, such as cassava, citrus and bananas. “We’re using techniques that strive to create and mimic the natural processes of a forest by interplanting a diversity of food crops, forest trees, and bio-mass plants which mature at different times. By actively pruning and mulching the plants, we build carbon-sequestering humus and soil fertility at an exponential rate, reducing the need for external inputs and improving the soil’s ability to retain water.” The result? A highly productive food forest. To find out just how to set about these various endeavours, Jeanie participated in Southern Cross University’s practical Regenerative Agriculture Mentoring Program (RAMP).

Finally, three years ago, the couple opened an on-farm restaurant “experience” called Frida’s Field, named after that first Ipswich pig. The restaurant – located in a purpose-built farmshed inspired wooden building – is open three days a week, with a set menu, catering for up to 80 people. The peaceful, easily accessible rural location is also in use as a wedding venue and event space.

Although the COVID years hit their business just as it had started, “things have now settled down and we can do some more forward planning,” Jeanie says. In busy summer months, the restaurant employs between 10 to 15 casual local staff, with three or four in the kitchen. Menus can use 30 to 50 percent of produce grown on the farm, otherwise their Scottish chef Alastair Waddell, sources ingredients direct from growers at the Byron farmers markets. And they do make use of some of the beef reared on site.

Meanwhile, the couple has infiltrated many dimensions of the Nashua community. Late in October, they hosted the annual Nashua Cricket Match on their farm. The popular community event was initially started in 1907 and was resurrected by local families in 2007. It has run every year since, utilising “the oldest concrete cricket pitch in NSW”. There’s a tug-of-war for the kids, and “anyone who likes cricket” comes along for the sausage sizzle or with a picnic to catch-up with local friends.

On 4 November, they will be holding their now sold-out first Spring Gathering at the farm, with live music, teepee making and nature crafts. That day, about 500 trees will be planted along the creek with Richmond Landcare and North Coast Local Land Services – with help from attendees – as part of the Marine Estate Management Strategy to improve riparian vegetation in the region. Further tree planting is planned next year along Wilsons River, with Local Land Services again, and Big Scrub Regeneration.

From 11 November onwards, another new regular summer event will be happening. “If you missed out on the Spring Gathering, we’ll be starting Summer Sundowners every Saturday afternoon. From 3pm, people can pop in, watch the sun setting while enjoying casual snacks and drinks,” Jeanie added. She advises that bookings are encouraged, but spontaneous walk-ins are also welcome.

fridasfield.com

Featured image Kate Holmes