Capturing the day

Our photographer Scott Thomas did a great job of recording the people, produce and preparation that went into the event, and we’ll be posting some of his photographs over the coming days. We hope they capture at least some of the magic!

Each guest received a gift bag full of samples and producer information.

Lisa Taylor putting the finishing touches to the tables.

Ready for the guests!

The beautiful 100 Mile Banquet mosaic, created by Paula Cole.

The produce and raffle table.

The Gunya Chiara at Stroud Monastery, our venue.

Oysters waiting for their finishing touches.

Paula Cole – service with a smile!

Tired at the end of a long day, but happy! The organising team of Sheridan Thomas, Paula Cole, Anouska Jones, Angela Hutchins and Tess Hilleard.

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Our local producers map

Each guest received a lovely little ‘map’, created by Paula Cole and Tess Hilleard, indicating where our produce came from.

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A toast to the speakers

One of our main goals with the banquet was to show people what amazing local produce, much of it organic, we have in this area. Our speakers did a fabulous job of highlighting this, so thanks to Simon Brownbridge for his insight into biodynamic farming and the art of baking; to Brian Eastoe for making us all much more aware of how our lifestyle choices impact the environment; to Helen Gillard for her inspirational words on the need to protect our planet; and to John Weate, Deputy Mayor of Great Lakes Council, for his kind words of thanks and also for emphasising how change is driven by the actions of communities.

Simon Brownbridge

Brian Eastoe

Helen Gillard

John Weate, Deputy Mayor of Great Lakes Council

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Great food, great company!

Thanks to all of you who made the 100 Mile Banquet such a tremendous success! We couldn’t have asked for more appreciative guests, better speakers or more efficient, professional staff (all volunteers!). Our kitchen team, headed by chef Angela Hutchins did a remarkable job of preparing delicious food in a very small (and hot!) kitchen, so thanks to Angela, Aaron Jones, Sharon Edgar-Jones, Allan Raine, Matt Sprakel, Hana Edgar-Jones and Dana Lowe for their hard work. Our wonderful waitresses served it with style — thank you Lisa Taylor, Tracy Harland, Paula Cole and Rochelle Niznik. And for those of you who missed out on this year’s banquet — yes, it looks like we’ll be doing it all again next year! — here’s the menu to whet your appetite …

Final menu

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Sowing the seeds

Each guest at the banquet will receive a gift of seeds to sow in their garden — courtesy of two fabulous organisations: the Hunter Organic Growers Society (HOGS) and Gloucester Seed Savers. Complementing the work of Gloucester Seed Savers is The Gloucester Project, an initiative of a group of people, many food producers, who have a vision to secure the community’s economic future while also positioning Gloucester as a significant example of climate change adaptation. One of their first projects is the Tucker Garden Patch — a practical demonstration garden aimed, among other things, at encouraging and supporting local growers and enhancing people’s skills towards self-sufficiency. For more information, visit the website: http://www.tuckergardenpatch.com

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A helping hand

The banquet team is very grateful to the following people and organisations who’ve donated money, time or expertise to our cause: the Friends of the Monastery for allowing us to use Stroud Monastery as the venue; Brian Russell of Stroud Pharmacy and Councillor Karen Hutchinson for financial support; Stroud Community Website for advertising the event; Stroud Road Hall Committee for lending us their cutlery and crockery; the students of Stroud Road Public School for making fans to keep our guests cool; the queen of Fabulon, Maureen Massey for ironing all our tablecloths; and Stroud Playgroup treasurer Leonie Edwards for making sure that ticket sales ran smoothly.

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Living the good life

Sheridan Thomas’s ancestors, a stonemason and his family, arrived in Stroud in 1825 with the AA Company, so it was a natural step when she returned to the area two years ago with her family. Living the good life on a property just outside Stroud, Sheridan’s passion is for living simply and ethically — she’s at her happiest when pottering in the garden with her husband and daughter and their menagerie of two- and four-legged animals. Sheridan’s experience in animal and environmental advocacy, event management, public relations and general diplomacy when dealing with red tape have been essential in the planning of the banquet!

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It’s all about the words…

A passionate foodie who married her husband because he was such a fabulous cook (among other reasons!), Anouska Jones has been making use of over fifteen years’ experience in the book publishing industry to co-ordinate the banquet’s blog and facebook page. Anouska and her husband made a tree change from Sydney to Stroud six years ago — the best decision they’ve ever made. Now with a young daughter, Anouska combines being a mum with working from home as an editor, while also finding time to involve herself in great events like the 100 Mile Banquet!

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The perfect cuppa

For the banquet we have sourced our teas from Northern New South Wales. Koala Tea Company, located on the Alstonville plateau, will be supplying our organic herbal teas. Founded in 1994 by Howard and Elle Rubin, the company has gone from strength to strength and is now distributed around Australia as well as internationally. Visit http://www.koalatea.com.au to find out more. Our green and black teas are supplied by Madura, an Australian company that has pioneered eco-sensitive tea cultivation. Naturally low in caffeine, high in antioxidants and full of flavour, Madura tea is cultivated in harmony within the World Heritage rainforests and unpolluted rivers of the Tweed Valley, near Murwillumbah. For more information, visit: http://www.maduratea.com.au

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Coffee time

Fernleigh Coffee will be supplying the coffee beans for the banquet. A small, family owned and operated business on the NSW Central Coast, Fernleigh produces their beans using environmental conservation methods and organically based fertilisers. No pesticides or harmful sprays come into contact with the crop. Harvesting, processing and sorting are carried out by hand to ensure optimum quality and the beans are then dried by natural sunlight, giving a softness to the unique flavour. For mail order, call 02 4368 6999.

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