Aborigines to Reap the Rewards of Bush Food
The Advertiser, September 6, 2006; By Nigel Austin, Rural Editor; Picture: Sarah Reed
After building up the Outback
Pride bushfood label, Gayle and Mike Quarmby have started handing
it over to a network of Aboriginal people to become a
self-sustaining business.
In the first part of the process, the Quarmbys have given the
Adelaide-to-Darwin distribution rights for Outback Pride to the
Adelaide Aboriginal Community Development Employment Program.
Representatives Allison and Renee Watkins are promoting Outback
Pride in the Taste SA tent at this week's Royal Adelaide Show.
Many of the most successful lines from their 40 grocery products
are included in the display.
"The Adelaide Show is exciting for us as it is part of the big
picture of our Outback Pride project," Mrs Quarmby said. "This
links the bush to the city because Mike and I travel about 8000km a
month down dusty roads establishing small bushfood growing
enterprises on remote aboriginal communities and building a supply
chain to retail and restaurant markets."
The Quarmbys plan to give the Outback Pride brand to the network
of Aboriginal people involved in growing and distributing the
products. They are concentrating on developing the business by
increasing production through expanding teams on 12 Aboriginal
communities across Australia.
Mrs Quarmby said that for six years they had been involved in
the project to help remote indigenous communities participate in
the burgeoning native food industry.
Their involvement in bush foods as a philanthropic program
echoed the success of Mrs Quarmby's father Rex Battarbee in
establishing an art infrastructure in Aboriginal communities.
"What dad created in the communities is the only thing that's
heppening that is creating industry based outcomes," she said.
"Now, we need bush tucker officers in the same way as Aboriginal
arts officers."
Mrs Quarmby said a more formal partnership had been created with
Regional TAFE and APY Lands, which had helped remote students
participate in daily operations of a commercial propagating
nursery.
Outback Pride is available through The Outback Cafe
with Mark Olive on the Lifestyle Channel and on www.theoutbackcafe.com.