The Bush Tucker Man and Woman Help Out

The Advertiser, November 15, 2002
By Jessica Hurt, Picture: Brenton Edwards

When Gayle Quarmby and husband Mike went to Alice Springs 18 months ago, they found a community of indigenous youth in desperate need of help.

Concerned by the many health, education and employment problems faced by many communities, they decided to do something about it.

Nearly a year later and more than 200,000km on the road in a much-loved Commodore, the Quarmbys have employed more than 50 local Aborigines to help them grow traditional Aboriginal food in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

In a unique venture, the Quarmbys are now taking the cuisine to suburban shopping centres in Adelaide and Alice Springs, with plans to expand to other states and overseas.

Mrs Quarmby said employing local people to tend the plots helped educate them and teach them to have pride in their work and traditional foods. "We felt it important to create an industry that indigenous youth can have a sense of ownership, is seen as worthy within peer groups and has measurable social outcomes," she said.

Glen Oliver, a supervisor at Alice Springs Tangentyene Council, said the project enabled members of the Aboriginal community to maintain bush food knowledge.

"They get the experience to grow their own food and this makes them feel good," he said. "It is for the Aboriginal people and the communities."

The Outback Pride range includes 20 products - fresh and dried herbs, relishes and sauces, a fruit pie and a salad.

It includes the versatile native vegetable, saltbush leaves, which can be used in salads, pasta and pastry dishes as a replacement for spinach or rocket.

Kutjera, or desert raisin, a staple food of traditional people for thousands of years, is an idea addition to curries or other dishes.

After researching traditional food plants, the couple decided to reproduce seedlings at their commercial nursery at Reedy Creek.

They then transported the seedlings back to 15 remote SA and NT communities and set up a low water and labour use system, employing local Aboriginal youth.

Outback Pride produce is already used in SA restaurants such as the Red Ochre at North Adelaide and is available at the Coles supermarket in the city.