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.