FLEURIEU LIVING T H E B E S T O F S O U T H A U S T R A L I A’ S F L E U R I E U P E N I N S U L A A N D K A N G A R O O I S L A N D
FLEURIEU LIVING MAGAZINE
While alive, celebrate – a vineyard home in Kangarilla Women in wine – making the most of the season Evette Sunset’s character filled Willunga home Autumn on Kangaroo Island – something to savour Willunga Art Gallery
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AUTUMN 2016
AU $8.95 AUTUMN 2016
McLaren Vale Region · Goolwa · Victor Harbor · Yankalilla · Kangaroo Island
With everything from whale watching to wine tasting, white sandy beaches to sumptuous food, contemporary art galleries and craft breweries, the Fleurieu Peninsula is Adelaide’s playground. Fleurieu Peninsula is magic on your doorstep. www.fleurieupeninsula.com.au
Illustration by Chris Edser.
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Key Personnel Petra de Mooy Working on FLM comes with many rewards and Petra still pinches herself every time she archives another great story. When not wrangling content, you can find her hanging out with Jason and their daughter, gardening, or perusing the farmers’ market. Jason Porter Jason has worked as a graphic designer and creative director both locally and overseas for thirty years. When not in the office, he can usually be found in the garage tweaking some kind of rare hi-fi component. Leonie Porter-Nocella After spending decades as a university editor, paid by one, pimped out to others – refining papers from Health, and Wound Management to Wine Marketing and – well, everything. Here the aim is to impart/increase style while decreasing errors and ambiguities. Perscia Maung After years of moonlighting as a blues singer and keeping rather anti-social hours, Perscia now enjoys her day job at FLM. This allows her to not only walk her Great Dane on the beach, but to properly take in the region she so adores. Lulu Our company mascot, Lulu started appearing in way too many of our Instagram posts – so now she has her own profile (sad, we know) where you can follow her charmed life. Search for ‘miss_majestica’ if you’re so inclined.
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Featured Contributors Millie Brown Millie Brown is an Australian travel photographer, who has, for the last 10 years been based predominantly in France. Her combined passion for travel and photography and her curiosity for the world sees her shooting in Europe, South East Asia, as well as Australia. She has recently returned to her family roots here in South Australia with plans to photograph Australia and its people. ‘I haven’t scratched the surface of this incredible country and I am excited and fascinated at the prospect of exploring and photographing it. I am especially excited about getting to know more about Australia’s Indigenous communities. I am keen to meet these resilient and strong people and to learn more about their culture and traditions, as well as hearing their stories’.
Nicole Leedham As a teenager Nicole’s career ambition was to work as a foreign correspondent travelling the world, reporting on conflicts. But she soon realised the hard truth, that she lacked the vital element and was more of a ‘five-star-resort person’, than a ‘haven’t-had-a-hot-shower-indays reporter’. However she did follow her journalistic dreams, spending ten years as a working scribe before taking the plunge into the world of corporate communications. These days you can find her in her home office pursuing her love of words through her copywriting business, Black Coffee Communication, juggling corporate clients and freelance journalism.
Publisher Information Pip Forrester Pip Forrester has lived and worked on the Fleurieu Peninsula for over forty years. Her interest in regional food, tourism and hospitality and the role they play in our lives and communities has kept her engaged in various business activities over the years. She was owner of the awardwinning Salopian Inn from 1988 to 2004, and the inaugural General Manager of the groundbreaking Retreat at Chapel Hill Winery. She is now the owner of the McLaren Vale Food Company – a food and hospitality consultancy business – Chairs the Willunga Farmers’ Market, Fleurieu Peninsula Food, and is a member of various other Boards, including the Southern Adelaide Economic Development Board and the Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism Committee.
PUBLISHER Fleurieu Living Magazine is published four times a year by Fleurieu Living Pty Ltd. ISSN 2200-4033 PUBLISHING EDITOR AND MANAGING DIRECTOR Petra de Mooy petra@fleurieuliving.com.au EDITOR Leonie Porter-Nocella ADVERTISING SALES Perscia Maung perscia@fleurieuliving.com.au ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Cathy Phillips GRAPHIC DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION Jason Porter jason@fleurieuliving.com.au PRINTER Graphic Print Group
Other contributing writers and photographers
DISTRIBUTION Integrated Publication Solutions
Sarah Abbott, Amy Annalise, Kate Elmes, Pip Forrester, Robert Geh, Nina Keath, Jay Leech, Heidi Linehan, Angela Lisman, Mike Lucas, Winnie Pelz, Lyndal Redman, Richard Souter, Kathie Stove, Esther Thorn and Corrina Wright.
ALL ENQUIRIES Petra de Mooy petra@fleurieuliving.com.au
SUBSCRIPTIONS www.isubscribe.com.au
POSTAL ADDRESS PO Box 111, Aldinga, South Australia 5173. ONLINE fleurieuliving.com.au facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine instagram.com/fleurieulivingmagazine/ COPYRIGHT All content copyright Fleurieu Living Magazine Pty Ltd unless otherwise stated. While Fleurieu Living Magazine takes every care to ensure the accuracy of information in this publication, the publisher accepts no liability for errors in editorial or advertising copy. The views of the contributors are not necessarily endorsed by Fleurieu Living Magazine.
Printed on paper from well managed forests using environmentally friendly vegetable-based inks.
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Contents
30 FEATURED HOME: While Alive, Celebrate! A vineyard home in Kangarilla. FRONT COVER PHOTO: by Robert Geh.
14 WINE FEATURE: Making the Most of the Season – Women in Wine.
FOOD AND WINE
FESTIVALS AND EVENTS
24 Tastings – Wine reviews with a competition to WIN WINE!
10 Check our Diary Dates for what is on this Autumn!
14 Making the Most of the Season – Women in Wine.
76 The Fleurieu Art Prize evolves.
36 Taste the Season – Pomegranate (or Punica Granatum). 52
Cooks and Chefs – Liz Pitman of ‘The Goods: Fleurieu Fine Food’. Evelyne Steffen of ‘The Old Vine’.
92 McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic April 15 – 17 44 Fleurieu Film Festival – It’s a wrap. But wait, there’s more …
BOOKS & WORDS 74 Mike Lucas dishes up a fine Autumn reading list.
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FEATURED HOME: Evette Sunset’s character filled Willunga home.
ART FEATURE: Willunga Gallery.
FEATURE: Autumn on Kangaroo Island – Something to Savour.
PENINSULA PEOPLE
ART AND DESIGN
BEING SOCIAL
20 Octogenarian Trailblazer: Winemaker – Ursula Pridham.
46 Willunga Gallery.
87 FLM sees who was out and about at: · FLM Summer Launch at Waverley Estate · Fleurieu Tourism Guide Launch at Waverley Estate · Cricket4Cancer at Hotel Elliot · Salty Stories at Red Poles · Harvest Festival: Feast of the Fleurieu · Tour Down Under at Willunga · Beresford Tasting Pavilion Launch · Kay Brothers – The First 125 Years Book Launch · Fleurieu Film Festival at Penny’s Hill
50 Octogenarian Trailblazer: Artist – David Dridan. 26 Mixing and Sound Engineer extraordinaire – Jon Lemon 38 Infinitely Christina – Christina Slingsby of Infinite Lending Solutions 40 Cinematographer - David Parkinson. 68 Counsellor – Emma Holdsworth. 78 Racehorse Trainer – David Jolly.
70 No. 58 Cellar Door and Gallery.
WEDDINGS 80 21 November 2015: Prue Langhans (nee Young) and Geoffrey Langhans. 82 5 December 2015: Emma Craggs (nee Craig) and David Craggs.
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ACKNOWLEDGES
A special thanks to the advertising partners that have made a long term commitment to FLM. GOLD PARTNERS
SOUTH COAST
SILVER PARTNERS
BRONZE PARTNERS
Astaire* an all singing, l, Goolwa on 16 April 2016 8 Signal Point and prize at 2016
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DESIGN | MANUFACTURE | INSTALLATION
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Welcome to FLM Autumn Well here we are at issue 16 and 2016! A belated Happy New Year to all!! We always look forward to the long days of early autumn and the cooler weather; but there is also a sense of lament when summer passes. Did we go to the beach enough? Did we take advantage of everything that summer on the Fleurieu has to offer? In some ways, yes. Snorkelling over the Port Noarlunga Reef at low tide, swimming under the Rapid Bay Jetty, heading out to ‘Fridays after Five’ at Aldinga for food, wine and music; enjoying sunset walks on the beach; swimming with dolphins (yes it did happen); lunch on the wharf at Goolwa; or visiting one of the great little cafès around Yankalilla. The groundswell of new businesses, new festivals and events continues. We were very proud to have sponsored the inaugural ‘Fleurieu Film Festival’. Every once in a while you get that ‘pinch me … is this real’ feeling … and the opening night of the Film Festival was just that kind of night. After a somewhat windy and rainy end of January, the clouds parted and as with any outdoor event, the organisers were delighted to have two reasonably windless and completely rain-free days, enabling the crowds to sit on the lawns among the vines to enjoy the short films on offer. Despite the fact that it all takes a lot of effort to plan and organise these events, it all appeared to be rather effortless. This is because there are so many people willing to put their hands up to help; which is what makes the community on the Peninsula so unique and so wonderful. Sometimes we ask ourselves – can the relatively small population on the Fleurieu support yet another cause, festival or business? The answer is always a resounding ‘YES’. But why? Put simply, because of the people here in this community. In this issue of FLM we meet even more ‘people on the peninsula’: the diverse range of characters and personalities making our community so amazing. Below: Corporate canine ‘Lulu’ enjoying a sunset walk along the beach at Port Willunga.
We drove down to David Dridan’s studio in Strathalbyn, and at eighty-three his wit and charm is still sharp and engaging. On the same day we wound our way back to Willunga to meet another octogenarian: Ursula Pridham, one of Australia’s first female winemakers. Her garden was a veritable ‘garden of earthly delight’, bursting with roses, fruit trees, and lush greenery. We also had the good fortune of connecting with sound engineer, Jon Lemon, who after decades of living abroad and touring with some of the world’s biggest music acts, has come home – identifying the Fleurieu as the place to be. We visited artist, Evette Sunset, and were beguiled by her magnificent garden setting. We spent an evening with winemakers at Oliver’s Taranga – ‘talking shop’. In the next four issues of FLM we are also collaborating with networking group ‘Love Local Fleurieu’. We will be featuring a representative from this group in each issue. This autumn we meet Emma Holdsworth, of Treehouse Family Counselling, who bids us to ‘do something that truly brings you joy’. In this issue we also have a couple of weddings that bring us a little closer to home on a personal level. These brides are also work colleagues, and have engaged us with their bright personalities and their support of FLM. Emma and Prue – big congratulations on your recent marriages! You both brought immense style and panache to your big day! In addition to all of this, we also attended a number of launches and festivals. Little wonder we feel as though we need a holiday to recover from the holidays! Enjoy autumn! The FLM Team.
MARKETS & EVENTS
Autumn Diary Dates LOCAL MARKETS: Aldinga, McLaren Vale and Willunga Aldinga Bay Art, Craft and Produce Market On the 4th Sunday of every month at the Aldinga Institute Show Hall from 8-1. Arts and crafts from local artisans, as well as fresh local produce.
Victor Farmers’ Market At the Grosvenor Gardens, Victor Harbor every Saturday morning from 8-12.30. Over 32 stalls, with locally caught seafood, organic vegetables, seasonal fruit, local honey, mushrooms, fresh flowers, Fleurieu regional wines and much more. Well worth the visit. Market of Earthly Delights Held from 3pm at the Old School Building, Torrens Road, Victor Harbor on the first Sunday of each month. Bring and swap your surplus produce with other like-minded growers. Think home-grown fruit, vegetables, seedlings, flowers, honey, sauces, recipes, kindling, compost and more!
Willunga Farmers’ Market In the Willunga Town Square every Saturday from 8 - 12.30. You must go just for the Summer Fruits! Cherries, peaches, nectarines, blueberries – the freshest you’ll find! Don’t forget to buy a membership and receive discounts on all the fabulous local food!
COUNTRY MARKETS:
Willunga Quarry Market Adjacent to the Willunga Oval, every 2nd Saturday of each month, rain or shine! Come and browse an eclectic mix of everything, ranging from second hand tools to plants to craft. Always something new to see.
Kangaroo Island Farmers’ and Community Markets Lloyd Collins Reserve by the beach at Penneshaw – first Sunday of the month from 9.30-1.00 – with Kangaroo Island’s top food producers selling a range of fresh local produce in a great village atmosphere. For special SeaLink Ferry fares, visit sealink.com.au
Willunga Artisans’ Market In the Willunga Show Hall (opposite the Willunga Farmers’ Market) on the second Saturday of each month. Local art and craft, with a little bit of something for everyone. A great place to buy a unique handmade gift!
Meadows Country Market Meadows Community Hall on the second Sunday of the month from 9.00-3.00. Local produce, crafts, collectibles, plants and bric-abrac. A true country market.
The Vale Market The Vale Market is open on the following dates and times: • Monday 14 March 2016 (10-3pm) • Monday 28 March 2016 (10-3pm) • Monday 25 April 2016 (10-3pm) at the McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Visitor Information Centre. The market features locally-made produce and products, wine, art and craft as well as hand-made souvenirs. The Vale Market is family friendly and features buskers and local acts.
Goolwa, Port Elliot and Victor Harbor Goolwa Wharf Market The 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month from 9-3.30. With around 80 stalls there is a myriad of goods on offer. Bric-a-brac, collectibles, fresh local produce, coffee and food, plants, books both new and old, and hand-crafted goods. Port Elliot Market At Lakala Reserve Port Elliot, on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month from 9am - 2pm.. A typical country market with plenty of fresh local produce on offer as well as a good mix of other goods, such as plants, bric-a-brac, books, fishing gear – even a $2 stall! There is sure to be something for everyone.
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Myponga Markets In the old Myponga Cheese Factory every Saturday, Sunday, and public holiday from 9.30 - 4. Enjoy browsing a variety of stalls including an art gallery, books, fine China and glass, Christmas ware, toys; local leather work, coins, records, fossils and for the sweet tooth ... waffles and gelato! Strathalbyn Markets In Lions Park, South Terrace, Strathalbyn. On the 3rd Sunday of the month from 8-2. Bric-a-brac, produce, coffee, pies, apples, plants, soaps, jewellery and much more in wonderfully historic Strathalbyn. Yankalilla Market In the Agricultural Hall, Main South Road, Yankalilla on the 3rd Saturday of each month. Craft and produce market featuring goods from the local area. You’ll be surprised at what you may find!
Above left: May is History Month. Check www.visitfleurieucoast.com.au for events and details. Above right: Diesel will be performing Live at Serafino on April 22.
FESTIVALS AND EVENTS: MARCH Summer Lunch Affair Where: Kangaroo Island, Penneshaw Oval When: March 4, 9, 17 and April 9. Cost: Adults $89 per head. Children $79 per head. On selected days during summer and autumn Penneshaw Oval will be hosting fun-filled activities and events for the whole family. During the day you will be treated to cooking and tasting demonstrations of food, wine, and cider; an impressive display from Raptor Domain; and sheep demonstrations from local farmer, Rob. Each person is invited to a casual BBQ made from local Kangaroo Island produce and prepared by one of the islands top chefs, Kate Sumner. Bookings: info@tourkangarooisland.com.au Kangaroo Island Easter Art Exhibition Where: Penneshaw Town Hall When: Opens evening of Good Friday March 25 and goes to April 3 Admission to opening night: $15 (includes wine and nibbles) Admission thereafter: $4. http://www.tourkangarooisland.com.au/events Fringe in Goolwa Where: Jeralde Park and Signal Point Lawns, Goolwa Wharf Precinct When: Sunday March 13, 10.30am - 1.30pm Cost: Free The Adelaide Fringe Caravan rolls into town bringing a wonderful array of Fringe acts. Don’t miss Dressed by Vinnies Pop Up Shop 10am - 3pm and a Bus Full of Art 10.30am - 4.30pm. Be ready for a unique experience. Continue on with live music from 1.30pm - 4.30pm. Summer Swell Cinema Where: Soldiers Memorial Gardens, Strathalbyn When: Saturday 19 March, movie starts at dusk Bring you rug or low chairs and picnic basket and enjoy a family night of outdoor cinema. Picnic starts at 6.30pm. Feature movie: Hotel Sorrento (Rated M) Willunga Waldorf School Autumn Fair Where: 1 Jay Drive, Willunga When: March 26, 10am - 4pm Cost: Free This free family event has much to adore with arts, crafts, stalls, games, food, entertainment and much more. Treat the family to a fun day out in the Fleurieu.
Twilight Earth Fair Where: Woodcroft Community Centre When: March 29, 4-8pm Cost: Free Join the fun at the City of Onkaparinga’s green hub with a free family event showcasing gardening advice from ABC’s Sophie Thomson, as well as a performance act from the ‘Amazing Drumming Monkeys’. Other activities will include cubby building, eco-craft, composting, and sustainable living workshops. Delicious treats for the evening will also be available for purchase from food stands.
APRIL Beachside Food and Wine Festival Where: Christies Beach Esplanade When: April 2, 12 - 10pm Cost: Free After the success of last year’s festival event, Christies Beach will be hosting a 2016 Beachside Food and Wine Festival. The afternoon/ evening will not only have locally made food and beverages, but also market stalls, live music, and free children’s activities. Free bus shuttles will run from the festival location to the Noarlunga Centre throughout the day. ‘Kaleidoscope Recycled’ Fringe Exhibition Where: Red Poles Gallery, McMurtrie Rd McLaren Vale When: April 13 to May 3 Cost: Free Showcasing works from a cross-section of media and crossdisciplinary platforms, the ‘Kaleidoscope Recycled’ exhibition will reflect an ever-changing space of colour and light. All works in the exhibition are created from recycled elements to create wonderful, eye-catching pieces of art. McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic Where: Main Street, McLaren Vale/Various wineries in the Fleurieu region When: April 16-17 Cost: Free Come and view a large collection of collectible cars from the Fleurieu and beyond. A street parade will be held in the Main Street of McLaren Vale as well as entertainment and food at various locations in the surrounding area. Go to www.vintageandclassic.com.au for more information. >
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MARKETS & EVENTS
FESTIVALS AND EVENTS continued A Flamboyant Party Where: Oliver’s Taranga When: Sunday April 17, 12-4 Enjoy a three-course lunch including Oliver’s very own lamb on a spit complemented by Oliver’s Taranga Wines. Tickets: $100 www.oliverstaranga.com DIESEL Live at Serafino Where: Kangarilla Road, McLaren Vale, Serafino Winery When: April 22 Cost: Dinner and Show $90 per person OR Show-only $40 per person One of Australia’s greatest artists is returning to Adelaide with a one-off show at Serafino, McLaren Vale. With his charismatic charm and talent, Diesel will be performing his new solo show ‘Pieces of Americana’. With support act ‘E’Nuf Said’, this is sure to be a memorable evening of music. Yankalilla ANZAC Day Dawn Service/’Gunfire Breakfast’ Where: Main South Road, Yankalilla When: April 25, 6.45am Cost: Gold coin donation Yankalilla will again be holding a dawn service at War Memorial Park in the town’s main street. Once the service has concluded for the morning, a ‘gunfire breakfast’ will be available at the RSL Hall for a gold coin donation.
MAY History Month Where: Various locations across the Fleurieu When: May 1 to May 31 Fleurieu Coast, Made by Nature, comes alive during the month of May to celebrate its rich history. Many events will be held over numerous venues throughout the month. Go to www.visitfleurieucoast.com.au for all the details. Tasting Australia,Five Course Degustation Meal with Andrew McConnell at Leonards Mill Where: Leonards Mill, Second Valley When: May 5 This delicious afternoon will see you indulging in a decadent five-course meal prepared by former ‘Chef of the Year’, Andrew McConnell (Cutler and Co, Cumulus, Moon under Water, Supernormal) with Leonards Mill Restaurant’s head Chef Brendan Wessels and head pastry Chef Lindsay Durr. Each course of this experience will be thoughtfully matched with wines from Brash Higgins. Visit tastingaustralia.com.au for more details. Only 50 tickets available.
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‘Stone Ground’ Dinner at Leonards Mill Where: Second Valley When: May 13 Cost: $65 per head This special event will see Leonards Mill travel back to a bygone era. Candlelit dinner showcasing authentically cooked meals from the 1800s. Dress in period costume and enjoy a night of food, music and wine. Langhorne Creek Wine Show Tasting Where: Langhorne Creek When: Sunday May 15 Enjoy a day out and sample all that the region has to offer with all the superb wines entered in the 2016 Langhorne Creek Wine Show. Food will be available throughout the day. Live music, with selected wines available to purchase. Go to www.langhornecreek.com for more information.
EARLY JUNE Malpu Wiru Good Friends Where: Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa When: June 3 to July 10 Gallery times: Mon to Fri 11am-4pm, Sat/Sun 10am-4pm Cost: Free This stunning exhibition, run by Helen Johnson, is especially programmed for NAIDOC celebrations in 2016 and will bring together art and culture from remote Aboriginal people, to local suburban artists. The exhibition will showcase a diverse range of artwork from the Central Desert of Australia to the lush Fleurieu Peninsula. There will be paintings, prints, sculptures, weavings and crafts free for the public to view. 2016 Sea and Vines Where: McLaren Vale region When: June 10-13 Cost: Various costs at location Returning once again is one of the Fleurieu’s favourite events of the year: the BankSA Sea and Vines festival. With the brilliant combination of food, wine, live music, and splendid scenery, 2016 Sea and Vines is sure to please visitors to the region and locals alike. Visit the Sea and Vines website for location and hosting information www.seaandvines.com.au/
ONGOING Red Poles - Live Music Where: 190 McMurtrie Road, McLaren Vale. When: Every Sunday 12:30 - 3:30pm It’s the perfect chilled-out Sunday session in the Vale. Check website for dates.
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Nina Keath meets a group of women winemakers who are
Making the most of the season Photographs by Millie Brown.
Above: Winemaker/Owner Rose Kentish of Ulithorne Wines, Winemaker Alexia Roberts of Penny’s Hill and Winemaker Shelley Torresan of Yangarra Estate.
It is well known that the wine industry has faced difficult conditions over the past few years. However, here on the Fleurieu Peninsula a group of women winemakers have been bucking the trend and achieving remarkable success. Experimenting with novel winemaking techniques, unusual varietals, bespoke cellar-door experiences, and creative wine education, their dynamism and energy is paying perceptable dividends. Their wines are gaining prestigious awards and being poured at some of the best restaurants in Australia and across the world. With a job description combining science, arts, travel and the natural world, they are true Renaissance women whose roles can see them transition from business suits to work boots to lab coats in a single day. Winemaker, Emmanuelle Bekkers of Bekkers Fine Wine, relishes the fact that one day she can be working in her overalls up to her elbows in red wine and the next she’ll be in heels hosting a master class for a group of international Sommeliers. As Diana Genders from Genders Wines says, ‘I get to indulge my love of history, my culinary interests, my love of wine, and my linguistic bent. All I had to do was learn physics and chemistry and it was all there for me. If you have an inquiring mind winemaking can lead you in so many directions.’ Winemaker and educator, Gill Gordon-Smith from Fall from Grace couldn’t agree more: ‘The wine industry gets you hooked because there is always something different. It’s such diverse, changeable, seasonal work that it’s like being an explorer. It’s daunting, but so exciting.’
Their hard work and discipline is happily balanced by the professional necessity of consuming quality food and wine; a responsibility for which they show outstanding commitment. Winemaker and General Manager of Bremerton Wines, Rebecca Willson laughingly insists that this is an essential component of their ‘product research’, while Vanessa Altman, winemaker for Switch Wines and Temple Bruer simply says: ‘I really like drinking wine!’ Epicureans in the truest sense, they see the pursuit of pleasure as a worthy path to fulfilment; a passion they share with an ever-increasing audience as their reputations grow. As winemaker and owner-operator of Sew and Sew Wines, Jodie Armstrong says: ‘what’s not to love about seeing a glass of wine that you have made bring unexpected surprise, delight and a smile to a person’s face?’ When wine consultant Jane Paull’s son was asked by his teacher what his mother did, he replied with beguiling innocence that ‘Mummy drinks wine.’ These winemakers don’t just drink wine though. They live, breathe and dream wine, and most don’t delineate between ‘work’ and ‘life’. Irina Santiago-Brown from Inkwell Wines says … ‘my life, my work and my family are all within the wine industry.’ Their friends work in the industry, their children play among the wine barrels … and when they travel they visit the major wine regions of the world. >
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Above left: Winemaker Alexia Roberts of Penny’s Hill. Above right: Winemaker/Owner Rose Kentish of Ulithorne Wines and Winemaker/Owner Emmanuelle Bekkers of Bekkers Wine.
Their travels have cultivated a deep appreciation for winemaking on the Fleurieu. Here they are free from historically entrenched, regional rules that often dominate winemaking in Europe. They are also the beneficiaries of unique micro-climates and soil profiles that can change quite substantially within the bounds of a single vineyard – subtle variations that support the creation of uniquely nuanced wines. Biodynamic viticulturist, Melissa Brown from Gemtree Wines, highlights the importance of sustaining the land that underpins their work, when she says … ‘I love setting an example of caring for the environment while still achieving economic outcomes.’ Many winemakers are optimising water use and trialling varietals that can withstand a hotter, more variable climate. Others, like Vanessa Altman, are going carbon neutral and making thinner bottles to reduce transport emissions. A growing number are adopting organic and biodynamic practices ... and all are generous in sharing what they learn so that others may also do better. This open-handed culture enables winemakers to pick up the phone or drive to the vineyard next door to seek both support and a sounding board. Melissa Brown says, ‘in times of need or crisis the wine community is amazing for banding together and helping each other out. I love where I live.’ While you may be reading this and wondering how to sign up for the
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next Oenology course, one surprising fact may give you pause. Over the past few years, and against all appearances and expectations, women’s participation in the wine industry has actually decreased. While CEO and marketing roles have dropped moderately, winemaking roles have seen startling reductions, dropping from an already low base of around 15% to below 9%. Viticulture hasn’t fared much better. This is despite women’s participation in winemaking courses growing steadily since the 1980s, with women now comprising 30-50% of course participants. This is not a problem of lack of desire or education among women. Given the industry’s enormous rewards, this begs the obvious question: what is causing women to leave? Speculation that it might simply reflect the slump that has hit the industry in recent years doesn’t add up. Despite being flat, the industry has sustained modest growth (around 3%) and one would expect a similar ratio of men to be affected if there were a slump,─ but this isn’t the case. Jane Paull says that technological advances and increasing use of automation have reduced many of the limitations women may have once experienced around the disparity in physical strength. Melissa Brown adds, ‘like any “blue collar” work there is a myth that women aren’t tough enough or don’t have the mechanical aptitude required.
Top: Winemaker/Owner Briony Hoare of Beach Road Wines and Winemaker/Director Rebecca Wilson of Bremerton Wines. Bottom left: Winemaker/Vigneron Diana Genders and Winemaker/Educator Gill Gordon Smith of Fall from Grace. Bottom right: Winemaker Verity Cowley of Temple Bruer Wines and Winemaker Shelley Torresan of Yangarra Estate.
On the contrary, I have found that females make excellent tractor operators and harvester drivers.’ Diana Genders agrees, saying that manufacturers of tools and equipment haven’t yet caught up and are still assuming ‘that the hand that will wield the tool will be a large masculine one … and they’re wrong!’ Using the example of an irrigation clamp, she explains that her problem is not one of strength but leverage. Her hand is simply not large enough, something a simple design-tweak would readily solve without affecting the product’s overall performance. This problem would appear to have a rather simple solution; that is, to manufacture equipment that can be utilised by both men and women. Companies such as Rossi Boots discovered the business sense in this when they made a women’s work boot, and this successful new arm of their business flourished. Genders, who wore men’s work boots for over thirty years says, ‘I’ve been as happy as Larry since they started making female boots. It has changed my life.’ Another challenge relates to flexibility when women have children. This is arguably at the heart of all workplace equality issues, but the demands of vintage make the problem particularly acute for winemakers. Briony Hoare, mother of four and winemaker at Beach Road Wines quips: ‘I might look relaxed but I’m a duck!’ Alexia Roberts, winemaker at Penny’s Hill agrees, saying ‘the vintage
period is always a juggling act in our household but our children love spending time at the winery on weekends and my son begs to be Chief Grape Taster!’ While smaller, family-run businesses have been better at incorporating flexible work arrangements and part-time positions, this hasn’t transmitted through to the larger corporations, where women tend to farewell their winemaking aspirations once children come along. Winemaker Shelley Torresan from Yangarra Estate Vineyard says: ‘I am very fortunate that my responsibilities were massaged to allow me to spend time with my young son. My bosses’ trust in my commitment and passion has allowed me to run on my own schedule, even if it means a few late nights once little ones are asleep. I am very lucky, as I know this situation is quite rare.’ The elephant in the room is what some would describe as an outdated ‘blokey’ culture in certain pockets of the industry. Smaller family-run businesses once again tend to buffer women from the extremes, but challenges remain. For example, as recently as last year, a wine-show dinner was hosted in a men’s only club, where the female judges were given time-limited passes and required to enter through a separate door to the men. A young female cellar-hand with impressive credentials was passed over because she was ‘too pretty’ and the manager worried she would distract the men. > 17
Above left: Director/Winemaker Corrina Wright of Oliver’s Taranga and Wine Consulltant Jane Paull. Above right: Winemaker/Viticulturist Jodie Armstrong of Sew & Sew Wines and Viticulturist Melissa Brown of Gemtree Wines. Below right: Winemaker/Quality Controller Vanessa Altman of Temple Bruer Wines who recently launched her own label called ‘Switch Wines’.
An award-winning winemaker lost her job three days before birthing her child because management didn’t believe she could do her job with so many children. Successful female CEOs and winemakers have been asked all too many times: ‘Did you marry the winemaker?’ or ‘Are you in marketing?’ Winemaker and Director of Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards, Corrina Wright is getting impatient. ‘I have nodded quietly and waited for change and it’s not happening.’ So, she’s started to call out bad behaviour when she sees it. She was one of the judges at the infamous wineshow dinner and after much angst, decided she had no choice but to boycott it. ‘I decided to speak up because someone has to.’ Her boycott caused an uproar, but the outcome was that the judging industry, one of the major bastions of the ‘old boys’ club,’ had to radically re-think their modus operandi and make a series of concrete changes for the better. Corrina is also a founding Board member of the Women in Wine Awards, designed to raise the profile of female winemakers as well as to recognise ‘Male Champions of Change’. Everyone I spoke with emphasised the importance of including men in solving this cultural problem. Many men are rising to the challenge … but others could probably do more. Corrina would have been less lonely if a few of the men had thought to boycott the dinner beside her. It’s a complex problem and one that will require ongoing dialogue, action and research. A growing number of women and men 18
winemakers are working together on mentoring programs and having the important conversations around what else can be done. Rose Kentish from Ulithorne Wines says: ‘when I started to make wine eighteen years ago there were very few female mentors in the industry, and I think this is essential for both men and women. I do feel this situation is slowly changing. There is a strong and building wave of women in wine now stepping forward and I’m very proud to be a part of this.’ While this challenge won’t immediately be resolved, the seeds have been sown … and if the wine industry knows anything, they know how to grow things. They also know how to work together. All winemakers love the exuberant rush of Vintage: a time when everyone works side-by-side for an intense and immediate cause, so there’s no reason why they can’t harness that same energy to build a culture of inclusivity. Gill Gordon-Smith says of winemaking: ‘I love the fact that with every bottle you have a time capsule of what happened in the year the grapes were grown. Each bottle tells a story.’ While this story hasn’t yet reached its happy ending, I like to think that future bottles from the Fleurieu will tell a story of a region, a season and a community where women and men have come together to foster a vibrant industry, open to anyone wishing to work hard and participate in making some of the best wines in the world.
Find your perfect holiday escape on the South Coast To book your next holiday or to make your holiday home available for rent anywhere between Encounter Bay and Goolwa, contact Harcourts South Coast T: (08) 8552 5744 or visit www.sabeachhouse.com.au
Corrina Wright recounts the career of winemaking trailblazer Ursula Pridham:
Maid Marienberg Photographs by Angela Lisman.
I love how the world works sometimes. Recently I received a phone call from local vineyard contractor, Ben Pridham. We chatted about the upcoming harvest, the weather (as all farmers do!) ... and then he brought up my recent involvement with the inaugural Australian Women in Wine Awards. Announced in November last year, the Fleurieu region is home to two of the winners: Viticulturist of the Year, Dr Irina Santiago-Brown from Inkwell; Winemaker of the Year, Ulithorne’s Rose Kentish; as well as finalist for Owner-Operator of the Year, Briony Hoare from Beach Road Wines. Ben had watched the celebrations and awards with interest, and it turns out that was the real reason for his call. ‘I have someone I think you should meet’, he says. It happens that Ben’s mother is Ursula Pridham. Ursula Pridham was the winemaker behind Marienberg Wines, which she began in 1968 after purchasing a vineyard in Coromandel Valley with her husband in 1966. Ursula was certainly lauded by the media of the time as ‘Australia’s first female winemaker’, and as such, I just had to take up the opportunity to have a chat with this trailblazer of our region. Now living quietly in Willunga, surrounded by the most divine garden, I was lucky enough to spend some time with one graceful and inspiring woman. Born in Graz, Austria, into a grape-growing family, Ursula migrated to Australia in 1958. For some 350 years her family (the Rauschl von Hartenaus) farmed their vineyard; but after the Second World War, they lost their land. Ursula was a trained electrical engineer, and became interested in winemaking after buying the seven hectares ‘Marienberg’ vineyard in Coromandel Valley – initially as a hobby farm. Ursula’s interest in wine grew, and, mentored in the technicalities of winemaking by another local legend, Sydney Hamilton, she started making wines from her vineyard. Sydney was by then close to retirement from his family business, Hamilton Vineyards, and he took an interest in assisting Ursula to learn the art of winemaking. Even though she had grown up on vineyards in Austria, Ursula knew little of the science of wine. Her electrical engineering degree gave her something of a science grounding, but it is Sydney that she credits with teaching her all the key skills, and she still talks of him today with warmth and admiration. By 1970, Ursula had wine available commercially. It was one of her first releases, ‘Claret’, that ended up winning a gold medal at the
Royal Adelaide Wine Show. Cue a prompt launch into the media limelight, as well as gaining instant respect from the wider, maledominated industry. History tells us that women were actively winemaking in South Australia back as early as the 1850s, the Marys, Mary Penfold and Mary Laurie, to name but a few. But it is Ursula, with headlines like ‘Prettiest Winemaker Welcomed’ and ‘Australian Woman’s Successful Winery’, who was cemented as the new darling of the Australian wine industry. In between running a wine business Ursula had three young sons, Ben, Roger and Lancelot, who kept her very occupied. She aimed to keep her work-day within school hours, but Ben fondly reminisced that he and his brothers spent plenty of time in the winery and vineyard, especially during school holidays and at vintage time. Her husband Geoffrey took charge of all of the bookwork and finances, the one area that Ursula had neither the time nor inclination to even contemplate. Apart from the bookwork she ran all the other aspects of the business. The winery, vineyards, public relations, plus working in the trade and with exporters. Not to mention the cellar door, built into the side of the hill at their Marienberg Vineyard, which was apparently home to many legendary events and parties. Not one to rest, she also once ran for the Liberal Party in the seat of Brighton. Such was the demand for her wines that the Pridhams purchased another property, the famed ‘Bethany’ vineyard in McLaren Vale. Being a female wasn’t the only way Ursula stood out, she was also making wines inspired by her European roots. Her wines were more elegant and fruit-forward in style than the majority of contemporary wines, and they found real favour in the marketplace. I asked Ursula if she ever found it difficult being one of the few female winemakers in the industry. She did find that her vineyard workers were not keen to take directions from a woman – which she found frustrating, but in the main she received support. She also concedes that others had it much tougher. Pam Dunsford, who is well known and respected for her lengthy tenure at McLaren Vale’s Chapel Hill Winery, was the first woman to study winemaking in Australia and worked with larger wineries earlier in her career. Being her own boss, Ursula feels she was somewhat insulated. Quietly determined, full of an unwavering and inspiring work ethic, as well as plenty of winemaking and viticulture skill, Ursula was making more than 120,000 litres of wine at Marienberg’s peak. Talk about impressive. Deciding to make a life change in the early 1980s, the Pridhams sold their label and vineyards, and the Marienberg label slowly faded away over the years. But maybe the story does not end here. Ben recently noticed that the trademark had lapsed, and snapped it up in a flash. Watch this space.
Page left: Ursula wearing her ‘famous hat’ in her beautiful rambling garden at Willunga.
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CHITON’S lifestyle is easy to sustain. A south-coast based retirement village, which boasts comfort, tranquility, independence and stunning seven-star energy-rated homes, may be the sea change you are looking for. KeyInvest’s Chiton Retirement Living, at Ocean Road Hayborough, is just a 1.5km walk from the popular Chiton Rocks Beach and recently won the Master Builders’ National Excellence in Building and Construction Awards on the Gold Coast. Victor Harbor builder South Coast Constructions won the National Lifestyle Housing for Seniors Award for its work on the progressive lifestyle village. This is the sixth award won at this new development and the first national crown. KeyInvest’s Chiton Retirement Living has also won an Urban Design Institute of Australia Environmental Excellence award, three Housing Institute of Australia awards and the Brand SA Sustainability Award in the Hills and Coast division. Chiton Retirement Living is bordered by Port Elliot and Ocean Roads and when completed will consist of up to 86 homes with a combination of three bedroom and two bedroom housing. Its homes have a minimum seven-star energy rating making strong use of the sun’s energy in winter and windows in the perfect place in summer to take full advantage of the natural light and breezes. Each home has solar energy and hot water supplies and rainwater, courtesy of 10,000 litre tanks.
dining areas, fitness room, a bar, hairdressing salon and a library for a touch of peace and quiet. To top off an environment which will pass the test of the most discerning home buyer will be the eagerly-awaited Fleurieu Regional Aquatic Centre which will be just a stroll away from Chiton Retirement Living site. The Aquatic Centre, expected to be finished by March 2017, will feature an eight-lane 25m lap swimming pool, a multi-use rehabilitation area, leisure and children’s pool, an outdoor splash and play park, a fitness centre and crèche facility, a commercial kiosk with a feature deck with views of the nearby wetlands, first-aid rooms and ample car park spaces. KeyInvest’s Managing Director Ian Campbell is thrilled with the Chiton development and the possibilities awaiting people looking for a fabulous lifestyle. “This KeyInvest project is unique – we don’t believe the 90 hectare setting with over 60 hectares of park and tress will ever be repeated in South Australia’’ he said. “It represents a true, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in a lowdensity environment, surrounded by wetlands and an abundance of native flora and fauna at your doorstep, yet just a few minutes from amazing beaches and the Region’s excellent facilities.’’
For those who love life in the kitchen they will be surrounded by quality Miele cooktops, ovens and dishwashers. Safety, security and low maintenance are among the many other winners at KeyInvest’s Chiton.
KeyInvest has managed retirement villages since 1985 and was established in 1878. Open inspections at Chiton are welcome on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 2pm and between 1pm and 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Other inspection opportunities are welcome by appointment at 2 Ocean Rd, Hayborough.
Residents who thrive on social interaction will love the planned and soon to be commenced Community Centre with indoor and outdoor
For more information you can phone our Sales Consultant on 0427 703 271 or 1300 658 904.
2 Ocean Road, Hayborough OPEN INSPECTIONS:
VILLAGE MANAGER:
· Tuesdays & Thursdays: 10am – 2pm · Saturdays & Sundays: 1pm – 3pm · Private Inspections: By appointment · Happy Hours: First and third Friday of the month 3pm – 5pm
Phone Village Manager on 8554 2122 to hear more about our activities.
S A L E S C O N S U LTA N T:
Phone Jan Proske on 0427 703 271 for inspection bookings and more information.
retirementliving@keyinvest.com.au
C H I T O N D E S I G N AWA R D S :
·2015: Master Builders’ National Excellence in Building and Construction Award for “National Lifestyle Housing for Seniors” · Plus 5 additional Sustainability State Awards
www.keyinvest.com.au
A picture is worth a thousand words. 11 Commerce Cres Victor Harbor. Phone: 8552 2090 Email: info@innovativekitchens.com.au
Vacancies for 2016 Limited places are available for Years 8, 10-12.
2016 Tours 3 March 6.30pm Twilight College Tour 20 May Junior School Tour 9.30am 10 June Middle and Senior School Tour 9.30am
Register your interest today Email: tlc@tatachilla.sa.edu.au Website: www.tatachilla.sa.edu.au Ph: 08 8329 4419
a place to
ACHIEVE
tatachilla.sa.edu.au
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FOOD & WINE
Tastings Wine reviews by Richard Souter.
2013 Fox Creek Jim’s Script Named after Jim Watts – Custodian of the land that is the home of Fox Creek. It is deep purple/red in colour, with hints of spice leading into aromas of blueberries, blackcurrant and dry roasted nuts. The blueberries and cream mid-palate with hints of brown spice are drawn through to completion with fine tannins that give the palate focus, style and length. Jim Watts, retired, was an eminent Professor of Surgery and lover of wine. In 1984, he and his wife Helen purchased the bare land on Malpas Road and together with their four children planted a wide range of grape varieties. Ten years later the family retained a parcel of fruit which they lovingly crafted into wine. The transition had begun … and with that Fox Creek Wines was born! Jim’s Script honours Jim Watts’ vision and dedication to nurturing both the land and vines on the Malpas Road property: a true legend, pioneer and custodian. Fox Creek’s nineteenth-century Cellar Door cottage in McLaren Vale is one of the sixty two galleries that participate in the Fleurieu Peninsula Arts Trail. Guests are invited to visit year-round to taste their award-winning wines, their regional platters – best enjoyed in their picturesque scenery and blossoming gardens. www.foxcreekwines.com 2013 Gipsie Jack Langhorne Creek Shiraz Deep red/purple in colour, the 2013 Shiraz has a lifted, floral nose and spice coming to the fore with some dense blackcurrant and blackberry. The palate has a thick core of berry fruits along with briary, tarry characters, as well as regional licorice and dark chocolate: with lovely chewy tannin and a nice acid line, with some quality, sweet oak on the finish.
THE WINEHOUSE … located at 1509 Langhorne Creek Rd, Langhorne Creek is the home of Gipsie Jack. Here you can sample their range as well as some of the finest from Ben Potts’ Wines, Kimbolton, the legendary John Glaetzer’s John’s Blend, and Heartland by Ben Glaetzer. Also home of Langhorne Creek’s first craft-beer: Meechi Brewing Company. Try delicious, seasonal lunch options served from the kitchen daily between 11am-4pm. Discover winemaking and brewing passion at THE WINEHOUSE. www.thewinehouse.com.au 2013 The Islander Wally White Semillon A brilliant yellow in colour, it has a complex and inviting nose, with aromas of lemon rind and white peach. Classic Semillon lemon notes, complemented by creaminess on the mid-palate, all underscored by a zesty, mineral finish. The Semillon is picked in two stages: one early to retain more acidity and one later giving rise to more mouthfeel. While the Islander Estate’s winemaker and founder, Jacques Lurton is fond of all the Estate wines, Wally White is a wine he holds very dear. The Wally White represents Jacques’ attempt to create a wine of Burgundy-like elegance, using a Bordeaux variety, grown in the schist and clay soils of a rugged island vineyard half a world away from France – near Parndana on KI. You can taste the range at Leonard’s Mill, Second Valley, or contact the winery for a private tasting. www.iev.com.au/iev
Enter and Win! Enter our new Autumn competition and you can win a case of 2013 Fox Creek Jim’s Script Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot – Cabernet Franc – Petit Verdot or a Lunch for two at The Winehouse at Langhorne Creek to a value of $100.
Simply go to fleurieuliving.com.au/flm/winwine and fill in your details. Competition closes 5pm on May 27 and is open to Australian residents only. Must be over 18 years of age. Winners will be contacted via mobile phone and announced on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine. Good luck!
46-48 Maude Street Victor Harbor SA 5211 www.hastingsdesign.com.au | admin@hastingsdesign.com.au | 8552 5955
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Above: Jon Lemon at work on the Ray Lamontange ‘Supernova Tour’ during 2014 in Chicago.
Jason Porter meets Jon Lemon ... who after several decades of living and working in the music industry abroad, has come
Back to the Fleurieu (as he knew he always would).
To describe Jon as low key is an understatement. Reading through the who’s who of ‘industry players’ with whom he’s worked, I assumed he’d have a superstar ego to match. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Jon is a mixing and sound engineer (and one of the most humble people you’re likely to meet). He got started back in the late sixties, before you needed to enrol in a course to study for such a career. When he was thirteen or so, his sister, as designated babysitter for the night, dragged him to the YMCA in Flinders Street to see Doug Parkinson. After quickly being cast aside by ‘big sis’ so she could enjoy her evening unencumbered, Jon struck up a conversation with a friendly gent called Trevor Marshall. Trevor was in charge of managing the sound for the evening. He had his own company (Trevmar Sound) and made quite an impression on young Jon, who
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shortly thereafter began working for Trevmar on weekends. Apparently Trevor was very capable technically, fabricating all his own amps and other equipment, which in those days carried quite a hefty price tag. Clearly, working with someone so technically knowledgeable proved a most valuable experience for Jon. Jon’s plan, however, was always to pursue further education, but he received some news when he was sixteen that changed everything. He was diagnosed with Stargardt’s Disease, a form of inherited macular degeneration. Jon was told he’d be blind by the time he was twenty. This set him on a rather different path. Afraid that life as he knew it would change profoundly, he set about living it to the fullest! He travelled the country, spending some time working in Queensland with local musicians, eventually working his way back down to Sydney. This was the seventies and the live music scene was thriving. By the time he got back to Adelaide he was about twenty one – and much to his surprise, he could still see! (Thankfully, this is still the
case today. While Jon’s vision is far from perfect, he still has some peripheral vision and for the most part enjoys a pretty normal life.) Once back home he met up with old friends again, one of whom was now in a popular band called ‘Rum Jungle’. This same friend had a sister called Jane that Jon was rather keen on, so funnily enough, after being asked if he’d be interested in being their ‘sound guy’, he instantly agreed. In about 1977 ‘Rum Jungle’ opened for Stephen Cummings’ band, ‘The Sports’, when they played locally. A few weeks later Jon received a call from Cummings with an offer to come to Melbourne to be their ‘sound guy’. That was probably the start of big things for Jon. He worked with all the major Australian acts of the time: Australian Crawl, Mi-Sex and Cold Chisel, taking a job with Nova Sound and later Jands in Sydney, which in turn exposed him to many international artists that he undoubtedly impressed along the way. While at Jands, Jon worked regularly with international acts like Leo Sayer and John Williams’ ‘Sky’. In 1983 he received an offer from Williams to come to England for a nine-week European tour. Once there he foresaw the huge potential of living in that part of the world. The decision to move to England permanently happened very quickly though – in fact, within two weeks! His wife Jane was holidaying in Bali at the time, and being the early ‘80s, before we all carried mobile phones, it was only two days prior to his departure that he was able to reach Jane to discuss the plan! Jon worked in England for twelve or thirteen years before moving from London to the west coast of Ireland. In that time he worked for bands like Level 42, Spandau Ballet, Pet Shop Boys, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Bryan Ferry, Madness and Sinead O’Connor. At this stage of his career he was also starting to win a few industry awards, which of course even further enhanced his prospects.
Eventually, more and more of Jon’s work involved touring the United States, so after fourteen years of living in Ireland he and Jane moved to the US. During this early period Jon was kept busy working with the likes of Live, Jane’s Addiction and Smashing Pumpkins. Over the years though, the list of bands Jon has worked with is extensive: Nine Inch Nails, Oasis, Beck, John Mayer, Pink Floyd, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Sia – to name just a few! in Port Willunga. Until only recently they rented the property out, eventually having it fully renovated to suit their needs. At the end of 2014 the pair moved back from Chicago to finally take up residence in their Port Willunga home. Jon says he’s in semi-retirement these days (although last year he took time out for a Mondo Rock tour), but he’s keen to give something back to local music and art initiatives, whether that be in the form of helping out young, upcoming Adelaide bands or working on community events like the Fleurieu Film Festival – that is, of course, when he’s not being called away for months on end to work with one of his international superstar clients!
Eventually, more and more of Jon’s work involved touring the United States, so after fourteen years of living in Ireland he and Jane moved to the US. During this early period Jon was kept busy working with the likes of Live, Jane’s Addiction and Smashing Pumpkins. Over the years though, the list of bands Jon has worked with is extensive: Nine Inch Nails, Oasis, Beck, John Mayer, Pink Floyd, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Sia – to name just a few! Back in 2003 the pair decided to come back to Adelaide for Christmas and to visit family and friends. Making the most of the opportunity they rented a house in Port Willunga for a couple of months, and then embarked on a road trip to the east coast to meet up with friends there. This trip helped reaffirm the notion that one day they would move back to Australia. After this initial trip they both made it a regular practice to come back almost every year until 2009, when they finally purchased a home
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While alive, celebrate!
Petra de Mooy visits Ben and Annie Riggs at their vineyard home in Kangarilla. Photographs by Robert Geh.
Previous page and above: The home is furnished in a neutral palette with pops of colour, while making the most of the gorgeous rural views. Sculpture (above) by Manning Sculptures.
Ben and Annie Riggs have a long history in the McLaren Vale region – particularly on Annie’s side. Annie’s grandparents used to live just off Old Coach Road in Aldinga, where they built one of the first homes and owned the original petrol station (now housing Boho Chic). Annie’s mum, Heather Newland (nee Crisp), grew up there and after marrying Chris Newland and starting a family of their own, they worked and brought up their three girls in both the Riverland and the inner suburbs of Adelaide. When Annie was in her late teens her family moved to a small farm property at Kangarilla. Her father always wanted to own a property and her parents still own a home there. Ben Riggs grew up in Adelaide and was exposed to the world of wine at an early age … as his father was a great friend of Wolf Blass and Ben was lucky enough to do some work experience with Wolf in the Barossa. This early introduction sealed his fate, to the extent that by his early teens he already knew that he wanted to be a winemaker. After secondary school he attended Roseworthy Campus to study oenology and after graduation worked at Petaluma in the Adelaide Hills before landing a position as winemaker at Wirra Wirra in 1988. Ben happily stayed there for thirteen vintages, plying his craft and producing some stunning wines … before creating his own successful brand aptly named Mr.Riggs.
Ben and Annie were brought together by friends, and soon found that they both shared a love of the region, travel, food and wine. They were married on a freezing winter’s day in front of a roaring fire in the tiny Kuitpo Hall. They now have three gorgeous boys and a beautiful home set among the Mr.Riggs’ vineyards. In 1995 while they were living in the lodge at Wirra Wirra, their ‘now property’ at Kangarilla came up for sale. It was a horse paddock, and as no clearing was required it was perfect for planting grapes, but when it came up for auction Ben was overseas and they were not organised enough to make it happen. However, Annie’s Dad went to the auction and ‘nothing was happening’ … so after putting his hand up a couple of times he inadvertently bought it. He asked Ben and Annie if they thought they might still want it, and as it was undoubtedly a great opportunity to start their own vineyard, they took the plunge. The title was transferred and they planted Shiraz vines straight away. Early on the vineyard was struck by lightning and they lost a large swathe of it: but they promptly replanted and it is > 31
FOOD & WINE
Top: The combination of limestone, sandstone and the rustic wood is understated and modern. Above: The gorgeous open-plan living area features a large fireplace, floor to ceiling windows facing the superb rural views, warm and rustic furnishings … and a most stunning kitchen. Page right: The kitchen is the heart and soul of the home and Innovative Kitchens worked tirelessly to create the look and feel the Riggs were after.
now known as the ‘Burnt Block’. Grapes unaffected by the fire were named ‘Old Block’ … and when Annie’s parents bought the acreage next door they planted Petit Verdot and Viognier. All of the grapes are organically grown and used exclusively for Mr.Riggs’ wines, which will soon be available for tasting and direct purchase at their new cellar door next to Home Grain Bakery in McLaren Flat.
They liked the idea of using a local company and because they had never undertaken building projects before this, they wanted a company with a long-standing reputation.
Rising above the vineyards there was always a large, flat, cleared area … and although they knew they would build a home there one day it was only a few years ago (almost twenty years on) that plans were finalised and the building began.
The brief was quite simple. They wanted the living area to be designed for entertaining and they needed a climate-controlled cellar. Ben had some old beams from the Michell Woolstores in Port Adelaide and they also wanted these to be incorporated. They became a feature around which the rest of the design evolved. Annie describes the style as Contemporary Rural Italian. ‘We wanted it to be handsome. Not pretty.’
South Coast Constructions were hired for the build after the Riggs saw a home they liked being built by the company on Kangaroo Island (a favourite family holiday spot).
Initially they wanted verandahs right the way around, but as this was going to be cost-prohibitive, Matt Parker from South Coast Constructions helped them to design it so that it has the ‘look’, >
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MUSIC
Above left: A lovely earthy trestle table from ‘On the Coast’ in the entry way. (Floral arrangement furnished by McLaren Vale Florist.) Above right: The long double sink and white on white palette off set by sandy-coloured floor tiles give the bathroom an airy open feel.
but is broken up a bit … and as Annie acknowledges, ‘it actually works a bit better’. They wanted the house to sit comfortably in the setting and not look like a suburban home plonked in the countryside. The large exterior beams on the verandahs (bought from the old Adelaide Oval stand) help to create this image. The combination of limestone, sandstone and the rustic wood is understated and modern – without being too showy. The outdoor living area under the main roof has been positioned to be protected from the prevailing winds, which can be unrelenting – since the home sits on top of a ridge. The large sandstone pavers set around the exterior are designed to complement the limestone features of the home. South Coast helped with the ideal positioning of the home to promote sustainability features. And as the rural properties around Kangarilla have no mains water, the home is run entirely from the 165 thousand litres held in rainwater tanks. With a bore that supplies vineyard irrigation also readily available in the event of water being needed for firefighting. South Coast Constructions stated that ‘the windows feature energy double-glazed, low-e glazing, with Aircel in the roof providing an extra layer of insulation. All walls (including internal ones) are insulated and thermal mass is maintained to the slab.’ The home has an expansive feel, enhanced by a seamless, polished concrete floor extending throughout the main living areas. Annie’s minimal palette gives a peaceful, neutral feel with pops of colour provided by various objects and art. Two wings separate the boys’ rooms from the adult wing. The kids’ or guests’ wing includes three bedrooms, a bathroom and a family room connected to the outdoor living area by large sliding doors. Each wing can be completely shut 34
off from the other, isolating noise and enhancing the efficiency of heating and cooling. The gorgeous open-plan living area features a large fireplace, floor to ceiling windows facing the superb rural views, warm and rustic furnishings … and a most stunning kitchen. The kitchen is the heart and soul of the home and Innovative Kitchens worked tirelessly to create the look and feel the Riggs wanted. The starting point for the design was the old, timber trough-cum-light fixture: everything else had to fall into place around it. The large American Oak bench top is also a centrepiece, with the neutral palette of the rest of the kitchen working in beautifully. Another striking feature is the architecturallydesigned, custom range-hood canopy. The corbels that frame the hood were hand-shaped and refined over time to fit with the canopy, resulting in a real show piece. Although there are loads of tricky and detailed intricacies to the kitchen, it all comes off looking effortless. Black window frames were chosen for a more contemporary feeling and tie in handsomely with the black cabinetry under the kitchen island and the feature wall behind the large hood. Annie knew what she liked and had lots of ideas but needed guidance with final selections, so Matt’s wife, interior designer Ellie Parker from South Coast, helped out with the final selections … when it had all become a bit overwhelming. Now after the long journey from the original purchase over twenty years ago Annie reflects: ‘We were not really ready for how beautiful it is. The house leads us to being consumed by the views. The sunsets and light are captivating and it is very peaceful and private. We had looked forward to the day we got to be here and it has exceeded expectations.’
Top left and right: Collected over a number of years, all of the rooms in the house feature interesting furniture and art. Above: The driveway up to the home is lined with Cypress Pencil Pines and flanked by the ‘Old Block’ and ‘Burnt Block’ Shiraz. 35
TASTE THE SEASON:
Pomegranate (also known as Punica Granatum) Story by Leonie Porter-Nocella. Nothing quite announces autumn like the appearance of pomegranates in all their splendour! The name pomegranate derives from medieval Latin pōmum, ‘apple’ and grānātum,’seeded’ and the fruit was known in early English as the ‘apple of Grenada’ — a term which currently survives only in heraldic jargon. Classified as a shrub or small tree, growing from 6 to 10 metres, the pomegranate is extremely long-lived, even known to survive for up to 200 years. The edible fruit is actually a berry, usually 5–12cm in diameter with a rounded shape and thick, reddish skin. The number of seeds in a pomegranate can vary from 140 to about 200, with each seed having a surrounding water-laden pulp — the edible sarcotesta — that forms the seed coat ... with the seeds embedded in a white, spongy, and rather astringent membrane.
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Quinoa salad with pomegranate 300g quinoa 1 red onion, finely chopped 85g raisins or sultanas 100g feta cheese, crumbled 200g pomegranate seeds (tapped out from a halved pomegranate) 85g toasted pine nuts or toasted flaked almonds small bunches of coriander, flat leaf parsley and mint, roughly chopped juice of about 3 lemons 1 tsp sugar
Method Cook the quinoa following pack instructions: it should be tender but retain a bit of a bite. Drain well and spread over a platter or wide, shallow bowl to cool quickly and steam dry. When the quinoa is just about cool, stir through all of the remaining ingredients with added seasoning.
Alexandrina Council A selection of upcoming events in the Alexandrina region: ouThere photographic exhibition by Lars Heldman at South Coast Regional Art Centre, Goolwa from 1 to 27 March 2016 The Mikado* stage performance at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 6 March 2016 Fringe in Goolwa at Jaralde Park, Goolwa Wharf Precinct. The Adelaide Fringe Caravan returns with a wonderful array of acts on Sunday 13 March 2016 Goolwa Art and Photographic Exhibition* and annual Alexandrina Art Prize at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa from 20 March to 2 April 2016 Aquafest at Goolwa Aquatic Club, Goolwa on 9 and 10 April 2016 High performance boats featuring outboards, hydroplanes, classic boats, skiffs and modern race boats
A Fine Romance, The Magic of Fred Astaire* an all singing, all dancing tribute show at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 16 April 2016 Characters of the Fleurieu* exhibition and prize at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa from 18 April to 29 May 2016 Magic Mike’s Kids Magic Workshop* become a magician. Learn the art of magic and illusion at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 22 April 2016 Elvis Shake, Rattle N Roll* at Centenary Hall, Goolwa on 23 April 2016 Knights Beach Pro Body Boarding Competition watch the professionals as they compete at Knights Beach, Port Elliot from 20 to 22 May 2016 * tickets/ booking required
For bookings and enquiries please visit www.visitalexandrina.com or call Council’s Visitor Information Centre on 1300 466 592. Alexandrina Council continues the ‘Just Add Water’ arts and culture program in 2016. View a copy online for more events in the region, www.alexandrina.sa.gov.au.
Discover the fine mix of food, wine, art and ale! Red Poles Restaurant / Cellar Door / Art Gallery / B&B
S C A R PA N TO N I SERIOUS REGIONAL WINES MADE BY SERIOUS FAMILY WINEMAKERS. Scarpantoni Estate wines are classically ‘McLaren Vale’ in style, particularly the reds - being generous, mouth-filling, full of ripe fruit flavours and regional characteristics. Our range of wines covers a wide spectrum, from crisp, dry sauvignon blancs, chardonnays and rosé, to full bodied shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and fortified wines. Over the past three decades the wines have amassed an enviable collection of well over 500 wine show awards, including ‘The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy’ at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show in 2007.
Delight all your senses and also embrace live music, and an art gallery amongst lawns, gardens and vineyards! The cellar door for Brick Kiln wines and Vale Ale craft beers is set in an ambient courtyard. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 9 to 5 190 McMurtrie Road McLaren Vale Phone: 08 8323 8994 / 0417 814 695 redpoles@redpoles.com.au | www.redpoles.com.au
Tel:(08) 8383 0186, Scarpantoni Dr, McLaren Flat SA 5171, Web: www.scarpantoniwines.com
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Infinitely Christina
Corrina Wright gets behind the scenes with Christina Slingsby from Aldinga’s Infinite Lending Solutions. Photographs by Angela Lisman.
Above: Christina loves her daily training sessions at the beach close to her home.
I am always intrigued by what brings people to build their lives and businesses in our beautiful Fleurieu region and am pleased to say that Christina Slingsby’s story is one I have been lucky enough to learn personally. The odds of the two of us being friends were against us. We were strangers thrown together as part of an early morning personal training group. Barely awake, sweating bullets and resplendent with morning-breath – surprisingly wasn’t conducive to personal bonding. Plus the fact that she isn’t the biggest fan of ‘winemakers’ (which I am) and the fact I don’t enjoy ‘horsey types’ (which she is)! As the training sessions continued we were buoyed by the discovery that we both make attractive squealing noises when under physical strain, and a mutual respect and friendship grew from the most unlikely place. Christina is nothing less than a powerhouse. A one woman whirlwind to say the least and a generous business woman that we are lucky to call a local. 38
Christina was born in Sydney, but moved to the southern parts of Adelaide when she was thirteen. Being obsessed by horses since she can remember, she finished her schooling at Christies Beach High and then moved to country Victoria to ride ‘track work’. Having discovered that a life full of horses is one that requires considerable financial inputs, she became a manager at a local McDonald’s franchise and after some extensive travelling she fell into a finance position in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. Her finance career flourished. Christina was based in a number of remote areas specialising in residential and commercial lending, before moving back to her old stomping ground of Christies Beach. Perfecting her craft through management positions with the Commonwealth Bank, Aussie Home Loans and RAMS, Christina took the plunge and went out on her own, opening Infinite Lending Solutions in 2006. In 2010 she moved the business to the township of Aldinga, where she has gone from strength to strength. Starting with only one employee, she now employs ten, and the business is still growing – enjoying fifty-three percent growth last year. She has taken over a
Above: Christina and Lovadare, aka ‘Eddie’.
number of adjoining spaces in the Old Coach Road shops, and has just celebrated her business’s tenth birthday by hiring ‘gun financier’ Hayden Lever from Bank SA. But enough about the business. The other half of Christina’s life is consumed by one thing – her love of horses. OK … I lie … wine, her husband, David and dog, Simba also rate pretty highly! Christina lives on a gorgeous ten-acre property in the Aldinga scrub and has three horses, Eddie, Chezz and Billy. Over the last couple of years she has been competing in the Australian equestrian and eventing scene. Recently she entered into a long term sponsorship of young local Olympic hopeful rider, Cooper Oborn. Late last year she organised a glamorous wine and food event called ‘Giddy Up’ at local McLaren Vale winery, Penny’s Hill, raising money for Cooper’s Olympic quest, and has just purchased a logo-emblazoned horse truck to ensure that she, Cooper and the horses can get to interstate events in style. She doesn’t know where her love of horses came from, as neither of her parents are horsey types. Her mum reckons it may be because she was conceived on a cattle station full of horses in Dubbo, New South Wales! Where ever it comes from it certainly is a big part of her life. Christina has such a big heart – both physically and figuratively! Able to run for hours and seemingly never tire, I struggle to keep sight of her on our early morning sessions! Her generosity is also legendary – from surprising her nearest and dearest with trips overseas, to supporting her staff to continually improve their skills, and to her tireless work in the equestrian arena, supporting up and coming talent.
In 2010, she moved the business to the township of Aldinga, where she has gone from strength to strength. Starting with only one employee, she now employs ten, and the business is still growing – enjoying fifty-three percent growth last year. Christina dearly loves this region, and is buoyed by the recent boom in businesses calling the old Aldinga township home – like Fall from Grace, Miss Gladys by Sea and the brand new Rosey’s. ‘Who wouldn’t love it here? Where else do you get to go for a run along spectacular cliff tops, then gallop your horses on deserted Silver Sands beach, drive three-point-five minutes to work to deal with customers and staff I genuinely love, then pop up to the Victory for dinner and drink the most amazing local wines – while watching the sun set after a quick dip in the ocean? We are so lucky here.’ I am pleased to call such a dynamic, generous and inspirational local business woman my friend. She is blazing a trail that motivates and excites, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. I do have to admit that horsey types are really OK, and I think I have managed to convince her ‘those winemakers’ … and not just the fruits of their labour … aren’t all that bad either.
And her tip to local property investors? A resounding ‘Buy in the Fleurieu!’ Christina advises that now is a great time to buy with competitive rates on lending combined with good house prices – especially in the coastal hotspots. She always advises clients to leverage off the equity in their houses to buy more property and build wealth. 39
PENINSULA PEOPLE
Above: Still from ‘Love Japan’ – David’s fiancé Sybil poses for a still photo in Shinsaibashi district, Osaka.
Skyrocketing to success
Esther Thorn talks to cinematographer David Parkinson about how growing up on the Fleurieu Peninsula helped pave the way for a phenomenal career.
David Parkinson is clearly more comfortable behind the camera than in the spotlight. From the bright, airy dining room of his family’s McLaren Vale winery – Penny’s Hill – the 31-year-old filmmaker explains that he’s never before been interviewed. It’s a surprising fact given that his films have been seen by millions of people across the globe. But Dave is modest about his success. He describes as ‘quite surreal’ the time he answered his phone and heard a woman with a thick American accent asking him to come to California to direct films for a winery. ‘It took a while to process what was being asked of me,’ says Dave. ‘I was working from a small studio in McLaren Vale and this huge Napa Valley-based business wanted me to make their brand films!’ The company was Jackson Family Wines and its international marketing team had seen Dave’s work online. ‘I like to approach every ad or commercial as a short film, and that’s what they wanted; a beautifully shot film that people would enjoy watching’, he says. Dave’s films are a far cry from traditional advertising. They embody a dreamlike quality; the colours are brighter, long and steady shots offer breathing space and the focus is on small but beautiful details. 40
‘I love the idea of using film as a form of escapism’, Dave says. ‘You create something from your imagination and take people there.’ The idea of leaving the ordinary is woven throughout the fabric of Dave’s work life, most obviously in the name of his film production business, Moonship Moving Pictures. However his success is firmly grounded in reality, with an impressive client list – like recently having directed campaigns for Flinders University and Foodland. Dave’s true love, though, is feature film. He rates sci-fi and fantasy as his favourite genres, but is most influenced by director Paul Thomas Anderson, of ‘Magnolia’ and ‘There will be Blood’ fame. While Anderson’s films deal with flawed characters in dysfunctional family relationships, Dave’s own childhood was in fact an idyllic one lived out on the Fleurieu Peninsula. ‘I grew up riding bikes, exploring the creeks and hills and spending family days at the beach. Then as I got older I had these amazing summers driving in cars, chasing girls and having adventures,’ he laughs. Dave’s introduction to film came through his father, Tony Parkinson, who owned an advertising agency for almost forty years. ‘When I was maybe six or seven, I’d go and hang out with Dad in the studios while he produced commercials. It was totally fascinating to me,’ he reminisces. By the time Dave was 10-years-old he’d made his first film. ‘I was obsessed with Wallace and Gromit so I made a stopmotion film about a plasticine spaceman who went to the moon,’ he says. ‘The name of my company is a bit of a ‘tip-of-the-hat’ to that first film.’
Above: Still from ‘Healey’ – David’s younger brother James features in his latest short film ‘Healey’ filmed locally in beautiful Willunga.
When Dave started high school at Tatachilla Lutheran College in McLaren Vale, his passion for film flourished. ‘I had a great teacher named Jamie Emswiler,’ Dave says. ‘He was really positive about my work and would just let me go with my ideas.’ Recognising Dave had a talent, the school allowed him to incorporate filmmaking into other subjects; for example, submitting a film as an alternative to an English essay. ‘They gave me a lot of freedom to develop my skills in filmmaking, and I’m really grateful for that and for the teachers who helped me realise my dream.’
His next project takes place closer to home. Dave’s making a short film in Willunga about his father’s car, an Austin Healey 100S. His father saw the vintage sports car when he was just a 10-yearold and dreamed of owning it for 43 years before finally buying it.
Dave’s work is now highly regarded within the film industry itself, winning four gold medals and four silver medals at the Australian Cinematographers’ Society awards. What he is most proud of though is his short film ‘Love Japan’, which follows his journey through the country with his girlfriend Sybil. The film went viral with close to two million views online. ‘I received hundreds of messages from Japanese people saying I’d opened their eyes to the beauty of their own country,’ Dave says. ‘It was an incredible experience and is something I’ll remember forever.’ His next project takes place closer to home. Dave’s making a short film in Willunga about his father’s car, an Austin Healey 100S. His father saw the vintage sports car when he was just a 10-year-old and dreamed of owning it for 43 years before finally buying it. When, not if, Dave makes a feature film, it, too, will be shot on the Fleurieu Peninsula. ‘This area just makes filming so easy,’ he says. ‘Everywhere you point the camera it’s gorgeous.’ Dave won’t >
Above: Another still from ‘Healey’ – The curvy Austin Healey 100S looks right at home parked at RJ Crash repair in Willunga.
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Top: Light bouncing through the glass of Inkwell Shiraz during the production of a short film for ‘Vale Cru’. Above: Still from ‘Love Japan’ – David’s fiancé watching out the window, approaching snowy Nagano on the bullet train in Japan. Below: Portrait of David Parkinson courtesy of Benjamin Dowie.
give much away but will reveal he’s in the early stages of writing a feature script about the ‘endless summer’ of his childhood. ‘I want to capture the story of growing up in this beautiful area; the fun, freedom and adventure that so many of us were lucky enough to experience,’ he says. ‘That’s my dream.’
The media studies program at Tatachilla has grown significantly in scope over the past decade. Students are exposed to ‘real-world’ working environments within the media industry where they are invited to work across a wide variety of media in various ways. The program includes marketing; critical analysis; writing; practical skill and creative exploration, culminating in the production of short films. ‘Tatfest’ has become a highlight of the calendar year.
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Above: Still from the 2016 winning film ‘Super Sounds’ starring Charlie Tonkin.
Fleurieu Film Festival 2016 The inaugural Film Festival kicked off in style on the first weekend in February – two beautiful nights of top short films under the stars at Penny’s Hill Winery and the McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Visitors’ Information Centre. After its inception in late autumn last year it was all go. Founder, and Festival Director Alison Alcock recounts how she woke up one morning feeling a little frustrated with her job in mental health. She decided to quit and start the Fleurieu Film Festival. ‘It was all in a split second – I registered the business and the domain name straight away – it was that instant.’ Alison’s background as an entrepreneur, film maker, production manager and director held her in good stead to be the brain-child of this event. So with a lot of know-how, a cando attitude and a bit of naiveté, the Fleurieu Film Festival was born. ‘Paying no mind to protocol, one morning I emailed the City of Onkaparinga Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg to ask her if she would open it.’ Her immediate response was, ‘count me in.’ That ‘count me in’ attitude seemed to prevail throughout the process. ‘I had edited a film I made called the ‘Fleurieu Hunt Club’, with Chris Warman, who was immediately excited by the project so we were able to meet and strategise early on.’ Calling on some of her old contacts Alison also got in touch Peter Thurmer – (co-ordinator and principal teacher at MAPS School (Media Arts Production Skills) in
Adelaide). ‘I sought Peter out for mentorship.’ A call for submissions was publicised and things had already started to take shape when she met Jon Lemon (a mixing and sound engineer) who was ready to help and became quite instrumental in making the event ‘professional’ … with the scores of each film humming into the crowd and the vineyards beyond. Local photographer, Angela Lisman, and friend Kristin McLarty got on board and helped with everything from administration and event planning, to social media. She was also lucky to meet Lyndal Redman of Redman Media, who helped her create a series of short sponsors’ films, besides acting as MC for the event. By the December deadline for entries, sixty films had been submitted from all over Australia. The calibre was so exceptional that the judges couldn’t settle on a top ten, so they extended it to eleven. The community support, along with the willingness of local businesses to get on board was phenomenal. They offered everything from web design, to equipment, to top prizes from the Flight Centre, Kojo, Novatech and Pete Best F/X, to wine for the events. The ‘close to seven hundred and fifty person-strong crowd’ was treated to a great array of short films, all with the 2016 theme of landscape. Owing to both events having been so well attended, the organisers are gearing up for an even bigger festival in 2017. Go to www.fleurieufilmfestival.com.au for entry information on the 2017 festival … and ‘like’ the Facebook page to keep up to date.
EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT The Fleurieu Film Festival 2017 theme is WATER. Go to www.fleurieufilmfestival.com.au for submission details. Deadline for entries will be 5.00pm Thursday December 1. Festival dates for 2017 will be February 3rd and 4th. Fleurieu Living is a proud sponsor of the 2017 Fleurieu Film Festival. 44
Serafino – more than just a winery. Stay · Relax · Indulge Serafino Wines, a family owned business since 1972, has developed a reputation as one of Australia’s most respected wineries and leading producers of Italian style red wines. If the ‘vines by the sea’ vibe of the region hasn’t already charmed, then the incredibly scenic setting for Serafino’s cellar door, restaurant, accommodation, conferences facilities, major events and function centre surely will. serafino.com.au | 39 Kangarilla Road, McLaren Vale SA 5171 Australia Telephone +61 8 8323 8911
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Winnie Pelz visits Irene Dougan and Anthony Whaite at their
Willunga Gallery
Photographs by Heidi Linehan.
Previous page: Glass art by Sarah Dingwall – one of the many artists showing at Willunga Gallery. Above: The gallery is housed in a character-filled building on the High Street.
Irene Dougan’s resume begins with a factual and unassuming statement: ‘Irene Dougan is a South Australian artist specialising in handmade and hand painted clay tile murals’. When you read further the jaw begins to drop: the list of projects and achievements over the past couple of decades is quite extraordinary, and the fact that she also finds time to run the vibrant Willunga Gallery is testimony to her exceptional organisational skills, energy and discipline. It also reflects the fact that she is one half of an exceptionally talented duo – the other half being her husband Anthony Whaite, who brings a whole panoply of highly useful and practical skills to bear. Between the two of them they have an astonishing and impressive range of qualifications, experiences and achievements. Having completed a Bachelor of Design in ceramics, Irene embarked on a career as a fulltime production-line potter, but her interest in community cultural development attracted her to public art projects – such as the Old Reynella Bus Shelters – where six large panels of her handmade ceramic tiles, honouring the work of South Australia’s first studio potter, Gladys Reynell, are on display Among other projects she has managed are the Willunga mosaic path and the Christies Downs mosaic walkway, twenty-four signs for the Marion Historic Village … and most recently, in 2012-13, she was Project officer and lead artist for the Stolen Generation Healing Garden and Memorial for the City of Playford. For the last fifteen years she has been a driving force behind Artworks Inc, a not-for-profit organisation that encourages participation in the
arts and cultural life for residents living south of Adelaide. Many of these people are elderly; some have complex lives or are socially isolated, and Artworks Inc provides them with opportunities to develop skills and engage with their communities. On many of the public art projects, Anthony provides the technical, engineering and design solutions, while addressing the practicalities of engineering compliance, as well as vandalism-minimisation and safety, but is also a designer in his own right. The guard rail for the foreshore decking at Christies Beach, constructed from galvanised mild steel, is a beautiful example of his clever design – while at the same time providing a robust, yet beautiful, solution to a public safety issue. His array of practical skills appears boundless. He loves renovating old houses; and indeed, the building that is home to the Willunga Gallery was originally bought as a renovation project. Irene and Anthony both laugh when they say they made the big mistake of falling in love with the building after their accountant had advised strongly against investing in an old building that needed unending truckloads of TLC.(1) But ‘truckloads’ is not something the couple find daunting; in fact Anthony has ample experience in driving trucks, tractors, front-end loaders, forklifts and tandem tippers, having taken on work in the earthmoving industry during leaner times. His father established a winery in Blewett Springs, growing Shiraz and Merlot and Anthony grew up on the back of a tractor. Today, with his brother Gary, he runs Springs Hill Vineyard, producing fruit for local wineries’ premium ranges as well as for a limited range of the Springs Hill label itself. To date that label has not been widely-known, but all that is about to change – with a cellar door licence having just been granted to operate from the Willunga Gallery building. > 47
Top: Artists whose work features regularly include Cheryl Paynter, Daphne Rickett, Dan Mansutti, Jared Thomas and Carol Perkins. There is also a range of art and objects for children made by four talented young mothers who live in Willunga. Bottom left and right: Irene Dougan and Anthony Whaite enjoying a platter and their very own Springs Hill Shiraz (available for tasting and purchase) in the pretty garden behind the gallery.
This will provide a great opportunity to run their two passions in tandem, offering platters of local produce to accompany the wine in the pretty garden behind the Gallery. Irene is adamant that selling art is her core business – that it will not be a cellar door ‘with art on the walls’. As an artist herself, she understands the needs and issues with which working artists have to cope. The personal relationship she has with her group of artist suppliers is paramount, and she prides herself on the service she provides to her buying clients, many of whom are regular locals as well as visitors to the region. Mindful of this client profile, she stocks work by local and interstate artists, so that there is a diverse and changing range in the Gallery. Among the work exhibited by local artists is the amazing jewellery of Cheryl Paynter, an aboriginal artist who lives at Sellicks Beach, and whose work features the quills of echidnas set in silver to form stunning earrings and neck pieces. 48
Other artists whose work features regularly include Daphne Rickett, Dan Mansutti, Jared Thomas and Carol Perkins. There is also a range of art and objects for children made by four talented young mothers who live in Willunga, reflecting the range of local artistic activity that Irene is so keen to foster. Now entering its third year of operation, the Willunga Gallery is growing in strength and scope. And at a time when many galleries are closing, Irene and Anthony are determined that their future remains full of opportunities. To demonstrate this they are planning for further diversification into the wine environment and on-line trading. With their energy and skills, their optimism has a sound base! FYI: The Willunga Gallery is the exclusive South Australian stockist of Michael Leunig’s cards and original prints. Go Leunig fans!! (1) Irene also has a Diploma in Accounting; but despite this, and the advice, the building just won their hearts!)
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Above: David Dridan – in fine form at 83 – shares a story or two at his Strathalbyn studio.
Winnie Pelz visits the studio of David Dridan:
Octogenerian Trailblazer Photographs by Angela Lisman.
David Dridan always dared to dream big. Long before the word ‘entrepreneur’ was adopted by common management-speak, he was a trailblazer. In an era when fifteen minutes of fame entitles personalities as shallow as a car-park puddle to be called ‘celebrities’, there are still individuals whose contribution has made a real and lasting difference, but who are overlooked or forgotten with the passage of time. Over more than fifty years David Dridan’s contribution to the arts in South Australia ... and to the Southern Vales ... has been huge. 50
A great raconteur, with typical self-effacing humour, Dridan correlates his humble introduction in the ‘50s to work and the business world, as a floor-sweeper and parcel-wrapper with the old G&R Wills company. He progressed to delivery-man for G&R Wills, delivering dresses and sewing materials to a store in Victor Harbor ... until he drove the delivery truck into the veranda, which then collapsed onto the truck. End of delivery career. With dyslexia affecting his reading ability, teachers at school had decided it was a waste of time teaching David anything academic,
and so he had quite early encouragement to draw and paint. This was scarcely regarded, however, as a sound basis for a business career! After initial studies at the South Australian School of Arts and Crafts, and a brief period at the National Art School in Sydney, he was appointed as Professional Assistant to the Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia. In 1960 Dridan headed off to London, where he was awarded a British Council grant to study at the Victoria & Albert Museum. It was in London that he met Barry Humphries, who has remained a lifelong friend. It was also during this time that Dridan exhibited in London and established a reputation as a fine painter of the antipodean landscape, with his work purchased for the collections of HM Queen Elizabeth, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh and HRH Prince Charles. Today his work is held in numerous private, corporate and public collections around the world. Returning to Adelaide in the early 1960s, he teamed up with architect Ian Hannaford, who had introduced a Mediterranean form of architecture to Adelaide, which subsequently became the style leader for much of that decade. Together, they built the Clarendon Winery and in 1963 opened North Adelaide Galleries in Melbourne Street. Melbourne Street became the address for cafés, restaurants and boutiques; and with the new South Australian School of Art established in the neighbouring Stanley Street, lower North Adelaide became the cultural hub of Adelaide. The next two decades were periods of intensive activity and output, both in Dridan’s painting and in his contribution to various Boards, Committees and countless achievements. In 1969, together with David Hardy, he opened The Barn Gallery in Mc Laren Vale, the first venture in South Australia that combined a restaurant with a high quality gallery, leading the way for similar ventures to follow the blueprint. This was later followed by the Old Clarendon Gallery; the Beehive Gallery on the Beehive Corner in Adelaide; and Dridan Fine Arts in McLaren Vale. He was a member of the Commonwealth Arts Advisory Board, which famously recommended the purchase of Jackson Pollock’s Blue Poles; he served on the Board of the Art Gallery of South Australia and acted as Art Advisor to numerous corporations building their art collections at the time. His generosity of spirit along with his support for other artists (developed in his early teaching days) saw him provide many opportunities for commissions of established and emerging South Australian artists included in these collections. There are several artists in this State who owe much to the mentoring and generosity of David Dridan. Among his legacies are the Carrick Hill Trust, in which he played an instrumental role that led to its formation ... and the Fleurieu Art Prize. Together with the late Greg Trott of Wirra Wirra and Tony Parkinson of Penny’s Hill Winery, two years of meetings fuelled only by the best McLaren Vale red wines, legendary imagination and animated conversation they came to the establishment of an ambitious idea: a biennial landscape painting prize that would attract Australia’s leading artists and would attract visitors to the region to enjoy the art, the landscape, the food and the wine.
Above: The immensely disciplined David paints every day and says he ‘enjoys painting more every day’.
It has been, and continues to be, a fruitful and hugely productive life. When asked to define his philosophy, with typical understatement he says that ‘Nothing succeeds without knocks ... you need to look beyond the knocks and have faith that you can succeed.’ Less well known, but of great importance to a group of various motley painters, are Dridan’s painting trips to his beloved Coorong, the Gawler Ranges, the Flinders Ranges and even further afield. For years he has gathered other winemakers, business colleagues and artists, including Geoff Wilson, Silvio Apponyi, Christine Lawrence and Barry Humphries to share these journeys. ‘Over the years we have painted together ... I really got to love the Australian landscape through my excursions with Dridan and my conversations about art with him. I also discovered how deeply I felt for the landscape of South Australia which he paints with such affection and serenity. ... Dridan remains original and instantly recognisable’ (Barry Humphries AO CBE. 2012). Aged 83, he still organises these trips which provide him with fresh inspiration each time. He is immensely disciplined and paints every day, working from the sketches he makes on his painting trips and says he ‘enjoys painting more than ever’. He also takes silversmithing classes with Australian silversmith Jacques Fabian and proudly wears a beautiful, very contemporary gold and silver bracelet which he designed and made himself. It has been, and continues to be, a fruitful and hugely productive life. When asked to define his philosophy, with typical understatement he says that ‘Nothing succeeds without knocks ... you need to look beyond the knocks and have faith that you can succeed’. This tried and true mantra has carried him through more than half a century of truly exceptional achievements. 51
Nicole Leedham meets ‘wayward daughter’ Liz Pitman, and uncovers
A tale of culinary adventure Photographs by Heidi Linehan.
It’s a long way from cruising the Atlantic to a commercial kitchen in the industrial zone between Port Elliot and Victor Harbor, but Liz Pitman is no ordinary cook. Liz is well-known to locals and visitors alike from her range of dips, chutneys and sauces known as ‘The Goods: Fleurieu Fine Food’. You may have been lucky enough to taste her wares at the Willunga Farmers’ Markets, Victor Harbor Markets, or one of the other markets in the region. But what you probably don’t know is the culinary history behind the delicious Thai Curry Dip or the Grand Mariner Pate you enjoy with your pre-dinner drink. Liz grew up in suburban Adelaide, but her sense of adventure at eighteen led her to a remote cattle station in Queensland, cooking for a family of eleven – including grandparents and eight workers – for about nine months is a bit of a jolt. ‘I’d be up at four in the morning cooking for the guys, and then all the kids in the family would come down, and then it would be smoko, then it would be lunch, then afternoon smoko, then dinner.’ It was a steep learning curve, and one that held her in good stead for the next stage of her career – working on luxury yachts, first as a stewardess before moving into cooking. Her foray onto the world’s oceans began almost accidentally. She was in France for a friend’s wedding, saw the boats in St Tropez, found out the hiring agencies were in Antibes … so she headed there and put her backpack in a locker at the train station, planning to head off to Spain if she didn’t get work that day. She never made it to Spain that trip. 52
Liz worked on yachts for about eleven years – and has some great stories to tell about hairy high seas, demanding guests, pretentious French chefs and how the other half lives. (Her recipe is a Polynesian Ceviche inspired by her travels.) ‘In the first couple of weeks of being here, going out and visiting friends, I couldn’t find anything in stores to take for them.’ So the idea for The Goods started to take root. Plans to relocate to Queensland were put on hold when Liz’s father became sick and died unexpectedly. ‘Having been the wayward daughter for so long – I decided I could do ‘The Goods’ here.’ For the first four years Liz created her mouth-watering products at home, before moving to her current location in 2007. As part of the lease she also acquired a café shopfront. Although the business has grown over the years, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Interstate distribution networks have faltered and great employees have moved on. But the Willunga Farmers’ Market – along with other smaller markets – has sustained The Goods during the leaner times … along with a good relationship with Foodland and other independent grocers. Meanwhile, Liz and her team provide healthy school lunches for two local schools, as well as catering for a variety of businesses, including the tempting fish pie she is preparing for No 58 Cellar Door … as we speak. And of course, there is also the steady stream of workers that have become café regulars. And with the Southern Fleurieu Aquatic Centre opening around the corner, things can only keep getting better.
Polynesian Ceviche (or Poisson Cru) 500 grams Yellowfin Tuna cut into 2cm cubes ¾ cup of mixed lime and lemon juice 2 tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped ½ red onion, thinly sliced Small cucumber, thinly sliced 1 carrot, grated
Place tuna in glass bowl and add lemon and lime juice, then leave to marinate for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour off about ½ the juice and add the prepared vegetables, a bit of coriander and toss together with the fish. Pour the coconut milk over the salad and mix again. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with coriander and serve on its own ... with white rice, or with corn chips. Enjoy. >
½ green capsicum, sliced thinly One red chilli (however hot you like it) ½ cup coconut milk Coriander for garnish (and a bit to mix through) 53
Nicole Leedham chats with Evelyne Steffen, a Fleurieu
Chef with a fresh outlook Photographs by Heidi Linehan.
An abundance of fresh local food, a great relationship with suppliers and a love of the beach are what drew Evelyne Steffen to work in restaurants on the Fleurieu Peninsula – and it will be what makes her stay. Currently working at Aldinga’s Old Vine, Evelyne has earnt her stripes locally, first at the Maslin Beach Café (when there was a café), before working at the Victory Hotel, Star of Greece and the Salopian Inn. Born in Brussels, Evelyne moved to Christies Beach when she was just four – and has continued to move South. From ‘Christies, to Porties to Moeys to Mazzys’, she recounts. She started her working life in manufacturing, leaving ten years ago to take up cooking. ‘Coming from a European family, food was a real focus. We cooked with mum at an early age. The kitchen was always the hub of our home. Food has always brought family and broader groups of people together.’ These days, she is a regular at the Willunga Farmers’ Market, where she shops both personally and professionally. The Old Vine, under current owner Rob Kolencik, prides itself on sourcing local produce as much as possible, including fresh fruit
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and veggies from the ‘Village Green of Willunga Creek’ market gardeners based at the nearby Aldinga Eco Arts Village, but with the rest coming from TCs at the Seaford Shopping Centre. Meanwhile, the smallgoods come straight from McLaren Vale’s Ellis Butchers and Hamlet’s at Willunga ‘The quality is so much better and it’s nice to know where your food has been grown,’ she said, adding that it also cuts out the middlemen. ‘It also means we are in touch with seasonality.’ The recipe below showcases this ‘buy local’ approach. Evelyne is always happy to promote her suppliers – as well as to direct customers to the best cellar-doors, farm gates and even to other restaurants. And just in case feeding the Fleurieu isn’t enough, once a year Evelyne teams up with fellow local chef, Simon Burr and a team of adventurous chefs, and heads north to feed the throng that descends on Birdsville for the iconic race meeting each year. This will be her eighth and final year at the Birdsville races. ‘I have achieved what I wanted. It’s four days in the car, five days’ work, one day off. I’ve done it. Ticked that one off.’ Perhaps saying goodbye to Birdsville will allow Evelyne the chance to pursue her dream: to teach kids basic skills so they can prepare fresh food. ‘We have so much beautiful and delicious produce at our fingertips that there is no need to eat processed food.’
Chargrilled squid, chorizo, white beans, and tomato 1kg squid 1 chorizo, sliced 500g white beans, soaked overnight 1 cinnamon stick 2 bay leaves 1 clove garlic Lemon juice Cherry tomatoes, halved
Cook white beans with cinnamon, bay leaves and garlic until al dente. Season well with lemon juice and salt and cool beans in the cooking liquid. Chargrill the squid until cooked. Chargrill chorizo. Combine white beans, tomato, capsicum, red onion, preserved lemon, parsley. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil. Season. Add squid and chorizo and combine. Serve on a smear of aioli. >
Roasted capsicum, cut into strips Red onion, finely sliced Preserved lemon, zest only, julienned Parsley, roughly chopped Lemon juice and EVOO Aioli to serve. Prepare squid. 55
Yoghurt and Honey Pannacotta 7 titanium strength gelatine leaves 1kg Greek yoghurt 430ml pouring cream 200g Orange blossom honey 1 teaspoon Orange blossom water Zest and juice of one orange Soak gelatine leaves in cold water. Whisk together the yoghurt and cream until smooth. Combine honey, orange blossom water, zest and juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer.
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Squeeze moisture from gelatine leaves. Drop softened leaves into warm honey mixture and stir until dissolved. Whisk honey mixture into yoghurt and cream. Pour into a dozen dariole moulds. Refrigerate until set. Roasted Rhubarb 1kg rhubarb 1 cup white sugar ½ cup water Trim rhubarb and cut into 4cm lengths. Cover rhubarb with sugar and bake uncovered until tender ‌ approximately 15 mins.
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Local Islander Kathie Stove reminds us why Kangaroo island is
A place to savour Photographs by Quentin Chester.
Above: Truly remarkable, Remarkable Rocks.
Autumn is an invitation to Kangaroo Island. There’s no better time to visit this nature-land. Enjoy bright, clear days that are warm and still – before the winter rain begins. Meander through mallee arbours, past glassy lagoons, beside azure seas. Discover wildlife that’s wild, food and drink at its source, and art that speaks from the heart of a place to savour. The Easter Art Exhibition, opening on Good Friday, has built a strong reputation over its twenty-six years in Penneshaw. So strong that Nick Mitzevich, Director of the Art Gallery of South Australia, and Melinda Rankin, Director Murray Bridge Regional Gallery, have willingly signed on as judges of the 2016 competition. Mr Mitzevich said he is looking forward to his first trip to Kangaroo Island. ‘I have seen the work of Kangaroo Island artists exhibited in Adelaide and get the impression that living on the island has an important impact on people’s art practice. In judging, I want to see art that feels like it’s from the heart, from an individual who is committed to their own signature and how they see the world.’ Easter Sunday Farmers’ Market is one of excess produce from farm and town gardens. Fresh fruit and veg, and freshly bottled jams, chutneys and sauces all complement the market’s staple fare. Food as it was meant to taste, grown in clean air and soil.
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Market days – first Sunday of every month – are Penneshaw ‘alive’. There’s music at Penneshaw Hotel and Dudley Wines’ Cellar Door; town walks and Dudley Peninsula tours. KI Source cooking class participants take a stroll through the market with Chef Kate Sumner before heading off to the cooking school on the hill. The recipe is simple: make lunch, eat it and enjoy the view. Another fresh offering on the hidden gem of Dudley Peninsula is the Kangaroo Island Gourmet Walks, combining gourmet dining and bushwalking in spectacular coastal locations. Kate and Andy Gilfillan, of Southrock Lamb Kangaroo Island, and Hugh and Coreena Rischbieth, of Dine on the Blue Line are collaborating in this inspired venture, which commences in April. Guests stay at the secluded beachside Antechamber Bay Retreats and enjoy island produce and specially chosen locations for meals. No matter the weather, there is plenty to see and do, or not do, as the mood dictates. Once you stumble out from the Dudley excess, take a drive west. On the way protected wilderness stands side by side with fields of grain, paddocks for sheep or cattle, free-range chooks, and patches of vines, olives and figs. Grape and seed-potato harvest will both be in full swing, while canola and cereal crops are being seeded. Watch for drooping she-oaks feeding endangered Glossy BlackCockatoos and flowering gums offering nectar to chattering Crimson Rosellas. Savour the autumn tones: coppery/grey mallee trunks; pink flushed samphire against grey paperbarks; woody hakea and gum nuts, and banksia cones. Track Wedge-tailed >
Above: The stunning Mallee Arbors can be seen in a few places around the island. Below left: Newly introduced Kangaroo Island Gourmet Walks – a gourmet dining and coastal/inland walking experience like no other. Below right: ‘Where the bloody hell are ya?’
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Above: The Easter Art Exhibition, opening on Good Friday, has built a strong reputation over its twenty-six years in Penneshaw. Above work by KI local Nick Hannaford. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Eagles soaring, and Black Swans and Freckled Ducks floating on lagoons and tidal flats. Head towards Flinders Chase National Park – recently listed number one attraction in South Australia for its remarkable beauty and sanctuary for endangered species. On your way call into a honey outlet, Frogs & Roses café, Island Pure sheep dairy, a winery cellar door, Kangaroo Island Spirits, and one of the two new Island breweries. Clear your head with a walk in the fresh, fresh autumn air. Take a three-day hike or a twenty-minute stroll. Most trails are in conservation parks where the remoteness encourages wildlife, as well as people, to just be themselves. Imagine not seeing another person for the whole day. Plunge into the Island’s surrounding waters, which rival the Great Barrier Reef in diversity. Gorgonian corals, sponge gardens and 60
hundreds of fish: such as Leafy Sea dragons and Harlequin fish. Surfing, swimming, snorkelling, sailing and kayaking are all welcome in Marine parks and their Sanctuary zones. As for fishing – dangle a line from a jetty, cast off from a beach or charter a deep-sea boat. King George Whiting are biting, as are Squid, Tommy Ruff, Snapper and Flathead. And don’t forget your camera. Autumn light is perfect for photography, particularly at dawn and dusk when the wildlife is most active and the light just glows. For more information visit Tourism Kangaroo Island’s Gateway Visitor Centre, Penneshaw, www.tourkangarooisland.com.au and Natural Resources Centre Kingscote, www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/kangarooisland
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Artist, landscape designer and house builder, Evette Sunset tells Nina Keath how she’s
Breaking the rules and loving it Photographs by Robert Geh.
Previous page: Evette Sunset in her garden. Above left: The decking, which hovers above the most beautiful textured and colourful garden, is a real feature of the home. Above right: An outdoor shower at the back is a private oasis.
For years, people have been telling Evette Sunset that she needs to write a book. However, the challenge of choosing just one subject has left the book unwritten for the moment. She could write about her work as an environmental sculptor – creating richly textured, multi-form installations from natural materials, often working with communities to explore their relationships with the local area. She could describe her distinctive approach to landscape design….work she has been doing for the past thirty years in schools, hospitals and private homes. Or she could share her expertise in nature play – something she is increasingly asked to advise on as educators realise the powerful effects for young hearts and minds. Or her book could inspire others to create small, sustainable homes. She has designed and built three over the course of her life with the most recent a masterpiece in sweet, simple living. Across all these subjects, there are common themes: Evette has a special skill for responding to local sites and needs. She can forage, find and forge new life out of items others would see only as detritus and waste. She has a propensity for bringing communities together, fostering dialogue and connection as well as reverence for the local environment. She is interested in drawing out people’s agency. For
example, her artworks are only complete when a person makes them whole through their presence or participation. And in all these things, she often has deeply-held reasons for breaking the unspoken rules that limit our actions. Let me use the building of her most recent home as an example. Evette had reached the age of sixty-four and found herself in a position common to many women from her generation. Having separated from the father of her children many years earlier, she was single and with no home of her own. She had dedicated her early years to the important task of mothering, but this meant she had limited savings and no superannuation to speak of. Despite the fact that she is now a well-known and highly respected artist, Evette didn’t stop work to attend art school until she was fifty-two, and three of her four children had left home. Evette’s story is a familiar one and she feels strongly that our society can, and should, evolve to ensure that women’s contributions are > 63
All images this page and overleaf: Evette’s garden has many places to relax and enjoy. It is laid out to form little rooms full of texture, artwork, and character. A true artists’ garden.
better valued. However, in the meantime, she was determined not to be a victim of circumstance. So she set about breaking the first of many cultural rules … she refused to be made small by her circumstances. ‘We have this idea of lack of abundance, but it doesn’t have to be that way.’ Having visited her new home, I can testify that it most certainly does not. In 2012 Evette spied a small 630m2 parcel of land in the heart of Willunga. She could see that Willunga offered many of the things she valued: proximity to the sea and forests; interesting food, wine and art; a strong and vibrant community; bustling markets; walking trails and cafés. It was a place full of character, and indeed characters. Many of her friends lived in the region and her children enthusiastically told her they would visit. So, she bought the block and immediately planted the first six fruit trees. With a modest allocation remaining and a ‘bee in her bonnet’ about entering old age debt free, she set about seeking quotes from local builders. It soon became apparent that none could deliver on 64
such a slender budget. However, after a friend suggested she look at Atlas Living, she discovered that they would co-design and meet her requirements for an open, light aesthetic with a simple layout oriented towards outdoor living. The second cultural rule that Evette broke was refusing to buy into what she sees as an obsession with ‘resale value’ and ‘bigger is better’… a fixation that can propel people to ignore their own desires and needs. Evette ponders … ‘whoever told us that in order to be happy we need a huge house with a rumpus room, home cinema and three bathrooms?’ She answers her own question by musing that capitalism, despite its enormous creative potential, has become stuck on competition, scarcity and endless growth. She believes that we can re-negotiate these terms towards a focus on ‘quality’ rather than ‘quantity’, something she has done in her build. At 56m2, Evette’s home is one-fifth the size of the average new house in Australia. Instead of concerning herself with the needs of a fantasy ‘future buyer’, she has designed the home around her own
unique requirements. As a result, there are only two rooms – one contains a kitchen, eating area, lounge, study and sleeping nook; and the second contains the bathroom, laundry, and dressing room. It sounds crowded but it’s not. It has been perfectly designed for the needs of one person, and the first thing visitors notice is how spacious it feels. Evette’s genius is in the subtle art of creating spaces. They say it takes three house builds before you get it right … and Evette agrees. She thinks this, her third and simplest, is her best. In previous builds she learnt that few spaces are perfect for their function all of the time, and that flexibility within spaces is preferable to set functions. In addition, she found that walls are not required to define spaces. Other techniques can be used, such as changes in wall or floor colouring and texture, or placement of furniture and rugs. With one large room to play with, Evette is able to expand and compress the different functional spaces depending upon her need. For example, when she is creating art, her study expands into the
central part of the room, forming a spacious, light-filled studio. When her grandchildren visit, the central area becomes a play room. At night, the generously proportioned lounge area quickly converts into a bedroom, with privacy ensured by a cleverly placed blade wall. Guests are readily accommodated on the custom-made cushioned bench, simply designed to convert into a second bed. If she had a separate bedroom, it might seem strange to invite her friends to sleep there with her, but in her open plan home, it is entirely natural. Those dreamy, intimate conversations that we have all enjoyed when on the edge of sleep around a campfire are a special feature of staying at Evette’s. She has many guests! Atlas Living was able to accommodate personal customisations such as raised ceilings and wide, glass, sliding-doors, adding immeasurably to the sense of spaciousness. So despite her limited budget Evette has managed to meet impressively green credentials with solar-passive design principles, solar panels, rainwater tanks, and efficient drip-irrigation systems. The large wrap-around decking >
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Above: The house interiors are light and bright and multi-functional. Again, full of interesting artefacts, colour and texture.
and the multiple garden ‘rooms’ provide additional flexible living spaces; and clever placement of plants, garden structures and mounding have created views with depth and complexity.
layered landscape with all the qualities of a large rural estate … in what would normally be experienced as a pocket-sized suburban garden.
Indeed, the garden is a triumph. She has employed clever techniques reminiscent of 18th Century English and French garden designers, who created drama and perspective with their use of follies, lakes, bridges and foliage contrasts. Using a uniquely Australian- and Japanese-inspired palette, Evette has created a winding, winter creek that passes under a boardwalk to the front door, a productive vegetable garden and veritable orchard of fruit and nut trees, an outdoor shower and bath, a fire pit, shade pergolas, decking and shedding. Each has been thoughtfully integrated to create a richly
Evette has skilfully harnessed her learned frugality to pave a pathway to plenty. The poles for her pergola were exchanged for a series of sculptures that she made collaboratively with the family who owned the woodlot. Her huge, stone-like garden pavers are upside-down slabs of salvaged concrete. Much of her garden is grown from cuttings gathered from friends, fields and footpaths. Evette has created a lot from little … and in so doing, has not only produced abundance for herself but also a rich bounty to share with her community. No-one leaves without a basket of fresh produce, a pocketful of seeds or a clutch of sketched planting designs.
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Above: Evette has a lovely collection of ceramics, wooden objects, masks, and baskets. The large fan shaped artwork (bottom left) and the abstract birds (bottom right) are Evette’s sculpture that she creates using found natural materials.
And this is where Evette has broken rule number three. As a single grandmother, living alone on the pension, she has refused to conform with what she sees as the prevailing ageist attitudes towards older women. She says, ‘actually, in this precious last phase of my life I am liberating myself from social norms, and imperceptibly slipping through the cultural cracks – into a bright new world of being’. For Evette, the happiest people are those with great social relationships, and in creating this oasis in the heart of Willunga, she has ensured that she will be receiving visitors for many years to come. Already, she is inspiring other women of slender means to see just what is possible. I look forward to seeing which rules are broken next!
For Evette, the happiest people are those with great social relationships, and in creating this oasis in the heart of Willunga, she has ensured that she will be receiving visitors for many years to come. Already, she is inspiring other women of slender means to see just what is possible.
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Above: Treehouse Family Counselling’s Emma Holdsworth.
The heart of the matter
Claire Byrt from Love Local Fleurieu and Emma Holdsworth of Tree House Family Counselling get to the heart of what matters most. Photographs by Angela Lisman. Love Local Fleurieu is an initiative of Project Work Life to support, connect and celebrate local women in business by means of organising a series of workshops and networking events. Entrepreneurs and business women alike have joined this heartdriven community to collaborate, create opportunities and help one another through sharing ideas and experiences. FLM, in collaboration with Claire Byrt of Project Work Life, will profile various women from this community over the next year. So ... meet Emma Holdsworth of Tree House Family Counselling. Emma knew with certainty the moment she held her newborn in her arms that this moment, this bond, this connectedness, this relationship with her child was what it was all about. Almost three years later and she’s really on her path to growing a business with the sole mission of supporting families with their most important assets – their relationships – and in particular, that of the parent and child. Her underlying message is clear, and will strike a chord with any parent. ‘The relationship and bond between a parent and child is the basis of survival and the basis of a healthy society.’ ‘Society doesn’t truly value parents and their vital role in raising healthy, connected children, leading to feelings of shame and guilt when parents feel challenged by what is arguably the toughest job in the world – raising children.’
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Emma, what are you most passionate about? Relationships and connection. It’s all about supporting families, creating space and support for developing the bond between a parent and a child, particularly that between the mother and child from birth. This lays the foundations for a life of quality relationships and connectedness. Can you tell us, what does creating a heart-based business mean to you? It’s about doing what you love, getting the right balance between business, family, yourself and your values. Essentially getting out of your head and ‘feeling’ your way to success. Doing what feels good and feels right makes it a lot easier and a lot more fun. Living the dream of running your own business isn’t always easy, what keeps you inspired? Connecting with other mums – either friends or business mamas. We all share the same struggles when it comes to balancing our needs with the needs of our little people, and genuine, authentic connection and conversation with these particular women gets me through. How have you found the balance of mother/partner/creative/ business woman? I started my practice to have the flexibility I wanted to care for my daughter. It is really tough and takes a lot of energy but I love it. You have to be able to switch off and nurture yourself and your relationships. Planning and prioritising and staying focused are key.
Above: A Love Local gathering at Fox Creek Wines. Emma shares her story.
Entrepreneurs and business women alike have joined this heart-driven community to collaborate, create opportunities and help one another through sharing ideas and experiences. FLM, in collaboration with Claire Byrt of Project Work Life, will profile various women from this community over the next year. What do you do to stay aligned to your values? Know and understand them! I think so many people don’t really think about what their values are and where they came from. I keep my values at the front of my mind when I am planning and making decisions. I am learning to say NO to things that are not aligned. Is fear and self-doubt always with you? Yes!! Of course, I’m human! But fear propels me forward; I can cope with business fear as I feel like I understand its purpose. It makes me take the next step forward to push past my personal boundaries of comfort, and in doing so I gather energy and momentum and open myself to greater opportunity. What is your greatest mistake/challenge? And how has it turned good for you? Trying to do too many things and provide a service that suits everyone. I’ve learnt the importance of prioritising and focusing on what matters most. You don’t have to be everything to everyone, it’s okay to specialise and do what you really love. What is your Vision for the Tree House Family Counselling brand? To support families from the first day of parenthood, even from conception! For parents to feel confident, peaceful and supported throughout their parenting journey. Ultimately Tree House Family Counselling is about helping parents make long term and significant change so they continue to grow, learn and foster strong connection and relationships long after working with me.
Emma says, ‘Love Local Fleurieu, as it has given me an opportunity to share what I love with local women who I can call on for collaborations, for mentoring in different aspects of business, for training and workshops and that all important cuppa or a hug.’ ‘I feel like I’m a part of something bigger, a real business community that supports me and enables me to support others. It means I support local, buy local and get looked after locally in my personal life and for my business. I’d say I feel super connected to my local business community thanks to Love Local Fleurieu.’ QUICK INSIGHTS What is your ‘go to’ quote that keeps you taking heart fuelled leaps forward? ‘Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up’ Brene Brown. Who are your muses? Who are you inspired by? Brene Brown, Dr. Bruce Perry and Dr Laura Markham. What question do you ask yourself most often? How can I be more present in this work/play/interaction right now? What is the greatest piece of advice you’ve ever been given? It is okay to specialise, to do something that truly brings you joy. Favourite book? Born for Love by Dr. Bruce Perry.
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Above: Campbell Haig at his busy cellar door, gallery, café.
It’s a family affair
at the No. 58 Cellar Door in the back blocks of Port Elliot – an unusual place to find a vineyard – or so Pip Forrester thought. Photographs by Kate Elmes.
Several years ago when I was driving on the Port Elliot end of Waterport Road, I took a second look when a vineyard popped up on my right and then looked again at the charming building alongside it. I now know this to be No. 58 Cellar Door & Gallery, home of Thunderbird Wines, an eclectic collection of art for sale and a perfect spot to sample produce from the region. Campbell, Anna and Owen Haig constitute the family behind this charming enterprise. Primarily an outlet for the Thunderbird Wines produced from the Waverley Estate vineyard and a nearby property above Basham’s Beach, the cellar door is also the venue for the family to engage in all their passions and connect with their customers. For fourteenyear-old Owen, it provides a market for the eggs he produces from the family farm; for Anna, it’s an opportunity to showcase her artistic talents as a ceramicist and art curator; and for Campbell, there is the opportunity to indulge in his love of wine, art and coffee. Together this creates a perfect environment for their customers. 70
Having come from a corporate background, in Campbell’s case, and an art background in Anna’s, in 2004 they jumped at the chance to purchase the historic Waverley Estate on Waterport Road, and in 2008 their Basham’s Beach property – fifteen acres of which is vineyard. Over the past five years they have skilfully built a business that now comprises a successful, multi-faceted tourism facility that showcases all their talents and energies. Campbell has extensive experience in marketing, hospitality and is also quite well travelled. This family project has given him the opportunity to use his experiences on a daily basis in a hands-on business, and to have the pleasure of seeing his customers enjoy what the family has created. Anna, having worked for many years in some of the leading art galleries in Adelaide, can now work in her farm-based studio to create ceramic pieces for the occasional exhibition, but also available exclusively at the cellar door. She enjoys making functional pieces, which sit well in the cellar-door environment.
Top: Weather-worn tables and benches on the front deck overlooking the vines. Bottom left: A perfect spot to sample produce from the region. Below right: The cellar door oozes charm and good taste combining art, design and comfortable furnishings.
Owen, at fourteen, might not be ready to throw himself full-time into the family business, but he is very much part of the team. He supplies eggs from their property and works at the cellar door on weekends and during school holidays. Perhaps we are seeing a winemaker or artist in training. Anna’s and Campbell’s eye for art can be seen in the paintings and sculptures on exhibit at No.58. They are not only for sale, but also serve to contribute to the atmosphere of the space. They have a strong representation of works by Tom O’Callaghan, a well-known still life and landscape artist from the Fleurieu Peninsula; and jewellery by Shanti and Jen Nielsen. Paintings by Arky Maur, Oliver Kabbani and Lisa Ingerson; and ceramics by Sally Baddams, Angela Walford and Elodie Barker are also on show. A collection of metal works by Anna Small and Warren Pickering captivate you before you even enter the building.
combination of country and seaside attributes, with weatherworn tables and benches on the front deck overlooking the vines. The building has an open and airy feeling, a result of the raked ceiling and the floor to ceiling recycled jarrah windows. As you would expect, the French Provincial tasting bar is the focal point of the room, but a cleverly chosen mixture of various sizes of assorted rustic tables and chairs makes this a particularly welcoming and comfortable cellar door. The small kitchen belies the delicious food available. The Haigs place a strong emphasis on the produce of the region, using local chefs and food producers to deliver a small but delicious menu of dishes and platters that highlight the best the region has to offer. Whether it’s wine, food, art, or hospitality, the Haig family affair at No.58 Waterport Road is a significant ‘home away from home’ in the Fleurieu Peninsula for locals, and visitors alike.
Like the historic Waverley Estate complex, the cellar door oozes charm and good taste. It was designed and built by Anna and Campbell next to the vineyard. They took care not to intrude, but rather augment the historic nature of the property. It embodies a 71
Taken an amazing photo on the Fleurieu lately? Upload it to our Facebook page and you could see your handiwork in print. Each issue we’ll choose the best image(s) and publish them right here in the pages of FLM. facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine This photo was taken at Leonards Mill in Second Valley.
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Serving visitors and locals alike for more than 40 years. Coffee, quality cakes, gelati and full al a carte lunch, dinner and pizza menu. 17 Albert Place Victor Harbor (opposite Crown Hotel) Ph 8552 3501 • Open 7 days 9.00am till late.
WIN A PAIR OF ROSSI’S As an FLM reader, you can win one of three pairs of Rossi Boots! To enter, simply post a picture of yourself holding the current Autumn 2016 issue of FLM to our Facebook page.Tag the photo #RossiBoots Facebook.com/FleurieuLivingMagazine Winners will be notified via Facebook on May 27.
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BOOKS & WORDS
Book Reviews by Mike Lucas.
towards an inevitable showdown that will not disappoint. Though primarily an adult novel, the no-holds barred style of writing makes it well placed for older teens in a market where fiction is often too sanitised.
Grandpa’s Great Escape by David Walliams
Published by Harper Collins ISBN 9780008135195 $19.99
First Person Shooter by Cameron Raynes
Published by MidnightSun Publishing ISBN 9781925227079 $24.99 MidnightSun Publishing of Adelaide has, as always, chosen well with Cameron Raynes’ coming of age novel about a teenage misfit living in a troubled small town. Fifteen-yearold Jayden struggles with his confidence, mainly due to the frustrating stutter that dominates every aspect of his life. His best friend, Shannon’s, violent step-brother, Pete, is at war with the local bikie gang, while her mother is soon to be released from a long spell in prison for killing her step-father. His emotionally-distant father is recovering from an addiction to cannabis, and, in the last week of term, Jayden is suspended from school for carrying live ammunition. There’s a lot going on in this tightly packed tale of teen angst, dysfunctional family dynamics, bullying, and small town crime. This is hard hitting realism, confrontational in both subject matter and plot. The characters have history and substance, damaged individuals who come together as the pages turn 74
Whenever Harper Collins announces the upcoming release of a new David Walliams book, the title and theme … in fact everything about it, is kept a tight-lipped secret from booksellers and the public until shortly before it arrives. But such is the anticipation and his proven track record for sales that the books are ordered in bulk and they never fail to sell … and sell … and sell. And so it is for this latest bestseller which centres on Jack and his Grandpa, a World War II RAF hero. When Grandpa starts to act strangely, Jack’s parents look at sending him to the sinister old people’s home,
Twilight Towers, which stands on the top of the hill looming ominously above the town. Run by evil Matron Swine, the home isn’t quite what it seems to be. And Grandpa, who has a history of escaping from certain establishments in his distant past, enlists Jack’s help to make the greatest escape of all. Written for primary school children, Grandpa’s Great Escape, like all of Walliams’ hilarious titles can be enjoyed by all. With wonderful character illustrations by the fabulous Tony Ross, this book confirms David Walliams as the closest thing to Roald Dahl around today. And that’s not an easy achievement.
Birds of Kangaroo Island – A Photographic Field Guide by Chris Baxter
Published by ATF Press ISBN 9781921511189 $54.95 With 267 different species of bird recorded on Kangaroo Island, this book is as thorough as you can get. Though many species have declined or disappeared from the mainland over the years, the isolation of Kangaroo Island allows them to still flourish
within its sanctuary. Over 550 pages of beautiful colour photographs and detailed descriptions of behaviour, habitat and breeding make this an excellent companion for any birdwatcher. Chris Baxter, who grew up on the island on a soldier settlement farm in Karatta, details where to find the birds and how to observe endangered species without further threatening them. For beginners, there is an anatomical diagram of a bird, explaining the plumage and anatomy definitions. Kangaroo Island’s natural wilderness and wildlife diversity make it a ‘must see’ place for anybody living in or visiting South Australia. And when you get there, or on the way, make sure you pick up a copy of this book. They are undoubtedly going to fly off the shelves.
than fifty pages, will have you thinking about the characters, the events and the final twist long after you have closed the book. If, that is, you are able to close it before you reach the end of the final story!
The Painted Ocean by Gabriel Packard
Published by Corsair ISBN 9781472151162 $29.99 If you want a book that takes you to places you don’t expect, then this originally styled, edge of the seat, fast-paced tale in two parts is the one for you. Beginning in 1991, twelve-year-old Shruti lives in London with her Punjabi mother, where she is constantly bullied and racially abused at school. When her dominating uncle arrives from India to pressure her mother to return and remarry, Shruti is forced to leave home and live with foster parents. At school a new girl, Meena, joins the class and Shruti puts all of her effort into forming a relationship with her. Rolling forward eight years, Shruti, still obsessed with Meena, follows her to university. But when she agrees to join her on a holiday to India, Meena’s true character comes to the fore and Shruti finds herself in a nightmare situation with no means of escape. Written in colloquial, modern English, this book is at times intense and shocking, at others sad and poignant. Sympathy for Shruti is unavoidable; her childhood life is a series of disappointments and betrayals. But none of it will compare to the horrors she will face when she arrives in India for her ‘holiday’ with Meena.
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
Published by Hodder & Stoughton ISBN 9781473698895 $32.99 Stephen King’s short story compilations have, in the past, given birth to great movies such as Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me. His collections are eclectic and generally unable to be placed in any one category: there are the obvious tales of horror, some of suspense, others that seem all too real and a few that are just downright weird. Many of them have a little of each, an intoxicating concoction of thrills and surprises that you have to swallow whole – to stop reading them half way through is almost impossible. This latest addition to his ever-growing catalogue of best sellers is no different. Stephen King’s skill has always been to capture the reader, to lead them somewhere that makes them feel uncomfortable and then to turn off the lights and walk away, leaving them scared and alone. Many of these twenty-one tales, some only a few pages long and others of more
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Above: Regular entrant Brian O’Malley hard at work in his studio.
Sarah Abbott learns how The Fleurieu Art Prize has evolved:
Creating a canvas of fine art, magnificent wines and superb food Who would have guessed it? The Fleurieu Peninsula is not only the name-sake but the birth-place of the richest landscape art prize in the world – The Fleurieu Art Prize. Since its establishment in 1998, the Fleurieu Art Prize has been presented eight times. Now valued at $65,000, the non-acquisitive prize has garnered an international reputation – and an exciting ‘changing of the guard’ for the 2016 program will be pivotal for the future of this prestigious art competition. After eighteen years The Fleurieu Art Prize for landscape will relocate from its home on the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia to the prestigious Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art in Adelaide, where it will be presented to broader audiences for the first time. International judge, Nigel Hurst, from the Saatchi Gallery in London has agreed to come back in 2016 as head judge. FAP Board member, Sarah Abbott, said: ‘This relocation is necessary not only to reinvigorate the landscape program but also to allow the
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main prize to continue to flourish on the international stage.’ The Fleurieu Art Prize has a long history of recognising the synergy between the magnificent vistas, world class food and wine … and artists capturing the beauty of the region, aspiring to express a connection with place, appreciating that landscape holds a substantial power for contemporary culture. The Fleurieu’s colourful and visionary characters, including the late Gregg Trott of Wirra Wirra winery, artist David Dridan, and Tony Parkinson of Penny’s Hill, drove the inauguration of the Fleurieu Biennale Art prize. They wanted to bring together, in this beautiful canvas, some of life’s most rewarding experiences: fine art, magnificent wines and superb food. The landscape prize can also boast former winners including Fiona Lowry (2013), Ken Whisson (2006), Elisabeth Cummings (2000) and Robert Hannaford (1998), all of whom are renowned Australian landscape artists.
Above: Director of Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, Erica Green and one of the Fleurieu Art Prize founders Tony Parkinson.
no different. We have a team of over fifty volunteers and the program to be launched in the next couple of months promises to be breathtaking and exciting.’ ‘The Food and Wine Art Prize has been promoted Australia-wide and we expect well over five hundred entries.’ The $10,000 prize will attract international artists, as well as many from all over Australia … and of course those from the region, including Brian O’Malley and Gail Kellet.’
Above: Local artist Gail Kellet has also been a finalist in the Fleurieu Biennale. A hand coloured lino cut print by Gail is shown above.
The other exciting part of the evolving award is the reintroduction of the Food and Wine Prize. Since the landscape prize’s inception there have been a number of supporting prizes, but the Food and Wine Prize always drew particular interest. The 2016 Food and Wine Art Prize is a Festival Community Program celebrating the art, food and wine of the Fleurieu Peninsula region, with a $10,000, non-acquisitive prize for paintings on a food and wine theme. The Food and Wine Art Prize will be sited in McLaren Vale and will thereby continue the Prize’s close association with the Peninsula. The judges for this prize are highly respected in the art world and include artist and Director of Adelaide Central School of Art, Chris Orchard; Director of Anne & Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, Erica Green and media identity and journalist, Anne Fulwood. Local, national and international guests that visit Samstag to view The Fleurieu Art Prize will be encouraged to take a trip to the Fleurieu, and more specifically McLaren Vale, to see the Food and Wine Art Prize across the ten different venues and dabble in all elements of the Fleurieu – and vice versa. ‘Back in 1998, it was extraordinary how a relatively small community made such an impact on the art scene, particularly considering how much of it was done with the support of the local wineries and businesses, not to mention the dozens of volunteers. This 2016 is
Asked what he loves about our region Brian said: ‘The light, landscape, and the interaction between hills, plains and ocean. There is a multiplicity of agriculture and all that gives me an enormous range of painting potential. The Fleurieu Art Prize was originated here and a component should stay here.’ Another local artist, Gail Kellet, has also been a finalist in many of the Fleurieu Biennale exhibitions. Her work is recognised for its uniqueness and boldness. Gail said: ‘I find linocut printmaking a powerful medium – exciting and unpredictable. My ideas reflect the diversity of the region in which I live – both rural and urban.’ As a well-known and respected identity in the area, Gail’s support of the Biennale exhibitions over many years reflects the pride the community has for its cultural milieu. Sarah said: ‘the founding fathers of the Fleurieu Art Biennale had the vision to bring together a celebration of art, food and wine and in so doing promote the region they loved and make this a highly recognised place of interest for both global and local visitors. The new Food and Wine Art Prize gives us the opportunity to continue this vision and to carry it forward into the future.’ The winner will be announced on Saturday June 4 at the McLaren Vale & Fleurieu Visitor’s Centre. Finalist works will be exhibited in the Visitor’s Centre as well as nine wineries with designated art spaces around McLaren Vale. These include Wirra Wirra, Kay Brothers, Hugo Wines, Dog Ridge, Red Poles, Angove, Penny’s Hill, Chapel Hill and Rosemount. If you are an artist there is still time to enter the FFWAP. Entries close March 30. Visit www.artprize.com.au/ for more information. To keep up to date: www.facebook.com/FleurieuArtPrize/
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Above: ‘Mister Rockstar,’ (left) Shadows Above’ (centre) and ‘Red Orbit’ (right) are training today – but it is Shadows Above who is targeting a run on UBET Adelaide Cup Day. (See how her ears pricked up when we said that?) Below: Trainer David Jolly.
In the blood lines
Petra de Mooy visits David Jolly Racing. Photographs by Angela Lisman.
Late January we met David Jolly at the Barrage in Goolwa. David tells us that he regularly takes horses from his racing stables to the river to have a walk or a trot through the water.
David says: ‘They are bred to run and they love to run.’ He loves the horses and the lifestyle, with his kids growing up on a farm. Easy access to the beach and the river making it feel less like a job … and for the most part quite enjoyable.
‘They love it and it is good because they can touch the bottom but they work pretty hard. We’ve found it is especially good for horses that are highly-strung because they relax in the water a bit more.’ The buoyancy is also good for recovery after a race or for horses with injuries.
The racing season is the best part though, with the ladies frocking up and the men putting on their Sunday best – even introducing a fancy hat to complement the outfit. The atmosphere is fantastic and the carnival is what a lot of the race trainers work towards all year. Sales are made, bets are made, and races won and lost. As it is a betting sport tensions do run high, but that is part of what makes it exciting.
David grew up on a farm close to Meadows. His father converted their property from a dairy farm to agistment stables for racehorses. They trained the odd horse as well, using parts of Kuitpo Forest as a training ground.
This year racegoers are encouraged to wear a little bit of red to embrace the theme, ‘Paint the Cup Red’. A ‘Mad March’ feel will be created by roving jugglers, stilt walkers … as well as food vans and a pop up precinct.
So it was kind of in the blood and as a young man David started his own career in the industry at Magic Million in Adelaide (formerly Australian Breeders Co-operative ABCOS) selling horses both locally and overseas. He then obtained a training license and was hired to train horses at Finniss, working for a number of training stables before setting up his own in Goolwa, fittingly called David Jolly Racing. David usually has about thirty horses in training. To get them race-ready the horses do five or six weeks of intensive beach work followed by track work at Strathalbyn. ‘It usually takes nine or ten weeks to get them ready for a race’, says David. On this day in mid-summer it is raining, but the trio of horses (Shadows Above, Mister Rock Star and Red Orbit) seems to love that as well. Shadows Above is likely to run in one of the restricted races on UBET Adelaide Cup Day in March. 78
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‘Atlas II’ by Dan Mansutti | 'Affinity' art print by Leunig.
Supporting Australian Artists and Craftspeople
Tapas at Anchorage
Delicious Tapas, Estrella Beer on tap & Sangria. Chalk board specials served on Fridays from 3pm. Tapas menu available from 3pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and daily for dinner. House Roasted Coffee.
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Based on meticulously kept diaries, letter books and long told anecdotes it tells of daily lives, the characters involved, challenges faced & opportunities recognised. Visit our Cellar door, taste some of the award-winning wines and take a look at the diaries that inspired the book ‘The First 125 Years’.
Monday to Friday: 9am - 5pm Saturday and Sunday: 11am - 5pm 57 Kays Road, McLaren Vale Phone (08) 8323 8211 www.kaybrothersamerywines.com
Paintings, Prints, Jewellery, Giftware, Aboriginal Art, Ceramics, Textiles, Glass, Homewares, Children’s Toys and Cards. Open Friday, Sunday and Monday 11-4, Saturday 10-4 Willunga Gallery signage 03June2014.pdf
29 High Street, Willunga, South Australia 5172 contact@willungagallery.com.au willungagallery.com.au
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Fleurieu Weddings On 5th December, 2015 Emma Craig and David Craggs were married and enjoyed their reception at The Star of Greece in Port Willunga. Photographs by emme jade.
Dave was a bartender at the Seacliff pub. Emma was a frequent drinker at the pub. As such, she was all too familiar with his genius pick up/flirting move: that is, putting lots of straws in a (preferred) girl’s drink. She knew all this and thought him a bit too self-assured – yet still fell for it! One night after Dave finished at the Seacliff they met up in town at Marble Bar. The rest (as they say) is history … or in their case, a difference of opinion on just who was chasing whom. Dave proposed on Valentine’s Day. As he had never been a fan of that particular day it was a complete surprise for Emma! He had invited about twenty of their closest friends and family to be at their house when they returned from dinner at nearby Ampika’s Thai. On bended knee and with the beautiful ring he had designed at Wishart Jewellers, his words were something along the lines of … ‘So, I was wondering if you wanted to spend the next eighty years or so with me’. Consequently they have until they are about 106. They were married on December 5, 2015 at Emma’s mum’s house on the Esplanade, Hallett Cove on a very warm summer Saturday: 39 degrees, but with a beautiful sea breeze. Alex, Emma’s younger brother, walked her down the aisle since their dad had lost his life several years earlier to MND. But as she solemnly walked down the aisle the veil got caught and was ripped from her head, leaving David waiting anxiously while the crowd erupted with laughter.
As the ocean holds great significance for both Emma and David, The Star of Greece, with its position right over the sea, was a comprehensible choice for the reception. They kicked off the night with a Scottish tradition, the Quaich, in which the head of each of their families (their granddads) shared a nip of whiskey from the family quaiche (a two-handled drinking cup) … as did David and Emma, thereby symbolising the coming together of two clans. They had planned a cool, cocktail-style vibe with relaxed house tunes – but the power was out to the whole area for the first 2-3 hours of the reception! So with a friend’s ute pulled up to the kiosk playing music through his radio, they kicked on regardless! The undeterred staff went to get ice for drinks, candles to counter the impending darkness … and the phenomenal food service continued right throughout the blackout! The array of seafood and other canapés were as good as the worldclass view. Accompanied by equally world-class wines from Penny’s Hill and other McLaren Vale and Adelaide Hills’ wineries a great time was naturally enough had by all. (Being big gin fans, G&Ts were also on the beverage list, thereby helping out with the ‘great time’.) When the power came back on they were able to commence their speeches, dance their first dance together (Better together, Jack Johnson) … and not a soul deserted the dance floor for the remainder of the night!
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Fleurieu Weddings On November 21 2015 Prue Young and Geoffrey Langhans married at Gemtree Winery in McLaren Flat. Photographs by Meg Hansen.
Prue and Geoff met at Gemtree during vintage 2014. Having only commenced working for Gemtree Wines as their Marketing Coordinator in August 2013, Prue was new to the wine industry and McLaren Vale. Prue was seeking a seachange from the city and even joked with her old colleagues that she could meet a winemaker, fall madly in love and live happily ever after, surrounded by delicious wines.
Geoff was Assistant Winemaker at Gemtree, following winemaking stints in Germany, Canada and the UK. Having grown up in the Southern suburbs of Adelaide, McLaren Vale was a perfect fit and he had already purchased the Old Stone Cottage Restaurant in Clarendon and was in the process of converting it to his home. Deciding that she wanted to know more about the winemaking process proved life-changing for Prue, as Geoff was one of the crew who helped to show her the ropes around the winery. They quickly became friends and bonded over their mutual love of food and wine. Geoff would make sweet treats for the winery staff once a week ‌ and in an oh-so-sweet attempt to woo her, he started doing this for the head office staff too. He would drop in weekly to say hello, with something yummy, until he built up the courage to ask Prue out for dinner. She said yes – and from there the relationship blossomed. On the day of their six-month anniversary Geoff popped the question. He had planned an elaborate treasure hunt around the significant
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locations of their short relationship, starting at the restaurant where they had their first date, picking up gifts along the way – culminating with the ring in a wooden puzzle box. Unfortunately, he got cold feet after Prue had stern words with him about the direction of their relationship – and cancelled everything. The morning of the abandoned proposal, with an excited Prue expecting a day of surprises, Geoff suddenly blurted out everything he had planned. Amid a fountain of tears Prue managed to say she would have said yes. Geoff hurriedly grabbed the ring, got down on one knee and Prue said ... ‘yes’. When contemplating wedding venues they couldn’t think of a more ideal place than Gemtree Winery … and they wanted their personal touch on everything, to make it truly theirs. Prue handmade the invitations, sewed over twenty metres of bunting and decorated over fifty jars with lace and hessian for their floral decorations. She and Geoff had collected, recycled and de-labelled every jar they used for the remainder of that year. Geoff prepared a cocktail-style
menu, which included platters of local Fleurieu produce, wood oven pizzas, pork belly and chicken sliders, hearty soups and stews, with homemade fudge for dessert. There were three wedding cakes: a favourite sultana cake made by Geoff’s grandma, Joan; a dense butter cake made by Prue’s mother, Heather, using a recipe from Prue’s grandmother, Catherine Love … who had sadly passed away only three months before the wedding; and a gorgeous, tiered, sponge cake made by their close friend Bec. Bec also made the girls’ wedding bouquets. The couple were blessed with a perfect sunny day. They exchanged their personally written ‘secret’ vows in the presence of 120 of their closest friends and family. They vowed to love one another forever – despite the fact that, and we quote, Prue ‘scrapbooks like a nanna’ and Geoff ‘is a table tennis-playing goober.’ They celebrated their honeymoon with a three-week indulgent food and wine journey of South Australia and Victoria ... and are now home renovating the old stone cottage in Clarendon. 83
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If you love art, visit John Lacey’s contemporary gallery/studio and meet this award winning artist. Originals and prints. Open most days 11am - 5pm. 41 Woodcone Rd Mt Compass. T: 8556 8388 M: 0419 823 708 W: johnlacey.com.au
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McLaren Vale Garden Centre
wants to inspire you to achieve something special in your garden 174 Main Road McLaren Vale Phone 8323 8440 www.goodgarden.com.au Find us on Facebook
“First for fruit trees on the Fleurieu”
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6 t. Â 0402 716 40 ho.com e. heidi@heidiw m .co ho iw id w. he heidiwhophotos gram / twitter. facebook / insta
Have an event? WeĂll bring the Kombis. Kombi Cruise on Fb
Ph: 0408 870 062
Open from 11 am for coffee, lunch and snacks on Wednesday to Sunday. Dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. Winner SA Tourism Restaurant of the Year 2015.
ANGELA LISMAN PHOTOGRAPHY Freelance Photographer with a passion for Food, Wine and Events.
T: 0409 738 297 E: angela@angelalismanphotography.com.au W: angelalismanphotography.com.au
Bookings: 8598 4184 www.leonardsmill.com.au 7869 Main South Road, Second Valley
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Fleurieu Shop Front
PIZZA KNEADS Now at new Willunga location open 7 days. Licensed, dine in & takeaway. Monday - Thursday 8am - 8.30pm Friday & Saturday 8am - 9.30pm (Saturday market day breakfast) Sunday 11am - 8.30pm. Come on in and grab a coffee from the big yellow machine – whether you’re on the run or dining in, all your favourite wood oven pizzas are available. Products & equipment also available for DIY pre-packed. 8a Hill Street Willunga Ph: 08 85562083
SOUTH SEAS BOOKS A welcoming space where people can browse the shelves at their leisure, meet friends for a coffee or shop for a unique gift. We stock a wide selection of good reading for all ages – as well as a range of eclectic art and design books. Monday to Saturday 10-5.00pm Sundays and public holidays 11.00-4.00pm Closed Tuesdays 53 North Terrace, Port Elliot Ph: 8554 2301
MIST A relaxing selection of homewares, gifts and fashion. Mist supports talented locals who make and source beautiful things such as jewellery, artwork, candles, soap and furniture. They are now stocking a great organic skin care range, plus an eclectic selection of thoughtfully chosen gift items.
MR RIGGS Introducing the Mr. Riggs ‘Pop Up’ Cellar Door, located in the heart of McLaren Flat. Sample Mr. Riggs’ finest wines, along with delicacies from Home Grain Bakery.
YUMMY NUTS NOW OPEN IN PORT ELLIOT! Stocking a huge range of gluten free, paleo, organic and local gourmet lines. Bulk foods, nuts, new season Riverland dried fruit and home brew products also available. Don’t forget their fabulous gift hampers for any occasion, organic baby products, organic skincare and a growing range of health supplements. 152 Main Rd, McLaren Vale, or 2/33 North Tce, Port Elliot. Ph: 8323 8500 www.yummynutsmarket.com.au Find us on Facebook.
Shop 1, 26 The Strand, Port Elliot Ph: 0473 174 003
Alma Hotel ALMA HOTEL Enjoy a traditional country hotel owned by the McCauley family. They offer hearty classic meals where you can sit in the restaurant, beer garden or front verandah. Local wines are served by the glass and you can even take a bottle of your favourite home from their Sip’n’Save bottleshop. 11 Hill Street, Willunga Ph: 8556 2027 www.almahotel.com.au
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Open Fridays 12-4pm, Saturdays 10-4pm Sundays 12-4pm, and select public holidays from 11-4pm. Groups of 8 or more by appointment please. 55 Main Road, McLaren Flat Ph: 8383 2055 Email: cellardoor@mrriggs.com.au Website: www.mrriggs.com.au
SOCIAL PAGES
Being Social: Kay Brothers: The First 125 Years On February 6 FLM was invited to attend the book launch by Kay Brothers – The First 125 Years. Guests were treated to an afternoon of food, wine and laughter as friends and family recounted stories from both the past and present, celebrating a great milestone in this family’s rich history.
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Being Social: Beresford Launch On February 11 FLM attended the official opening of the Beresford Tasting Pavillion. This truly remarkable new offering in the region is a must-see. Fantastic design coupled with fantastic food and wine.
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01: Alex Johnston, Mark Maxwell and Chester Osborn 02: Bill, Alice, Elspeth (with son George) and Colin Kay 03: Chris Johnson and Brioni Oliver 04: Elspeth Kay and Barb Brummit 05: Jen and Dave Wright 06: Michael Wehrs and Mark Lloyd 07: Karen Raffen and Nicola Martin 08: Georgie Woskett and Julian Modra 09: Angelo Kotses and Tom Kenyon 10: George Miglis, Briony Miglis, Alyson Brown and Catrina Frigo 11: Alex Brown and Mark Frigo 12: Chris Illman, Chris Dix and Julie Lowe.
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SOCIAL PAGES
Being Social: Salty Stories at Red Poles On Saturday December 12 FLM attended the opening of ‘Salty Stories’. All artworks were sold by a silent auction continuing throughout the exhibition, with a closing get-together for all those who put in bids along the way! Artists: Peter Barnes, Heidi Linehan, Sean McGovern, Chris Oaten and Bek Schapel.
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Being Social: Fleurieu Tourism Guide Launch On January 13 Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism launched their 2016 Guide at the Waverley Estate. A large crowd was in attendance enjoying canapes with Thunderbird Wines.
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01: Heidi Linehan and Miranda Lang 02: Gavin and Joanna Blake 03: Tony Kearney and Mike Lim 04: Ko Posthumus and Carol Brock 05: Belinda and Alistair Pearce 06: Sean McGovern and Bek Schapel 07: Noel and Robyn Akmens 08: Laura Vanags, Nicolle Perry and Jen Wright 09: Dylan Beach and Ned Raggat 10: Liz Pitman and Rachel McMillan 11: Amber Nancarrow and Natasha Hunt 12: Ros Miller, Georgia Lang and Miranda Lang.
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Being Social: McLaren Vale Harvest Festival On January 15 the Feast of the Fleurieu was held at the McLaren Vale Oval. Kicking off the 4th annual Harvest Festival in style with cool blues and jazz from Perscia Brokensha, along with delicious food from Chef Steele.
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Being Social: Stage 5 of the Santos Tour Down Under On Saturday January 23 Willunga and surrounds came alive with the Stage Five of the Santos Tour Down Under weaving its way through the Southern Vales. FLM visited the Onkaparinga Council Corporate Marquee to get up close to the action. Guests were allocated front row seats to the action and were treated to lovely regional food and Leconfield Wines.
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01: Lee and Sara Martin 02: Jacqueline Walstencroft, Josh Gallagher and Lisa Walstencroft 03: Loo and Brad Keighran 04: Jenni Mitton, Campbell and Narelle Dandy and John Mitton 05: Miriam Bourne, Kath Shaw, Mel Hage, Max Mason, Brigette Elliott, Becky Hirst and Penny Lamb 06: Dave Phillips, George Grifsas and Dave McEvoy 07: Peter Charlesworth and Karyn Thomas 08: Ron and Jan Logan with Onkaparinga Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg 09: Lara Sheen and Jeff Wright 10: Laila Ferrier and Cate Rounsefell 11: Zolton Heinrich and Victoria Butler 12: Ben and Kate Kreig with Abbey Threadgold.
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SOCIAL PAGES
Being Social: Fleurieu Film Festival at Penny’s Hill On February 5 the stars were shining for the inaugural Fleurieu Film Festival. VIPs, organisers, film-makers and the lucky few who’d purchased some of the extra tickets were treated to the first screening of the top eleven films. The fantastic weather and beautiful setting of Penny’s Hill produced a night to remember.
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01: Barnaby Scantlebury, Maxwell Mason and Tracy Rashleigh 02: Claire Byrt and Rachel McMillan 03: Razak Mohammed, Joff Chappel and Stewart Roper 04: Jon Lemon and Stephanie Johnston 05: Richard Coburn and Julie-Anne Briscoe 06: Stephen De Villiers, Katrina Douglas and Ron Logan. 07: Alison Alcock and Lorraine Rosenberg 08: Christopher Warman, Kristin McLarty, Helen Glacken and Marty Summer 09: Hazel Wainright and Haydon Manning 10: Jade Hefferan Clark, Louise Jones and Lyndal Redman.
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Being Social: FLM Summer Launch at Waverley Estate On the December 2 a great crowd gathered at the Waverley Estate in Port Elliot to launch the Summer issue of FLM. Great food from the Olfactory Inn accompanied by local Settlers Gin, Angas Plains Estate and Springs Hill Wines was enjoyed by all.
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Being Social: Cricket4Cancer at Hotel Elliot On December 4 Hotel Elliot played host to the Cricket4Cancer Sportsman’s Long Lunch. Organised by the McIllroy Auto Group and raising funds for the Fleurieu Cancer Support – the day was a big success.
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01: Rolly Burrell and Ange Broadstock 02: Ian Brown and Prue Gardner Brown 03: Danni Mc Ellroy, Marc Kress and Miranda Lang 04: Mel and Donovan Steer with Jake and Charlotte 05: Narelle Camm and Kay Digby 06: Robert Van Rooyen and Bianca Haddrick 07: Jay Leech, Nick Hutchinson and Kath Hattam 08: Shaun Tait and Darren Lehmann 09: Bruce, Steven and Adam Wright 10: Jarrad Tait and Schutz Wright 11: Kym and Steve Overall with Matt Smith 12: Brett Giles with Paul Martin.
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Gentlemen, start your engines! McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic, April 15-17 For eleven years now the McLaren Vale Vintage and Classic has been held on a sunny weekend in April. The sun just seems to shine for this event, which is a darn good thing as the owners of these precious vehicles go to great lengths to polish and detail their collectibles for a big day out. The beautiful McLaren Vale region and its wineries play host to the event – and it just gets bigger and bigger. Last year’s parade saw fifteen to twenty thousand people lining the Main Road of McLaren Vale for the Grand Parade! Each vintage and classic category then winds its way through the picturesque countryside to their designated winery for ‘Show and Shine’. This is a great family-friendly event with something for all.
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The wineries go to great lengths to make it so, with a kick-off charity dinner on Saturday night at Serafino and Sunday events which include BBQs, casual street food, regional food, art shows, bouncy castles, live entertainment, and of course, fantastic wine proliferates. Chairman Trevor Sharp takes a great deal of pride in the event saying: ‘this program was not copied from any other event, but designed for our area – making it really unique’. Indeed, the event has a handful of awards including ‘Excellence in Mainstreet events’ with funds raised from the event donated to the McLaren Vale Hospital. For more information on the charity dinner or to register your vehicle: http://www.vintageandclassic.com.
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With everything from whale watching to wine tasting, white sandy beaches to sumptuous food, contemporary art galleries and craft breweries, the Fleurieu Peninsula is Adelaide’s playground. Fleurieu Peninsula is magic on your doorstep. www.fleurieupeninsula.com.au
Illustration by Chris Edser.
FLEURIEU LIVING T H E B E S T O F S O U T H A U S T R A L I A’ S F L E U R I E U P E N I N S U L A A N D K A N G A R O O I S L A N D
FLEURIEU LIVING MAGAZINE
While alive, celebrate – a vineyard home in Kangarilla Women in wine – making the most of the season Evette Sunset’s character filled Willunga home Autumn on Kangaroo Island – something to savour Willunga Art Gallery
Visit our display home at the Beyond Development. Open: Mon-Wed-Sat-Sun and public holidays 1:00 to 4:30. Telephone South Coast Constructions on 8552 4444.
Build your dream home – in a dream location | beyondtoday.com.au | southcoastconstructions.com.au
www.fleurieuliving.com.au
Lifestyle and sustainability. Beyond, the perfect balance of sustainability, life and luxury. Stages 1-7 SOLD OUT • Stage 8 on sale now ‘off the plan’ • Large allotments of 550-950 sqm from $160,000 SA’s most sustainable and energy efficient development • Phone 0412 620 022 or email adam@beyondtoday.com.au.
AUTUMN 2016
AU $8.95 AUTUMN 2016
McLaren Vale Region · Goolwa · Victor Harbor · Yankalilla · Kangaroo Island