WFM: Adapting to change

Above: The Willunga Farmers Market has adapted to the COVID restrictions and is going strong – providing both delicious regional produce, supporting local business and offering a welcoming community spirit.

Farmers Market: adapting to change Story by Kate Le Gallez. Photograph by Heidi Lewis.

On 21 March 2020, uncertainty was in the air. We were six days into a declared public health emergency in South Australia. Toilet paper was now a precious resource, our conversations were newly littered with the phrase ‘social distancing’ and I was wondering whether to make my weekly trip to the Willunga Farmers Market (WFM). Habit – and the ability to shop in the fresh air – won out, with two concessions. First, I was alone, because two young children will touch everything, pandemic or not. Secondly, I was armed with hand sanitiser, readily accessible for frequent dousings.

For six days, Jenni Mitton, General Manager of WFM, and her management team wondered how many people would make the same decision I did. Would people still come? ‘It was a bit of a scary time,’ Jenni recalls. But she believed in the importance of continuing to offer access to the fresh, local produce the market is renowned for – for the benefit of both the traders, whose livelihoods were at stake, and shoppers. Government directives aside, the market was and is an essential service. And that meant change needed to happen, and quickly.

But not too much change: ‘neither our customers or our stallholders are fans of change,’ laughs Jenni. The existing site was a major problem, however. ‘We couldn’t social distance in the space we were in,’ she explains. The solution was to split the market, with all fresh fruit and vegetable stalls relocating across the road to the Willunga Recreation Park grounds. The WFM board signed it off mid-week and the news went out via newsletter and social media: the market is on. Same, same but different.

Somehow I missed all of that, so when I made my way into the market via my usual route down the side of the Fleurieu Milk truck, the change hit me like the sting of hand sanitiser in a paper cut. In Town Square where stalls once stood awning to awning, space had appeared. Slightly discombobulated, I was lining up to buy my milk (three of the dark blue, thanks) when a man in a fluoro vest approached me. Fresh fruit and veg are over the road, he said.

This man – a newly-recruited volunteer – and others like him, would become a new fixture of the market experience. Their fluro-clad presence at the entry points to the market wielding hand sanitiser and friendly but firm reminders to stand two arm lengths apart help reinforce the new norms. After the re-siting, the volunteers are the reason people continue to feel safe shopping at the market, says Jenni. Another new fixture is the availability of cashless payment. ‘While everyone else was out hoarding toilet paper, I was at Officeworks, hoarding Square Readers and driving to producers’ farms and setting them up, showing them how to use it,’ says Jenni.

The more spaced-out market, volunteers and cashless payment are here to stay while social distancing guidelines remain in place. So too the WFM members-only online order service, which is picked and packed by volunteers. For creatures of habit like me, it’s been a lot of change but it’s also shown the adaptability and resilience of the market community. ‘I’m really proud of the community for accepting that we had to make huge changes, the biggest changes that we’ve ever had to make in 18 years,’ says Jenni. And she’s especially grateful to the volunteers who ‘just keep showing up. They just keep helping.’ 2020 has asked a lot of us so far and may well continue to do so. But so long as the Saturday mornings keep coming, so too will the Willunga Farmers Market.

Home among the gum trees

Story by Kate Le Gallez. Photography by Heidi Lewis. Styling by Marcus Syvertsen.

Page left: The freshly landscaped exterior entryway draws guests in towards the front door and deposits them quickly into the heart of the home. Above: The sleek profile of The Wait framed by mature gum trees.

Jill Dowd still gets a funny feeling when she turns onto the dirt road that leads to the new home she has built with husband Brendan. ‘It sounds a bit odd, but I just get this really warm and fuzzy feeling,’ she smiles. ‘And that was what it was like as we drove up the first time and we saw it.’ It was March when they first turned inland off Waitpinga Road to view the 120-acre block. ‘We saw it at the worst time of the year,’ she says. ‘It was so dry around, but we loved it.’

It’s mid-winter when I visit, and the landscape is at its verdant peak. Driving towards the house, the wizened branches of eucalypts tangle overhead as the road dips down, crossing a creek line before rising again. As the vegetation opens up, the sleek profile of The Wait framed by mature gum trees is revealed. It’s only taken me fifteen minutes to get here from Victor Harbor but, as Jill says, it feels as though we’re a world away. Native South Australians, Jill and Brendan spent twenty years in Darwin where Brendan worked as the chief executive of the City of Darwin and Jill worked in the not-for-profit sector. ‘We went on an adventure and neither of us had ever been,’ says Jill. ‘It’s been a wonderful experience, but it was time to come home.’ Before Darwin they’d lived on acreage near Gawler and knew they wanted to do so again after twenty years in the city.

They initially thought about moving to the Adelaide Hills, before their attentions turned south. Jill had made the traditional summer holiday pilgrimages to Victor Harbor as a child and so the area held a nostalgic familiarity. ‘When we started to look in this area, we just felt really comfortable with it,’ says Jill. And then when the warm and fuzzies set in, they knew they’d found their spot.

The only problem was, Jill and Brendan had always said they’d never build. That is, until they found this land. Choice of builder is always important, but for these somewhat reluctant first-time builders, it was critical. They wanted to find a builder who could share their vision and who would listen to their needs. They found exactly that in South Coast Constructions and designer Matt Parker. >

Page left: The heart of the home – an entertainer’s kitchen incorporates a bank of black cabinetry along the far wall that is both understated and bold. Designed in collaboration with Innovative Kitchens.

The first question was where to put the house. ‘We dragged him up here several times to have a look,’ says Jill. They initially chose a spot at a lower point on the property, but a last minute change of heart saw them shift the site higher up to optimise the views to the sea. ‘Evercalm’ Matt took it on the chin. This ability to listen and take on their suggestions was exactly what Jill and Brendan were looking for and it paid dividends when it came to the design. ‘We got his email and we couldn’t bring ourselves to open it,’ laughs Jill. ‘We opened it and we just went ‘wow’.’ While they eventually flipped the arrangement of rooms, the final house is essentially as per that first design. ‘He’s done a beautiful job,’ says Jill. within a flexible floor plan that could expand to welcome their three adult children when they visit, while also functioning as a cosy home for two the rest of the time.

One of Jill’s specific requests was a statement entry, and it’s here that she welcomes me into her home. The freshly landscaped exterior entryway draws guests in towards the front door and deposits them quickly into the heart of the home – the open-plan kitchen, dining and living zone. Warmth is immediately evident in the generous modern fireplace, rammed earth feature walls and Jill’s friendly smile. Perhaps it’s the smell of the chocolate and banana loaf that Jill has just pulled from the oven, but it’s not hard to imagine settling in for a long afternoon drinking tea and gazing out through the expansive windows to the views beyond.

Top: The open-plan kitchen, dining and living zone. Bottom left: The calm, minimalist dining area beneath the sweeping black curves of a feature pendant, augmented by an adjacent outdoor entertaining space. Right: A cosy reading-cum-family room.

The space seems to gather energy and personality as you move from one end to the other across the blackbutt flooring. From the calm, minimalist seating area the room flows through to the statement dining table beneath the sweeping black curves of a feature pendant, augmented by an adjacent outdoor entertaining space, ready for when the warm weather returns. The room then builds to a striking entertainer’s kitchen, created by Innovative Kitchens.

The inspiration for the kitchen came early, based on a photo Jill found. She then worked with Innovative Kitchens to customise the design for their space and requirements. The bank of black cabinetry along the far wall is at once understated and bold, grounding the room. And Jill loves it. ‘With the blackbutt flooring – and I knew we had a lot of natural light – I thought we could play with the black a bit,’ she says. A wide bench offers both practical workspace and a place for friends and family to gather. ‘This is how we love to live,’ says Jill. ‘It’s all about having an amazing feast around the table with a few glasses of wine. So this really speaks to us, to what we are.’

Beyond the kitchen there’s a surprise packet – a cosy reading-cumfamily room. In considering the design, Jill and Brendan paid little attention to it, assuming it may be a handy additional living space for when their kids stayed. But it’s become a symbol of the creativity and consideration that Matt put into the design. ‘As the build went ahead, it started to show itself in that beautiful view up the valley. And I said to Brendan, ‘Wow, we’ve really underestimated this room,’ says Jill. >

Top left: The ensuite perhaps makes the best use of the view, with a freestanding bath perfectly positioned to take it all in. Top right: Jill’s interior styling skills were put to good use. Bottom right: Rammed earth feature walls are offset by blackbutt wood floors. Bottom: A new home among the gum trees.

This end of the house is completed by three guest bedrooms serviced by a central bathroom. The practical design allows this whole area to effectively be closed off when not in use. While Jill clearly enjoys interior styling, she handed over creative control to her three adult children in determining the direction of the guestrooms. Jill asked daughters Sarah and Kate and son Jack to each select an artwork, using their choices as inspiration for the colour scheme and decor choices for each room. The result is three completely individual rooms, united by familial connection.

The master suite sits at the opposite end of the house. Along the way, Jill points out Indigenous artworks collected during their years in Darwin, as well as a sentimental nod to the build – a heavily annotated copy of the plan is framed and hung above a kitchen nook. We pass by a generously sized office, before reaching the master bedroom which boasts floor to ceiling windows overlooking a magnificent gumtree, its branches twisted with age. The ensuite perhaps makes the best use of the view, with a freestanding bath perfectly positioned to take it all in.

On my way out, I notice a small gold sign by the front door. It came back with Jill and Brendan from Darwin and reads in Irish ‘céad míle fáilte’, translating as one hundred thousand welcomes. It’s a reminder of Brendan’s Irish heritage, but it’s also a symbol of all the personal touches that Jill and Brendan have brought to their new, modern home. Through their partnership with South Coast Constructions, they’ve created a home that reflects their way of life: warm, distinctive and most certainly welcoming.