Regional round-up
Tasmanian Olive Council elects new President In mid-February the Tasmanian Olive Council (TOC) elected a new President, welcoming Freshfield Grove owner Fiona Makowski to the leadership position. Taking over from outgoing President Christine Mann, Makowski said she’s looking forward to both the challenges and opportunities of the role. “I’m excited (and a little nervous) to be taking on the role of President of the TOC, and I feel I’ve got some tough acts to live up to!,” she said. “There’s lots of experience in our membership, and what feels like an increasing number of new growers too, so I hope to continue to encourage the sharing of information amongst us. “I think we would all describe ourselves as time-poor, so last year we took the step of holding some of our meetings by video conference. This worked well, enabling some growers to join us who can’t usually attend a physical meeting.”
Plans afoot
She’s also looking forward to a number of activities the TOC is organizing or involved with around the state throughout 2019. “We’ve got a couple of field days planned this year, one to visit some olive trees that I believe are almost 150 years old, and another on the topic of pruning,” she said. “The TOC is continuing to sponsor the Royal Hobart Fine Food Awards in 2019 and we’re looking forward to partnering with them into the future to help grow the olive categories in particular. We also hope some of our members will take the opportunity to get involved as Associate Judges this year. “Lastly, fermented foods are a hot topic in Tasmania at the moment, so we’re linking up with some experts in that field to help us learn more about how to produce fantastic table olives.”
New Tasmanian Olive Council President Fiona Makowski. Image: Natalie Mendham, ourcoalvalley.com.au.
You can read more about Fiona in our feature article on the ‘new wave’ of Australian olive growers on page 34 of this edition.
Peninsula Olive Festival Fleurieu Peninsula olive producers will once again be taking the industry to the people this year, with the Peninsula Olive Festival one of the hot calendar items on the 2019 Tasting Australia program. One of the Australian olive oil industry’s newest teams, Mel Hollick and Brook Wyett combine their wine and agricultural industry experience to maintain two picturesque groves on the Fleurieu Peninsula, nurturing around 17,000 trees. Somehow they’re also finding time to host a day of food, wine, fun and learning with a heavy emphasis on all things olive. Educational and hands-on activities include how to taste EVOO, how to pickle olives, pruning demonstrations and harvest demonstrations, and local producers will have an array of olive products available for tasting and sales. They will be joined by local chefs and producers providing tastings and sales of regional fare, and local musicians, wineries, brewers and distillers will keep guests entertained and hydrated. Add-on options including local produce hampers and a progressive lunch are also available, with pre-booking essential.
Event details
Saturday, 6 April 2019 from 10am-4pm at Peninsula Providore, 2250 Bull Creek Road, Tooperang, SA.
Producers or olive industry contractors wanting to get involved can contact Mel Hollick on 0402 225 314 or melhollick@gmail.com, and catering bookings can be made at www. peninsulaprovidore.net.au.
Issue 111 • March 2019 • Australian & New Zealand Olivegrower & Processor • 9