SAGE COVID recovery in Eurobodalla

eNews, Recovery & Resilience Stories, 11 December 2023

Sustainable Agriculture and Gardening Eurobodalla (SAGE) is a not for profit, community based organisation whose mission is to create and support a NSW South Coast sustainable fair food economy and food sovereignty for local communities.

SAGE stall set up at a farmers market.

In 2013 SAGE faced a logistical challenge of effectively connecting consumers to the thriving local market garden and produce businesses. The solution – enable online shopping for the surrounding community who wanted to buy the goods but due to work or family commitments were unable to browse leisurely and shop at the 2pm Tuesday timeslot.

The ANZ grant paid for the website design and build, with a complementary grant from the NSW Government supporting the planning and administration. 

The establishment of this online farmers market in 2015 was the first in Australia. SAGE designed and implemented the initiative with careful consideration of both local shoppers and the stall holders to ensure it added value and was not onerous.

The SAGE Farmers Market has twice won the ABC Delicious! magazine award for Best Farmers Market in Australia and is established as a national benchmark. All produce comes from within a 160 km radius of Moruya.

Following this early innovations success SAGE continued to thrive with operations growth including the SAGE Community Garden and Stepping Stones Training Farm. However the last 3 years have been difficult. Communities on South Coast NSW were significantly impacted by the 2019/20 bushfires and then Covid-19 restrictions limited the physical market, and escalated demand for online services. At the beginning of 2022 the volunteer group were financially depleted and simply exhausted… but not beaten.

In 2022 SAGE was awarded $50,000 via FRRR’s COVID Regional Community Support program, which was funded by the NSW Government. The grant funding provides for a salaried Business Manager for 12 months with the objectives of developing and implementing the SAGE Business Plan aligned to the existing strategic goals of improving organisation capacity with new revenue stream that ensure ongoing financial sustainability and resilience. Speaking with volunteers Stuart Whitelaw and Catherine Reilly recently it was exciting to hear that an appointment has been made and plan development underway. The Stepping Stones Farm operation has been successful in attracting interns to its agriculture training program from as far afield as WA, with great local farmer relationships supporting peppercorn leases on small land plots that enable graduates to stay local and commence their market garden development. Not only the capacity but also the confidence of this passionate volunteer group has been bolstered by the grants recognition of their capability and the value of their work.

Share
Back to News
Follow Us
Support the future of remote, rural and regional communities
Giving
Grantseeker resources: I am looking for information about…
Explore
X

Amy Crawford

Amy Crawford has an extensive career in complex public policy and its intersection across government and communities.

Amy is the Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), representing 537 councils across the nation. Amy holds over 20 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service. She has a deep understanding of federal government policies and structures, with over 10 years’ service in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and has worked for the federal Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories. Amy has shaped a wide range of policies and programs including regional development, telecommunications, immigration, emergency management, social policy and pandemic preparation.

Amy is a Board Director of Austroads and represents ALGA on the Public Skills Australia Industry Advisory Group, and the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee. She is also a Board Director for the Canberra Youth Theatre which provides voice for Canberra’s youth through intelligent and challenging theatre.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Laws (honours) and Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) from the University of Queensland, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an alumnus of the Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership. Amy was appointed to the FRRR Board in January 2025.

X

Kylie Hansen

Kylie brings leadership and management experience from across academic, corporate, not-for-profit, social enterprise and impact investment sectors, having deep dived into a myriad of specialisations and systems. Her six tertiary qualifications are equally as diverse and complimentary, covering commerce, politics, international development, community development, project management and law. Her breadth and depth of experience enables her to draw on a number of disciplines and innovative ways of working and thinking, and she is well recognised as consistently delivering work and services of a high quality.

Kylie uses her strong background in sustainability, governance and impact measurement to support collaborative initiatives across sectors oriented at improving social outcomes, and to support socially conscientious businesses to articulate their social impact. As founder and director at Impact Seed she has been instrumental in developing the impact measurement, evaluation, learning and ESG practice which advises numerous corporates, and is passionate about supporting First Nations empowerment particularly in the context of regional economic development.

Kylie is also a Director of the WA Social Enterprise Council, a member of the B Council (B Lab Australia and New Zealand), and a Governor of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

X

Hon. John Anderson AC

The Hon. John Anderson AC is a sixth-generation farmer and grazier from NSW, who served in the Australian Parliament from 1989 to 2008.

He was a senior Cabinet minister in the government led by John Howard (1996 to 2005), including six years as Leader of the National Party and Deputy Prime Minister.

In the latter role, Mr Anderson played in important role in FRRR’s history, working closely with Baillieu Myer AC and others on a proposal to establish a philanthropic organisation to benefit rural Australia. The concept was discussed at the National Regional Summit in 1999 and FRRR was established shortly thereafter.

Mr Anderson currently hosts a regular podcast, where he is in conversation with thought-leaders from around the world, and is a regular media commentator.

X

Regina Cruickshank

Partnerships Specialist (WA)

Regina supports FRRR as the WA Partnerships Specialist. With over two decades of experience in partnerships and marketing, she has a deep understanding of Western Australia’s social impact landscape. She brings a strong passion for leveraging purpose-built networks to create positive change.

Regina previously worked with Playgroup WA and founded a Health Promotion Charity dedicated to supporting Social Emotional wellbeing for underserved communities. She’s excited about the opportunity to connect with partners and explore ways to make a meaningful difference in WA.

She lives in Perth with her family and enjoys mindful moments of connection to Country, whether on horseback, on foot or underwater.

X

Anna Palmer

People and Culture Manager

Based in Central Victoria, Anna is a senior Human Resources, Organisation Development and Industrial Relations professional, with significant private and public sector experience across every facet of people and culture leadership.

Her most recent roles have been with Don KR in Castlemaine and Mount Alexander Shire Council. She has also held senior HR roles with Victoria Legal Aid and the TAC among many others.

From Mildura originally, Anna has postgraduate qualifications in Change Management and a Masters in Organisation Dynamics.

Anna is currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts to balance her creative pursuits and work as an HR professional.

X

Philippa Twaddle

Management Accountant

Carolyn joined the FRRR team in March 2017, and is responsible for providing executive support to the CEO, effective coordination of the FRRR office and general administrative support to the management team. A key responsibility is supporting the administration of FRRR’s Donation Account Services.

She has over fifteen years’ experience working in local government in the Tourism and Arts Sector, Civic and Event Management and Community engagement.

Carolyn has a Bachelor of Arts in Librarianship, majoring in psychology, and grew up on farming communities in Cohuna and Echuca and currently lives in Bendigo.