by Satya McVeity
We have always had some sort of a shop at Tuntable right from the early days. Most of the early visitors to the land, after the purchase in December 1973, didn’t own cars, Most were teenagers and in our 20s so we didn’t have a lot of money and the dole wasn’t easy to get in those days. Ideals were flying high in this brand new project and people who came to stay had already bought their $200 shares or were in the process of saving to do so. It was a very transient population and many moved on and off the Community without an interest to stay. There were a few Community vehicles such as the Red Truck (an old cattle truck with sides) and the white truck which was basically a ute that was used a lot to bring food in for people to eat at the Community Kitchen. As well as the main kitchen at the White House, which is now the Pre School, there were also groups at the Garden House, Brown House and at the Tea Bales. The first shop I remember seeing was in a room at the old mill at the North End. It was basically a bulk shop selling dried goods like grains, flour, lentils, beans, nuts and dried fruit from memory. This shop moved to the White House some months later when the Community kitchen was no longer operating and people were cooking together in small groups or on their own. As time went by the opportunity to buy more land on the other side of the creek became an option when the farmer Mr Bosel, put his farm up for sale. This land is where the Community Centre and Hall now stand plus the area from Bosel’s Bales to Resonance and stretching over to Wattle Creek as well. The shop then moved into Bosel’s Bales after it was renovated a little. There was also bulk deliveries of goods for sale at the Garden House at times run by Dave Bevan. Gary Gnome also ran a bulk food shop at the mill once again and baked bread that he sold there. It was probably at this time that Neil and Judy planned to build a shop that they would run as their own business. It started from the 10years after Aquarius Festival held on the property opposite Davies, as you drive up the hill out of Tuntable. Even though it was a Co-op building, it was put together by these two and their friends. It had much more available to everyone living here at the time and as a cool room was added to the structure there was also fresh produce including fruit, veggies, dairy products and bread. Not only was there a whole array of goodies that we didn’t have to go to town for, but sweets and tobacco were also available. There was also a kitchen that was added on to the building where pies were made over the years and sold to people coming for lunch. It was a regular meeting place and people would be also picking up their mail and reading the newspaper. As many of us were living in shacks without electricity, we didn’t have a lot of contact with the outside world. We grew food many of us and gardened often with other people of just in couples. The drive was to be self sufficient and so began the learning of how to produce food and bring it to harvest. Different members took on the running of the shop when Neil and Judy had disappeared out of the scene. Frank and Phyllis were longtime shop keepers and eventually they gave it up as well. It wasn’t any longer getting the trade it had once had and as more people bought cars and our road in to the valley became bitumen, our access in and out of Nimbin became easier. It wasn’t only Nimbin either as we could go into Lismore and shop as well. Cars were rarely driven on the interior roads as everyone walked everywhere. We walked to visit each other which we did a lot of. We walked to the creek to swim. We walked our kids to school or they walked themselves as they got older. We walked regularly into the forest and to adjoining valleys to visit friends or explore. Then the shop folded. The Stantons made a last ditch effort to restore it to its former self but it wasn’t to be. A new group of people became interested in running a Food Co-op selling organic food. Roger and Christina and others set this up and used the cool room which was still operating. Everything was revamped and it carried on with weekly deliveries from Rainbow Wholefoods from Lismore. For many years the Food Co-op operated quite well with quite a few buying their goods there. This dwindled after a while as interest waned. The infrastructure was old and the cool room needed a lot of work. There was very little stock left when Christine O’Brien and Satya decided to clean it up and fix the kitchen. They planned to make it a commercial kitchen and asked Cameron Smith, the Health Inspector for Lismore City Council, for advice on how to go about it. They took the plan of the kitchen to the Tribal Meeting and had it approved to bring it up to the level of a commercial kitchen and money was allocated in the budget that year to make it happen. They employed Rocky to line the walls and ceiling. Later on they employed Steve Hale to build the benches and install the sink and range hood. Steve also laid the tiles on the floor and around the walls.They also had the help of a plumber to plumb water into the sink, mop sink and hand basin per Council requirements. After it was completed and Council had approved it, there were lots of lunches. The CC Group was formed and had meetings regularly with new people welcomed in to participate. We also had some dinners and lots of members got involved in making food and selling it. This wasn’t the first time this had happened of course as many people in the past had put on food nights. The CC Group did a lot of catering and raised a lot of funds to buy equipment for the CC over the last decade. After this time Christine left the CC Group to manage Sam’s House. Satya carried on spearheading improvements to the building.for the next 12 years. As was advised by Cameron Smith, firstly we took out the old coolroom and replaced it with a walk in pantry. This was also done as part of the commercial kitchen and has had regular use by Christian with his ice cream business. He also runs freezers which he houses in the main room of the CC. In 2019 we raised the roof on the building and gave it a whole new shape. Sean Spain helped by drawing up the design and organising Colin Sibthorpe and his team to do the work. It is now much lighter and cooler than it ever was. This was just getting finished when the bushfires hit us and most of the residents were evacuated. The CC became an emergency hub for the people assisting the Fire Brigade, in saving the houses on the Community. Later on they were working together throughout the hamlets and forest to put out burning logs and stop the fire spreading. This went on for a few weeks after the fire had passed and the CC remained a base for this work. What followed on from that was Covid. We all had to be segregated and meetings were by Zoom a lot of the time. Everyone stopped sharing meals, stopped getting together and worked from home or spent a lot of time in the garden. We were much better off than those in towns and cities though as we had the space to roam and connect with nature. Sue Bingham started up a small Food Co-op operating out of Sam’s House and supplied dry goods to those needing these supplies. She was offering a membership for $40. Hannah Gash was also taking orders from those in the valley for fresh fruit and vegetables, which would be divided up into boxes and left for those people who ordered them to collect from her veranda at Waterpark. Later on in 2022 when life was starting to get back to normal and people were mingling again, we got hit with the biggest flood the area had seen for a very long time. There were several landslides on the property as the rain was very intense over a couple of days. The whole community was cut off by a landslide that had slid onto our main road blocking all traffic in and out. People living on the eastern side were also cut off by the creek for some days and couldn’t get across. Those that could cross the creek, plus the rest of the Community living on the other side of the creek, set up an emergency hub once again at the CC. The power was down so we had to use a generator to run essentials. The mobile phones had very limited reception and landlines were also cut. A young couple greatly affected by the huge landslide on the Bosel’s property, brought their Star link satellite internet to the CC and connected the rest of the Community with their families and friends elsewhere. The kitchen was providing meals for anyone who was stranded. This was organised through a group of people who rostered others to cook and have food delivered. In time we had lots of donations of food as well as other bought supplies and people would come and collect supplies to take home. Food was scarce for some time after the flood as it affected such a big area and even the Pacific Highway was cut for awhile. In that time Sue moved the Food Co-op to the pantry of the CC. It was stocked with lots of dry foods, generally staples. This was opened twice a week and has continued in that way til today, with Macadamia nuts & butters probably the best sellers. Since this time we have got ourselves more organised for severe weather events on our Community. Star link is now installed at the office and relayed to the CC. There are CB radios installed throughout Community buildings and at various houses on the Community. We continue to install Static Water Supply tanks throughout the property as part of our Bush Fire Management Plan. Two years ago we had Ren and volunteers renovate the age-old veranda roof of the CC. It was lined and insulated as well and has also got new lighting, which adds a more ambient feel to events and parties that are held there. This coming year we hope to install a firehose to the back of the building that will connect to a SWS tank that will also be positioned on Wattle Creek. This will also help safeguard the tractor shed and toilets from any blazes that might occur. This plan is still being worked out and will hopefully be approved to happen this year. Sue and Jillian are regularly manning the space with the Food Co-op they run. They are very consistent in turning up to open up and clean and tidy the space and generally look after it. Our kitchen is still a commercial kitchen registered with LCC but is now in a lower category which means we don’t pay any fees per year and only have it inspected every 2 years. Christian is still hiring the space regularly to make ice cream as seasonally is required. He also helps keep the UV water filter maintained that services CC & the hall. We have also made improvements to the water supply for the hall and CC over the last 10 years and installed a solar hot water service. Every so often the younger set book the space for a dance party with local DJs and lighting and deco to enhance it all. It’s a great fun way of getting people together. Over the last two years there’s been a Tuntable Birthday Party organised which usually culminates in a dance party. There are also other parties held in the space like kids birthdays, elders birthdays, weddings and wakes. The Board meets here every two weeks and often we might have other meetings being held in the space e.g. landcare, grant application, Pre School and School Meetings.