By Denise Farrier, a long-serving volunteer at the Flame Tree Co-op

Thanks to my daughter, Lucy, I have been volunteering with the Flame Tree Food Co-op for many years now. When the Co-op first opened in Thirroul, she said to me: “Hey Mum, you’ve got to get involved with the Co-op. Don’t just join, become a volunteer! You’ll love these people! They are passionate and committed to supporting local producers and avoiding packaging. I joined because I know that these people can teach me how to live sustainably! And some of them are your age!”

Rightio then! So I did venture into the Co-op, liked what I saw and became a member. I later became a volunteer. At that time it was operating in a very small space, tacked onto the back of a dress shop. Despite this, the shop was crammed with a wonderful array of fresh foodstuffs. I enjoy cooking and I like to eat fresh unprocessed healthy food.

Shopping at the Co-op enabled me to buy as much or as little as I needed. No more packets of dried food going to waste in the pantry! I could buy tiny amounts of deliciously fresh spices or bulk buy food items for everyday use.

The Flame Tree shop is now in a much larger space on the other side of Lawrence Hargrave Drive and it has employed some paid staff to keep the wheels turning.

There was, and continues to be, a good vibe with a strong sense of community. It is community-owned after all and it could not have survived for so long without its big, bold community spirit. So, if you have never visited the Flame Tree Co-op, come on down. You don’t have to be a member to shop there, it’s open to all.

Oh, and my daughter? She now lives with her little family at Lake Conjola, where she works to protect our threatened species and, in her spare time, runs a cloth nappy library online. The people at the Flame Tree taught her well.

Visit Thirroul’s Co-op at 355 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, flametree coop