Hope for Ollie and how we can help

How and why did Hope for Ollie begin

HopeforOllie began in 2010 after my son Oliver (Ollie) was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) at 10 weeks of age.

After Ollie’s diagnosis, I felt I needed to do something proactive to help find a cure for my son and other little boys like him. I saw a niche in the market for high quality and modern handmade children’s clothing and decided, with the help of Ollie’s grandmother’s, to sew and sell children’s clothing and accessories and donate the net proceeds to DMD research. I always enjoyed sewing and Ollie’s grandmothers are seamstresses so it seemed like a practical way to raise money.

Over $36,000 has been donated to DMD clinical trials carried out by The Institute of Neuroscience and Muscle Research (INMR) at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

HopeforOllie is officially endorsed by The Children's Hospital at Westmead to act as a fundraising agent on their behalf.

Can you explain in layman's terms what Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is and the impact it has on not just those affected by it, but also the family, friends and overall life style

DMD causes all the muscles of the body to weaken and break down and affects approximately one boy in every 3,500 worldwide. DMD is severe enough to shorten life expectancy as it ultimately affects heart function and breathing. Average life expectancy is 25 to 30 years.

At the moment Ollie has reached many of his milestones and is managing to keep up with his pre-school peers. Ollie has a support person at pre-school to help him master the play equipment and participate in indoor activities to prevent fatigue. 

Having received a diagnosis at such a young age, I’m sure Ollie thinks that all boys wear night splints, do daily stretching exercises, take lots of vitamins, and have medical appointments every few months!

As a family, we have hope. Hope that one day a cure will be found or at least advances made in the quality of life of boys with DMD. At the present time, the only treatment that experts recommend to slow the decline in muscle strength and mobility is steroids.

You have chosen a creative outlet to channel your energies to not just promote awareness but raise much needed funds for research & development for DMD.  How far has this venture taken you to date both practically and more importantly emotionally

Since HopeforOllie began, I have come across so many wonderful and supportive people that genuinely want to do their bit to help. Local business support, fundraising events, donations of fabric and accessories, seamstress’ volunteering their time, photographers, the development of the website, and media attention (see below for the link to a recent TV grab) have all contributed to the success of HopeforOllie.

I am motivated to do whatever I can to find a cure for DMD. The continual positive feedback I receive keeps me going as does the pleasure of knowing that I am making a difference to the lives of all boys with DMD.

Where do you get your inspiration to sew these incredible pieces from, and more importantly, how involved in the selection process is Ollie himself

I let the fabric guide my designs rather than the designs guide my fabric choice. I trust my creative instinct when it comes to designing clothing and accessories. I follow this flow chart:

My clever and talented daughter Emily loves to sketch designs for HopeforOllie and is involved in the fabric selection process alongside Ollie. It is great to get their opinions!


I love being presented with ideas from friends, colleagues, parents and customers.

What can people do to help you on your journey

HopeforOllie’s main aim is to raise much needed funds for DMD clinical trials carried out by The Institute of Neuroscience and Muscle Research (INMR) at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

Raising awareness of DMD is crucial to finding a cure. You can support HopeforOllie by purchasing items online www.hopeforollie.com (click "here") , or in person at our soon to be launched shopfront in the Leichhardt Forum, and at various markets in the inner west (including Orange Grove, the Norton St Festa and the Five Dock Ferragosto). 

To keep up to date with the HopeforOllie journey, you can sign up to the newsletter on the website and follow us on Facebook (click "here")  and Twitter (click "here")

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Now Ollie and his family were featured on TV, so click on the grab "here".  It's definitely worth the watch to help raise that all important awareness of this aggressive disease. Of course there is also another way we can show support!  Buy up some of Patricia's amazing creations at market (or online when she's not there), shake the hand of the little man known as Ollie and show the infamous support that Inner Westies are known for!  

Let's make difference!

The Farmer's Wife

It's only been in recent times that you have been the "face" of The Farmer's Wife (which we adore!).  How long as The Farmer's Wife been part of the Orange Grove Market community and when did you take over the reins

I've been "The Farmer's Wife" for just over 4 years.  The Farmer's Wife has been part of Organic Food Markets for many years with the original Farmer's Wife being from Mudgee.

Wendy with one of the many loyal The Farmer's Wife fans

What is it about market life that makes it all worthwhile

I love coming to markets and seeing all my lovely customers (young and old) enjoying our produce, especially my jams and chutneys which are all home made by moi!

I love working with other stallholders. Ensuring that the customer is happy with my produce is a fantastic experience and when the sun shines there is no better way to spend a morning!

What has been one of the biggest or bizarre orders of any product you have had to date

I make in total approximately 45 different products and am amazed at the requests for something I don't have/make

Always with a smile and love to share despite/inspite early starts.  From start to finish, how long does it take to stock up/load up and get ready for market day

I try to cook 4 to 5 jams and/or chutneys every day otherwise I can't keep up.  Once a week I collect eggs from the markets and once a month I drive to Mudgee to pick up the best honey you will ever eat! 

It takes approximately 1 hour to drive to Orange Grove Market and 1 hour to set up, but only 30 mins to pack down and then when at home it's time for the ceremonial feet up/cup of tea!

If you could sum up Orange Grove Market in 5 words, what would they be

Great food, atmosphere, customers and happiness!!

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We love the, we know YOU love them so huge thanks to Wendy for spending some time and giving us a little bit of insight in to exactly how that Farmer got the Wife!

we couldn't resist putting this sexy new display for The Farmer's Wife...cause it kind of sums her up to a tee: stylish, old fashioned and a permanent fixture in all our lives!

5 questions with Moo & More

How Long have you been at Orange Grove Market?

Moo & More have been at Orange Grove Market since around 2008

We know at times you have had to put up a "gate" made from crates so you can actually finish setting up before trading, but what is the record number of milk/cheese/yoghurt you have sold in one day?

Being predominantly a Jersey dairy stall winter is our busiest time, with the exception of Easter & Christmas market time.  Our record for milk sales is 1076 litres at a single market (and that was just MILK!).

Best cheese day we sold 214 pieces

Best day for our exceptional tomatoes was a quarter of a tonne!

Before becoming a Moo'er, what was your previous life & why the change?

Both of us were in the Hospitality Industry for around 20 years and were/are dedicated foodies who genuinely enjoyed the interaction with people we met along the way.  But Tony is from the Land and was wanting to get back to it somehow, and as we were used to working long hours in hospitality, weekend market life was not an issue.

We wanted the independence of working for ourselves and promoting the things we believed in. The Moo part of Moo & More was born out of our close friendship and association with Malcolm Rose, a Jersey dairy farmer from Wooloomin near Tamworth.

Doing markets allowed us to bring Malcom's premium quality milk to Sydneysiders. Something that he simply could not achieve otherwise.  We love our market life and wouldn't change it for anything, inspite (or even despite) the early mornings & intense workload to ensure all our produce is the freshest you can buy.

(ps: for those who may already know, Malcolm's dairy was featured recently on Matt Moran's "Paddock to Plate" and take it from us, it's beyond sublime! and must buy each market!)

What is the best aspect of market life for the Moo'ers?

Without a doubt, the best aspect of market life are our customers.  Their loyalty and commitment to us has been humbling.  We love that they share their high's and low's with us, as we do with them.

We love the wonderful sense of community that exists between all of us - customers and stallholders.

We especially love the children that we have known since before they were born, who now walk in to our stall and say "Hi Libby!  Hi Tony!"

We know that you are strong supporters of "buy local" and helping to keep those on the Land keep on keeping on.  What more can we (as a community) do to keep this mantra alive and educate others?

We should all maintain integrity in what we do.  We should help our customers to understand their choices.  We should be generous with our knowledge and of our time.

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We would like to thank Libby & Tony for sharing their story with us and you can find them every Saturday, rain, hail or shine, and always but always with a smile. Word to the wise: get in early cause these guys sell out in a blink of an eye!

shouting out time!

Sheridan

www.sheridanrogers.com.au

6cleaningredients

piratically_incorrect

simonfoodfavourites

make sure you check out Simon's blog on Bowen's "here"

iheartflamingo

Nicki

Alice

fermentitgood

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From Silvia - Gluten Free Cuisine

Gluten Free Cuisine has been a part of (and more importantly) a firm favourite of our markets for many years.  What first inspired you to start experimenting with recipes that were gluten free but still yummy at the same time

My daughter was diagnosed with an intolerance to preservatives, all those years ago now, and we began a journey of creating "loved" foods with NO added preservatives (or "no numbers" as we like to put it), thickeners or additives.  With a background in research, it was not long before we recognised there was a need for great tasting QUALITY foods that could be made readily available to the many with special dietary requirements, intolerances, or simply wanted to eat well with and enjoying great tasting foods!

You have a few "signature" pieces (eg: lemon meringue pie being top of the pops).  As you do 3 of our markets (Hornsby on Thursdays, Orange Grove on Saturdays and Frenchs Forest on Sundays), is there a particular favourite per location or are they as equally popular no matter which postcode you are at

Good question!  We seem to sell across the range pretty much throughout the year at every market we do.  Over the years we have built a fantastic relationship with our customers and we are a weekly "one stop shop" for many - across our Freshly Baked Artisan Organic Breads (all soy free, dairy free, canola free, animal fat free)

Savoury offerings such as Handmade Fresh Pasta, Classic Pesto and of course our Sweet Treats.

Actually our range has evolved based on our customer waitlist, including more dairy free options, larger celebration cakes and the latest offerings are our NUT FREE Organic Banana Bread & Cookies: All Gluten Free!

There is no denying market life can be trying at times, particularly when the weather doesn't play nicely; yet you are always there with a smile, rain, hail or shine, which not only do we appreciate but we KNOW your customers do as well.  What has been one of the more memorable experiences of market life for you

We have so many memorable moments & experiences: all so special in their own ways. We received a text from a customer just before Easter last year saying his wife was going in to labour and had requested our GF (gluten free) DF (dairy free) Hot Cross Buns and please save him one, he was on the way!

Over the years, it has been our privilege to be part of families as they prepare to welcome precious new borns with weekly Lamingtons to help them on the way, then of course we get to create Special Celebration Cakes.  

We have created Signature Wedding Cakes and  that Special Birthday Cake for the 90 years young whose special request is the Lemon Meringue (of course!), and for it to be large enough for her 90 guests!!!

We get called upon for that Bespoke Catering that meets special dietary requirements and more frequently provide GF (gluten free) WF (wheat free) NF (nut free) treats for the school lunch boxes!

From your personal stance, what is it about markets like ours that play a pivotal role in the local community

We love that our customers are able to purchase products from us that are literally hours from leaving the oven.  It is so special to get to know our customers who eat our food, to hear their stories, their sincere appreciation for what we make and to know we can really make a difference.  Our customers in turn love to hear our stories too.

The pivotal role in the local community (as you put it) is that markets provide for that quintessential experience of what nurtures people socially, and communities economically and all this whilst providing produce straight from the producers.

How would you sum up the world of Gluten Free Cuisine in 5 words

Dedicated Gluten Free for Everyone!

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Fantastic story behind a firmly entrenched, much loved and ever evolving producer of all things Gluten Free.  Swing by and say a massive "Hi" to Sylvia and her team every Saturday and trust us, from what we have seen..the sweet treats are getting more delicious by the week!

A lovely little SHOUTOUT to our most marvellous fans

Prue

Our French Impressions

Yasinta

janiepops00

Edge Wellness

Hannah

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Hillbilly Cider with Shane & Tessa

Love the branding, love the name!  How, when and why did Hillbilly Cider come in to being

Glad you like the name - it seems to have really resonate with people!  We became "Hillbillies" half a dozen years ago when we moved to an orchard in Bilpin (Blue Mountains) in search of a simpler life.

Shane dug a cellar under the house and turned his wine making skills in to cider making.  He was making cider commercially for a couple of years before we launched Hillbilly so he really fine-tuned the art, so much so we won a bronze medal in the Australian Cider Awards a couple of weeks after launching the company last year.

You have been part of the OFM "family" for a while now.  How did you first find us and how difficult was it initially to get that all important client base started

We've always loved going to farmers markets ourselves.  We first came across Orange Grove Markets from a customer's point of view!

We had a great reception with our cider and wines at both markets and we always look forward to seeing our customers each week.

It can feel a bit remote where we live in the mountains so we love loading up the ute with cider and heading to market for a good bit of social interaction!

What has been a stand out moment for you at Orange Grove Market

Selling out of all stock the day we launched Hillbilly Cider!

You were recently featured in a magazine spread.  Incredibly satisfying and absolute positive reinforcement that you have "made the dream" a reality.  Where do you source your products from and are they sourced in an eco-friendly way.

Our cider is made from 100% Aussie apples: no concentrates or artificial flavours.  We use local invented apples by our neighbour, Bill Shields.

Our ciders are made completely naturally, unpasteurised, no added sugar or concentrates and fermented under pressure to allow use to bottle with a natural bubble without needing to add CO2.

In 5 words, how would you sum up Orange Grove Markets from the marketeer viewpoint

Orange Grove has GREAT customers!

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We could NOT end this piece on the wonderful Bilpin'ers (aka Hillbilly Cider'ers) without showing the art of recycling to its maximum potential and if that doesn't encourage you to sup a bit of cider at next market well...it's just not cricket is it!

5 questions with Arawaki

How did you initially become involved with selling Arawaki

I have always loved this type of handcrafted jewellery and every time I went back to South America I would always return with new pieces.

People started to notice and their reaction was always very nice and wanted to know where they could buy them.  At that stage there wasn't anywhere....until now!

These unique stunning pieces are not only Fair Trade but also Eco-Friendly and created sustainably.  Where do you source these from

This is a family business where my sisters and nieces who live in South America are in charge of the initial selection.  They source from local cooperatives, send me pictures and I choose according to what I feel will appeal to my customers.

Sometimes I don't get it quite right but then the good thing is I get to keep the stock that doesn't sell!

As you sit there quietly and let these items "speak", how have you found the shoppers at market reacting to them

It's funny to watch reactions: some people know exactly what they want and the decision is made very quickly, and others get so carried away with the variety they can't make up their minds!

I had a customer who could not decide on what she wanted and ended up leaving, then just as the markets were about to close, I saw her running towards me saying "can I still get one?? I know what I want now!"  Too cute

What would be one of your bigger selling items you've had so far

Actually I sell all my stock quite well, but anything orange sells first...seems to be the colour of the moment (nb: fitting given Paula sells at Orange Grove Market don't you think?)

How would you describe life as a stallie at Orange Grove Markets

I absolutely love Orange Grove Markets.  If has a great energy, all the stallholders are nice and it's got a great community feeling.

LOVE IT!

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And we LOVE Paula.   All you have to do is find her sitting quietly with her beautiful pieces and then the rest is up to you.

5 Questions with Erkut & Putrino's

When did Putrino's make their debut at Orange Grove Markets

G & M Putrino have been at Orange Grove for 10 years and for me personally, I have been here for about 4 years

Not only is your produce totally delicious, you are constantly busy which is excellent for any stallholder.  What is about being part of the market community that separates it from a retail outlet or a supermarket chain.

Always having loads quality fresh produce at hand and loads of people each with their unique personality

As your produce grows so does your stall size. From set up to packdown, from picking up produce to arriving at market.  It is not a life for the faint-hearted.  When does your day actually start and after all is said and done, what time do you finally get home and put your feet up to relax.

Very early start leaving home at 3am, then its off to the farm to collect the truck which is packed with market produce

with thanks to the BBQ Aroma King for allowing us to use this photo of the stallie dawn arrival 

Market done and finally pack down complete, I get home about 5pm

Whatever the weather you are at market.  We absolutely appreciate it and we KNOW for a fact that the shoppers do also.  What has been the biggest sale at any market in one day

We always make sure we show up in any weather because we know our customers rely on us being there and we absolutely appreciate that they come out whatever the weather.

Some days we do incredibly well and sell totally out.  But when the weather ain't that great obviously it's a bit slower but fortunately for us, it's not that often.

It's hard to put a figure on best seller because our costs and produce change according to season and weather.

For anyone who has yet to discover the delights of your Orange Grove goodies, what 5 words would you use to get em in and have a sample

Come and have a taste!

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You heard the man....get in and have a taste!