Food for one and all – that’s what’s cooking at the Good Grub Club (GGC) new kitchen located in the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre (DNC)! The official opening of the kitchen was on Thursday 6th August and included GGC volunteers and community, sponsors, DNC employees and clients and other interested parties. The official opening was followed by lunch for all in the DNC’s Paddock Room which is used weekly on Thursdays by GGC to provide a 3 course lunch to their community.
Robyn Zanon (outgoing President of GGC) spoke at the official ribbon cutting ceremony talking about the journey to get to this point – it’s been a bit of a long, hard road!
“The first thing to celebrate is that the Good Grub Club has found a permanent home at the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre. This relocation is a perfect match for both DNC and the GGC,” said Robyn.
“When the GGC first heard that we would need to relocate from the old building at the Uniting Church I don’t think we realised at the time what a very difficult time lay ahead for us. For well over twelve months we had a roller coaster ride,” she said. “We had many false starts, times of excitement before the rug was pulled out from under us and times of utter disappointment and despair when we thought we would be unable to find somewhere to continue to run our services in the same way. We were also extremely thankful when a past secretary liaised with council to allow us to move to Raglan St at the eleventh hour. Unfortunately, we realised that financially this would be unsustainable for us and then council also decided that it wanted to sell the site.”
The good news was that the GGC was rescued by the intervention of Kate Moran, the Manager of DNC, when she asked if the GGC would be interested in moving there. Kate came with a vision as to how it would work and one which aligned perfectly with GGC’s mission and values. At the time the DNC were also looking to upgrade their kitchen so it did seem like a match made in heaven.
As a result the DNC and GGC agreed to work together to move GGC and upgrade the kitchen. Plans were drawn up and agreed by the two committees and the upgrade commenced in April under the diligent project management of Gary Carter from GGC with ongoing input from the DNC team.
When opening the kitchen, Robyn said, “We have been made to feel so welcome here by Kate and Ethen and the reality of the ease of the transition has been amazing. Thanks to Gina Lyons and the board of the DNC for embracing the GGC a place we are so grateful to now call our home.”
“Of course GGC wouldn’t be able to continue to exist without the help of our sponsors who help to ensure that they can continue to serve the community. Those sponsors include the Community Bank Daylesford, the Daylesford Foundation, the Uniting Church, the Community Op Shop and the many individuals who sponsor and support the GGC. We also benefit from businesses such as Istra, Baker’s Delight, the Daylesford Meat Company, Coles and the Kyneton Foodbank who regularly donate goods. Lastly, our association with Food Bank and Food Share ensure that we can buy supplies at greatly reduced prices.”
Last but not least, Robyn went on to say, “a huge thank you to the wonderful group of committed volunteers who make sure that the myriad of tasks that need to be done are done. You truly are a fabulous team to work with.” It only remained for the ribbon to be cut to officially open the kitchen so Robyn asked Gary Carter to cut the ribbon given all his hard work to get the kitchen completed.
So what’s the new kitchen like and what does it offer the GGC and the Daylesford Community? The Uniting Church provided the GGC with a substantial donation when they were asked to vacate the premises in Central Springs Road. This together with part of a grant given to the DNC, ensured that a new kitchen could be built. The kitchen has all brand-new equipment including a commercial dishwasher, commercial standard fittings and fixtures plus a large SMEG six burner stove. The kitchen will have the status of a registered kitchen which means it can be hired by members of the community for cooking and for catering purposes as they will be able to register to the kitchen. While the volunteers at GGC will make good use of the kitchen, the DNC is also now looking at the best ways to utilise the kitchen including the commencement of some cooking classes and making it available for community groups to hire.
This is such a great example of what can be achieved and how the people of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs can benefit, when community groups work together toward a mutually successful outcome.
Footnote: As mentioned earlier Robyn Zanon is the outgoing President of the GGC and as a couple of other committee members have decided their time is up as well, the GGC is now looking for new committee members. Would you like to help out at GGC? It’s not a big time commitment and it is an extremely rewarding one. If so please contact Kate Moran at the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre on 5348 3569 or at admin@dncentre.org.au and flag your interest.
Robyn Zanon, President GGC, in the new kitchen with Martin Peacock, Volunteer, in the background
Kate Moran, DNC, Gary Garter, GGC, Jim Foster, Daylesford Foundation, Sue
Jim Foster and Cheryl de Zilwa, Daylesford Foundation with Robyn Zanon, President GGC
