I’ve returned from a wonderful break since retiring from my role as Melbourne Farmers Markets Managing Director earlier this year. It gives me such pleasure to get along to our markets as a punter now, just to do my shopping.
I know my dollars go directly to support local agriculture and regional Victoria, I delight in farmers themselves taking the credit they deserve for their efforts, I’m fortunate to be surrounded by the variety and quality in produce of the season and I feel strongly connected to my local community. It’s a simple joy, but profound to me in that it’s exactly what I set out to achieve when we flung open the gates of the Collingwood Children’s Farm Farmers Market in October 2002.
I’m so proud of the maturity and impact of Melbourne Farmers Markets since then, and I’m confident of us building on our first two decades into an exciting new era. I have received many lovely messages which make me so happy but, truly, this has been a “village” project.
I sincerely thank each and every member of our Staff, our dedicated Board, so many stallholders I count as friends and our extended community in the Victorian food sector. We’ve worked hard to be generous, collaborative and inclusive, and I’m so grateful for the many longstanding partnership and friendships created in our industry.
I could list a cast of thousands to thank, but I just want to highlight Anne Duncan who has taken on the leadership of MFM and allowed me to step aside. I have so much confidence in her experience to steer us into the next era, and I am delighted by her energy and determination.
I look forward to new projects, contributing to my community and maintaining my resolve to keep the local farming sector connected, accessible and flourishing for all Victorians.
The content in this blog post was first published in November 2023 in the Melbourne Farmers Markets Newsletter.