By Margaret Maccoll
Peregian Beach market stalwarts Trevor and Cher’ie Venning have just sold their farm but that won’t stop them from continuing to sell local produce as they have done there for the past 29 years.The Vennings have lived in the region all their lives but they come from strong stock accustomed to meeting the changes and challenges that come their way.
Trevor Venning grew up at Verrierdale in a street that carries his name. He attended Verrierdale’s one-teacher State School where he was one of 26 students.
“When I was a child growing up you could go to Noosa from Coolum and to Coolum from Yandina and there was nothing in-between,“ he said.
His parents, Les and Mary Venning, bought their Verrierdale farm from Mr Verrier dating their ties to the region back to 1944.
Mary was born in Yandina but Verrierdale must have been a far cry from where Les grew up in Bath, England, and his journey here wasn’t one he had planned.
Les had a violent father so he ran away from home and hid in a ship, Trevor said. For a month Les lived off the grain stored in the ship before he was caught in Scotland and put into an institution before being sent to Australia. He was 15 or 16 years of age and never saw his parents again.
After meeting and marrying, Les and Mary bought 15 acres from Mr Verrier for their family farm.
“My father worked at the Eumundi Butter Factory. My mother grew flowers. My sister sold them at the Eumundi markets,“ he said. They had the fourth stall at Eumundi Markets and it marked the beginning of a long relationship with markets for the family.
Trevor and Cher’ie built a house in 1961 on an acre block of Les and Mary’s land before acquiring their own 50 acre farm at nearby Litfin Street, farming bananas on 20 acres of it and selling them at markets across the region as well as some at Rocklea markets, now Brisbane Marketplace.
The farm has always been run just by the family. The couple’s eldest son worked the farm after he left school but was tragically killed in a car accident. Four years later their second son left the school and worked the farm before gaining employment with animal producers Jacobsen Bloodstock in Verrierdale.
“We sold 100 cases of bananas a week,“ Trevor said. “We had to make the cases, then they brought in cardboard.“
Trevor and Cher’ie were instrumental in establishing a number of markets in the region including Gympie and Kandanga where they sold their bananas.
“We had so many bananas,“ Trevor said.
But three years ago Panama disease hit the farm, wiping out their entire crop.
“We lost the whole lot of 8000 plants within two years,“ Trevor said. “We lost everything.“
However the farmers battled on with eggs from their chickens and lychees grown on the farm.
At their markets they set up their stall selling their own produce alongside a variety of produce from neighbouring farmers.
Having sold their farm they have agreed with the new owners to continue working their lychees.
