Margie Maccoll
The Mary Valley town of Imbil came alive on Sunday when it played host to the Festival Day of GourMay, a month-long celebration of food and produce from the Mary Valley.
People wandered through town to listen to talks, see cooking demonstrations and buy from the markets set up by local food producers.
While Gympie restauranteurs from Beauty and the Beard cooked up a barbecue in Imbil’s Rail Trail Park Amber Scott from Kandange Farm store spoke about regenerative farming, relating the process to her experiences raising cattle while observing and responding to their natural environment.
“Cows are not the problem. Weeds are not the problem. It’s how we manage them. We have to know what’s going on in nature around them,“ she said.
Zela Bissett gave attendees an insight into the importance the bunya nut played in the region.
Zela told how the nutritional value of the bunya nut to First Nations’ people led to annual festivals held at harvest time that would attract several thousand people to not only feast on nuts but engage in trade, games and competitions, an event having been recorded in mid-1800s by Tom Petrie, the son of botanist Andrew Petrie, who was invited along.
“Gatherings could go on for weeks because of the abundance of food,“ she said.
Zela said bunya nut groves existed across South East Queensland on Traditionally Owned land that was at the time being opened up to free settlers.
At one site in 1840s settlers noticed a large number of Aboriginals had gathered. Being unaware of these cultural gatherings and fearing for their safety the settlers sent word to the native police who arrived with guns blazing before bunya trees were cut down, ending the gatherings and depriving the people of an important food source.
Zela said a study conducted in 1993 by CSIRO on the nutritional value of Indigenous foods found the bunya nut to be a rich source of complex carbohydrate with a low GI and only one to two per cent oil.
She said the nuts contained in bunya cones could be eaten raw, did not have a lot of flavour, but were a healthy food.
Mary Valley Chamber of Commerce secretary Malcolm Oakley said GourMay had been a wonderful achievement in terms of the community becoming involved and creating their own activities to be part of this celebration of food in the re- gion.
“So many people have got on board to support it, and not just the commercial ventures but the swimming pool, rail trail, country club and the RSL Hall.
GourMay continues with events and workshops including a Mother’s Day High Tea at Imbil on Sunday 14 May, Kenilworth tasting festival on Saturday 20 May and finishes with a gala dinner at Imbil on Saturday 3 June.
For more information and bookings, visit maryvalleycountry.au/gourmay-2023. html
