Bush Summit 2021: Organic avocado farm rebuilding after bushfire
A firestorm in 2019 destroyed 40 per cent of the orchard at Sandra Fishwick’s property, but the organic farming stalwart and her sons are rebuilding — with help from Woolworths.
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As a pioneer of organic farming in Australia, Sandra Fishwick knows one thing for certain: you don’t do it for the money.
The owner and founder of Red Plateau Organic Produce in Comboyne, NSW, began chemical-free farming in the 1980s to “keep the country in good condition”.
The family business she now runs across two properties with sons, Joey and Carl Hanly, has persevered through drought and fire, and while they have suffered setbacks, Ms Fishwick is positive about the future.
“We first decided to go organic because we didn’t want to use chemical sprays and we wanted to look after the soil to build its bio-life by natural methods,” she said.
Red Plateau Organics produces macadamia nuts, avocados and select citrus fruits using only organic methods.
“It’s been a fairly good lifestyle. It’s not really about the money because if it was, you probably wouldn’t do it because it’s very hard work,” Ms Fishwick said.
When a firestorm ripped through their Mooral Creek property in 2019, the family business lost about 700 trees, or 40 per cent of its orchard.
Ms Fishwick and her sons are now replanting and adding more avocado trees to restore Red Plateau farm “to its former glory”, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Woolworths Organic Growth Fund.
“Sandra Fishwick saw the potential of organic production early on and has built a great business. We’re pleased to play a part in not just restoring her avocado orchard, but helping the family build back better for the long term,” Woolworths’ Paul Turner said.
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