Shepparton: Plenty of space, a big can, and a friendly ‘G’day’

HIGH house prices and rude people with their noses buried in their phones would be a thing of the past if you decided to make this move.

Campbell's soup

HIGH house prices and rude people with their noses buried in their phones would be a thing of the past if you decided to make this move.

It’s bright and early on a weekday morning. You think you’ll grab a quick coffee on the way to work. Thirty-seven minutes later, you’re still looking for a parking spot in the near vicinity of the coffee shop. Finally, you arrive only to discover 20 other people have the same idea. The wait is long, and the price exorbitantly high for a spoon full of beans and some hot water.

In the distance, kookaburras laugh. Just kidding, that’s a police siren. Suddenly, a group of five men in suits arrive and inexplicably cut the line without so much as a second glance in your direction. You are the only person not glued to your phone.

Ah, city life. Who’d want to trade it for anything else? A whole lot of people, actually. Like Bec Nicoll, for starters. Bec is the Operations Co-ordinator at Shepparton Food Share, a community initiative which sources and distributes food to local schools and emergency relief agencies in the small regional city of Shepparton, Victoria. After living in the city of Melbourne for almost a decade, she couldn’t wait to get back into the vast open space of the Australian country.

“I love the country lifestyle, I love being in an open kind of environment. I love living in a place where everything stops at night. I find living in the city stressful because cities never sleep,” she says.

Bec enjoys the luxury of living life according to her own rhythm. There’s no need to rush, feel the seasons change, enjoy every sunrise and sunset.

Country cities like Shepparton (referred to as ‘Shepp’ by locals) are filled to the brim with people willing to lend a hand.

“I think people in the country are very resourceful; they’re really genuine and really willing to help,” Bec says. “I work in the community sector and I find it quite a bit easier to get stuff done. One of the things I’ve really noticed is things like if I wanted a mechanic or a handyman or a painter, it’s really easy just to ask someone and you get recommendations. It’s very comforting.” Also, that whole eyes-on-the-phone-don’t-look-up shtick? Not gonna fly in Shepp.

“It’s just the way things work — you’ve got to be friendly. You can’t walk down the street and not say ‘G’day!’” Of all country towns, Shepparton possesses a particular kind of resilience and optimism. Located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in northern Victoria, the township’s humble beginnings as a sheep station and river crossing have given way to a thriving agricultural and manufacturing centre. Surrounded by hundreds of acres of bushland, Shepp is dotted with walking and riding trails, a scenic lake inhabited by thousands of water birds and aquatic vegetation, and a flourishing local river fishing scene.And of course, you can’t describe Shepp without mentioning the Big Can. When Campbell’s factory opened in 1962, a water tower was painted to resemble the iconic soup can. It quickly became one of the iconic landmarks in Victoria.

Since it opened, Campbell’s has been a source of economic growth for the community and has stayed true to the country way of life by helping those in need, too. Bec has overseen Campbell’s humanitarian involvement through her work with Shepparton Food Share. In the last two years, Campbell’s have donated some 3200 kg of their product to people who experience food insecurities.Along with the Big Can, another local attraction are the herds of cow sculptures that sprinkle the town. Over the past 10 years, life-size fibreglass cow sculptures have been popping up all over Shepp as part of the art initiative ‘Mooving Art’, paying homage to the local dairy industry. “One of my favourite ones is a cow that’s painted brown and it’s got the words ‘How now’ painted on it,” Bec says.There’s a shared belief that in the past Shepp has been left out when it comes to government planning and investment, especially compared to other Victorian cities like Bendigo, Geelong, and Ballarat.

“But the locals here really get the sense that we’re starting to pick up and go ahead,” says Bec. “It already is a great place to live, but we think other people are going to realise that in the next few years.”

Another long-term employee is Maureen Bemrose, who has been working at Campbell’s Shepparton location for 34 years now. Though her role has changed over the course of her employment, she has worked as a purchasing officer for the past 14 years, dealing with both local and international suppliers. “A lot of which are still with us today from when I started purchasing,” she says. Maureen says she has spent “well and truly most of my life” in Shepparton, and still enjoys many of Campbell’s products. In fact, there’s a family favourite that never gets boring, even after all these years.“Back some 30 years ago, a recipe book was produced to include recipes with our products. One of my favourite recipes that I still make today uses Campbell’s Chunky Stockpot product to make a recipe for Veal Schnitzel,” she says. Veal? Schnitzel? Chunky Stockpot? Maureen, you have my attention. “My girls used to love that one. You’d fry it lightly and then the sauce would be one of the cans of tomato paste. It’s a really beautiful dish, and it’s always nice the next day after. Even though my daughters are long gone, they still talk about it!” she says. Maureen says Campbell’s has long played an important role in creating and facilitating a healthy lifestyle for both employees and their families in Shepparton. While the country way of life agrees with her, Maureen says it’s a challenge attracting city folk.“But then you do get the ones that like to have that country environment for their families. We have good schools here in Shepparton, and we’re only two hours from Melbourne so we’re not that far away from the main city.”

Joyful optimism and resilience are woven into the rich fabric of everyday life in Shepp. If you’re reading this while still queuing for your morning coffee, it might be time to throw in the proverbial towel and head to the country. Or at least take a trip to see it for yourself. There’s plenty of space, a big can, and a friendly ‘G’day’ waiting.

Originally published as Shepparton: Plenty of space, a big can, and a friendly ‘G’day’