Port Parham Bush foods talk

Yesterday (Sunday February 23rd), yours truly visited the Port Parham Sports & Social Club to give a little talk on bushfoods.

I’d been to Port Parham a few times before and passed the social club building each time but never stayed. I’d always been on the search for coastal bushfoods.

My usual trick when I’m giving a talk anywhere is to leave home empty handed and find samples of edibles and medicinals on the way to the event. Things are looking a bit sparse at this time of year but I found some bits and pieces, samples of plants like Salty Grapes that had finished fruiting for the year but were so common in the area that I reckoned folks would know the plant.

I found some Bind Weed, Drooping Sheoak, Native Apricot, a Melaleuca and Boxthorn (with berries). It was only a half hour talk so I settled on those plants.

As it turned out, the place was really busy. It was their annual Strawberry Fête and it seemed that all the locals were there. It was a great vibe and everyone was happy. There was a bit of a market going too.

Finding my contact, Raelene and meeting lots of fine people, including some from the Suicide Prevention group, I was given a microphone and a table on the dance floor and away I went!

Only about 5 people came to sit in the seats for the talk but soon stall holders were leaning in and checking it all out. The microphone reached the whole hall and after the talk folks were asking lots of questions.

When I was tired enough and the questions had stopped flowing, I wandered out and grabbed a beer from Yvette the barmaid and settled down for a rest. My work was done.