I attended the Community Harvest Feast at BICS last Friday and was amazed at the number of people who came and were well fed from the fruits of many Bowen farmers’ labours.
Preparation of this wonderful feast represented a lot of hard work and organization. Thanks go to Matt Matheson, cook and Sarah Haxby, organizer.
Our Collins family farm was the main public source of fresh produce during the 1920s, 30s and 40s. This was during the Union Steamship era. During the earlier time of Terminal Steamships, when my father went off to war, my mother, with help from other islanders, also sold produce to summer campers. They were the main consumers of milk, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables. All vegetables were organically grown and came directly from the garden to the summer people waiting in line for their orders.
During the Steamships’ years, the summer population of Bowen grew considerably but I don’t remember ever serving such a large group of people as those who attended Friday night’s feast.
Yours truly
Marion Moore
