15 Fowler Street, Camperdown

9557 4106

The Vibe: Low key, rustic inner west with wooden tables and chairs.  A hit with locals who are welcomed by name.

Toilets: You can get a key to the toilet in the apartment building next door but there are no baby changing facilities.

Getting There: Enter off Australia Street.  Parking available for those driving.  Get off a bus on Parramatta Road or take a train to Newtown Station.  One step up to café for those with prams or level access to outside tables.

Opening Hours: 8am Saturday, 9am Sunday, kitchen closes around 1.30pm (later on Sunday).  Credit cards accepted.

The Right Mix? Yes, kids are okay in this café and if not shunt them over the road to the park. Water bowls are provided near the kerb for dogs.

Kid-Friendly Score: 7/10

The dust had settled over Sydney – literally, after two unprecedented dust storms in one week –  the skies were once again clear when we set off on a Sunday morning for The Canteen café in Camperdown, praying that we could successfully combine breakfast with two kids.

The Canteen is in a magnificent spot.  You can take a seat at one of the many outdoor tables (although – whoa! – watch out for the slight slope of the footpath or you might find yourself toppling over your teak deckchair) protected by an awning overhead and the shade of nearby trees.    Sit and watch the locals stream in for their morning caffeine.  Or, take in the view of Camperdown Park which is right across the road.  Hang on – where is that waitress going?  We watch as she takes a tray of food and drinks to a couple sitting at one of the park benches.  We learn that Canteen has their own “codenames” for the tables in the park and if you ask, they will bring your order across to you.  Unreal - you can have a picnic, set the kids free to roam (or run laps around the oval!) or keep your dog beside you while you have a coffee, breakfast or lunch, all of which are served capably by The Canteen.  No need to worry about spilt juice or bits of food dropped on the floor or patrons who may find your children undisciplined.

If you choose to sit inside to listen to the sound of the frying bacon, there is enough room for a pram but no highchairs for toddlers.  Ours was happy to kneel and drink his baby cino which was sensibly served in a paper cup (albeit foregoing the novelty of a cup and saucer, maybe you could request one).

There are no kid-specific menu items but they seemed happy to accommodate any requests (our son is allergic to dairy).  The prices are reasonable and you order and pay at the counter.  We ordered raisin toast (two slices with tea or coffee for $6.50, or upgrade to the banana, pear and raspberry bread which is $9).  I contemplated the $8.50 pancakes but decided on the Camperdown Breakfast Sandwich (which came with the warning that it was a “big breakfast”).  For $11.50, it had eggs, rocket, tomato, melted cheese, that bacon I heard being fried earlier and The Canteen’s own mayonnaise (could I detect pesto?).  A good choice.

Enjoy the peaceful setting and the seating options which suit a range of groups and ages.  I am told it is frequented by mothers groups during the week so you might make some new friends.  My tip?  After you’ve eaten your fill, grab a takeaway (the coffee isn’t the best, but I am just grateful to have one), and check out some local 'open houses' and dream (13 Fowler Street sold recently for just over a $1million) or walk to the other side of the park to the children’s playground or around the corner to the brilliant O’Dea Reserve.

Leroy
The Naked Parade
Urban Stone
Sam Joole
Liza Ohlback
Dave Barrie
I Am Sam
L.J.
Andy Penkow

Tickets $10 Available at MoshTix:
http://www.moshtix.com.au/event.aspx?id=32818&ref=moshtix

Full details and info head to:
www.SheFestival.com

Questions, Comments, Suggestions, Exhibiting Enquiries, Band Submittions:

Renee-Lea Thackham | Marketing Manager
Display Networks Pty Ltd 
E renee-lea@displaynetworks.com.au
She Festival | A celebration of music, art, fashion & chocolate.

The She Festival is proudly supported by TalentCake.com.

Every week there are wonderful markets all around Sydney. Supporting them often means that your dollars are going straight to the producers whether it be clothes, arts & crafts, local produce or antiques. You'll find that most stall holders are independent local artisans and producers trying to get the word out about their products. Often new and exciting. Where would we be without our markets? In a world without differentation for sure!

This issue we are highlighting the Ramsgate Organic Foodies Market. There you will find a wide range of products including healthy, hand-baked bread, honey straight from the farm, incredible organic coffee (you haven't lived until you have had organic coffee) and fresh as, fruit and veggies direct from the farmers.While farmers have been doing it tough, the major supermarkets have been closing the profit margins on fruit and veggies so that farmers are at a point where they can no longer survive. Fruit and veggies are much healthier if consumed fresh and the travel miles on some produce is ridiculous. The further the food travels the longer it needs to be preserved, the early it needs to be picked and the more taxing it is on the environment and carbon emissions. Buy Local, Eat Local, Support Local!

One of the marketeers from Ramsgate Organic Foodies Market is Grech Farms. 65 years ago Charlie Grech had a dream to start his own farm growing quality vegetables for the people of Sydney. Today Charlie has achieved his dream and with the support from 3 of his sons, his dream is continuing to grow. Grech Farms is located along the Nepean river on two properties just outside the township of Camden about 1/2 hour from Sydney.

Grech Farms have implemented an IPM program (Integrated Pest Management.) A consultant comes out to their farms every Thursday and checks for bugs. If the count of good bugs is greater than pest bugs they do not apply chemicals to their crops as the good bugs will destroy the pests. This not only saves them money on their chemicals purchase but more importantly it saves using chemicals. It is not quite organic but the next best thing. You will be very pleasantly surprised at the difference in taste. Ever wondered where the taste went from tomatoes? Try it and see...

Sirkka Wolke

The plight is indeed desperate. According to statistics quoted at the launch, 1625 per hour – yes, hour – are forced onto the streets as a result of the death of, or abuse by, an adult. Here they fight for survival by scavenging for food, begging, or prostituting themselves for money. If the global community of orphans was a country, it would account for the tenth highest population in the world.

Yet there is hope. In Western countries, there are hundreds of thousands of prospective parents desperate to embrace these children as their own, who elect – through infertility or preference – to create a family by international adoption. In the USA, for example, around 17,500 children found families intercountry adoption in 2008.

Tragically, however, in Australia in that same year, only 270 international orphans found families. This is not for lack of potential parents. Laws in this country are so restrictive, due diligence takes so long, that thousands of potential adoptive couples languish on the waiting lists, as thousands of children die, impoverished and alone. Many couples are not considered for up to ten years, by which time they are immediately rejected for being too old.

Had Deborra-Lee not held US citizenship, she would have been faced with exactly this scenario. She and husband Hugh Jackman would no doubt have remained childless, instead of being who they are today - the loving parents of two adopted children, Oscar, 9 and Ava, 4.

Deborra-Lee heads the lobby group Orphan Angels, whose goal is to lobby the Government to make adoption more expedient, more transparent and more acceptable in our society. Deborra-Lee has also recently joined Dr Jane Aronson and her Worldwide Orphans Foundation which provides direct services in many areas to care for the health of children living in orphanages around the world. www.WWO.org. Though it is easy to be cynical about celebrities who endorse charities, it is clear from meeting Deborra-Lee that she is utterly committed to her cause. She speaks with tremendous emotion and passion, later awkwardly wiping away tears as we watch the new community service videos of impoverished orphans, lined up anonymously in their rows of tiny cots.

Deborra-Lee considers herself part of the global village, responsible not just for her own family, but for children all around the world. “I'm here because it made me mad,” she tells me. “There are people longing for a child, who'd be such great parents, while kids are forced to be prostitutes, or walk round the streets, because bureaucracy is standing in their way.

”In person, Deborra-Lee is upbeat, friendly, and quite disarmingly natural. She speaks quickly, keen to get her message across – about the need for a dedicated national agency, expedient and accessible adoption services for genuinely displaced children, and education to promote inclusion and combat ignorance and stigma.

She refers frequently to the anti- adoption culture in our country. Couples on IVF, for example, are prohibited from applying for adoption until all medical options have been exhausted, by which time they are often too old to qualify. Furthermore, adoptees continue to be discriminated against in some of our immigration laws and policies, and access to information is frequently limited and discouraged.

“Please spread the word,” she asked me earnestly, as we said our goodbyes. “It's so unfair that thousands of children are dying unloved, when there are so many people who want them, so many people with love to give.”

Kerri Sackville.