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How The West Is #1
Sonia Lear - Co-Founder, Campground Kitchen
Season 3, Ep. 5
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Sonia's story is so compelling and her background is extraordinary, so you will definitely love this episode! Born and raised in Sydney, Sonia started out as a journalist at uni and then worked as a TV producer on Today Tonight and Sunrise before moving to London where she worked for a TV network there, and then Al Jazeera. She met her partner, who is French, back in Australia and then his job took them to Mumbai where she got pregnant and they had their first child. Her partner, Remi then decided he didn't want to be an engineer any more and suggested that they should start a Pizza Truck, and Sonia became pregnant with twins. They started their food van business in St Kilda but eventually moved it to Footscray and had a 'garage' in Braybrook. Then the Pandemic hit and they started offering takeaway pizzas from their 'garage', until tragedy hit, the week we came out of the lockdown, and one of the trucks exploded, destroying the premises. Thus, Campground Kitchen was born!
When their vans were destroyed, Sonia and Remi were devastated, but the wonderful community spirit in the inner west kicked in and someone started a GoFundMe campaign which raised enough for them to buy and refurbish another truck. From there they decided to start a restaurant and fitted out the 'garage' as a really cool venue. Campground Kitchen only opened its doors in early 2023 but is slowly building up a loyal following. You will be so inspired by Sonia's story.
More episodes
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1. John Ng
30:33||Season 1, Ep. 1John Ng, based in Yarraville, is the owner of a financial services and mortgage business called The Money Jar Concept, he's also the founder of the Facebook Group, Humans of SKY (which stands for Seddon Kingsville Yarraville and now includes all of the Inner West). John, originally from Singapore, moved to the area with his wife and youngest son when he was looking to reduce his commute to work, and his son was ready for Primary School. He started the Humans of Sky concept initially to utilise his journalism skills, and as a way to get to know the people in the local area.He's now recorded the stories of 150 'humans', which you can find on his website, www.humansofsky.com.au. John's finance business works on referrals and word of mouth (mainly) which have sprung from his interviews so there is a nice synergy there! John is also the Maribyrnong Citizen of The Year 2020 and he talks about winning that award in this episode. John is such a charming, friendly and funny guy, you'll love this interview!https://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/
2. Louisa Ong
28:55||Season 1, Ep. 2https://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/Louisa Ong is a Speech Therapist and is the founder of Tilegne Therapy in Footscray. Tilegne is an Allied Health provider so they have a number of different therapists covering different disciplines but the standout is their new garden therapy spaces for children, disabled and elderly patients. Louisa grew up in Singapore as the eldest of 5, and left her family for the first time to study at Flinders University in South Australia.She then went back to Singapore for over 7 years before finally returning here in 2016. Louisa loves working in Footscray because of the diversity of cultures and the melting pot of people in the area. She talks about some of her favourite restaurants (hello Roti Road on Barkly St!) and you will love her enthusiasm for our lovely patch of Melbourne.
3. Callum Urch
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4. Celestine Hade
38:14||Season 1, Ep. 4Wow! Celestine Hade is amazing! As the founder and CEO of Botany Essentials, which she started 24 years ago, Celestine is now exporting to over 70 countries globally. Her products are 100% natural with the highest quality ingredients and they smell simply divine. Celestine grew up in Queensland and set up Botany Essentials when she was interested in aromatherapy as a young woman.When you hear about the two years of research she did before starting the business you will be amazed. Her story is super inspiring. She is also the Chair of the council's business group and she is actively supporting some great social justice initiatives around Maribyrnong too. Who knew we had such a fascinating and successful woman in our local area?!https://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/
5. Dianne Louka and Maria Chasomeris
35:00||Season 1, Ep. 5Dianne Louka, founder of Dianne's Dips in Footscray now has three generations of the family working on the business! After starting the business from her home in 1981, Dianne has been supplying fresh dips and dolmades to local restaurants, cafes, and from her market stalls at Vic and Prahran Markets ever since! A mother of 5, originally from Cyprus, Dianne created the business as a source of income when her kids were small.As they grew, they have all been welcomed into the business, with the daughters working in the factory with Dianne, and the boys working in the family-owned delicatessens. Dianne and her daughter Maria explain what a tight family they are, their pride in their delicious food, all made from Dianne's original recipes from 40 years ago, and how they have seen the area change over the last 40-odd years. This is a compelling story and one you won't want to miss!https://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/
1. Pradeep Tiwari
39:18||Season 2, Ep. 1Pradeep Tiwari is a legend in West Footscray and for good reason! As the president of the West Footscray Traders Association and the founder of The Festival of Lights and other Footscray festivals, Pradeep is really making a difference. He has been living in West Footscray along with his family for over 30 years. His father migrated from India to West Footscray in the 60s and worked in Olex Cables, and Pradeep came over when I was three years old.Educated locally, he was passed down the family business of Bharat Traders by his parents, who dealt with spices and other Indian products. It started in Barkly Street in 1991 and has since expanded in food supply and various other products.Pradeep is passionate about connecting the community - and he loves a good party - so he has big plans for the area, and the festivals, to expand. You will absolutely love his passion and his vision for WeFo! An episode not to miss.https://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/
2. Kristy Busuttil
28:49||Season 2, Ep. 2Kristy is amazing! Born and bred in Footscray, Kristy started learning Taekwondo at 9 years of age, while she lived at school with her parents who were cleaners/caretakers. She continued to compete, eventually going on to win gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2006. Wow! After the games, she had gone as far as possible in the sport, and she wanted to give back, so she started offering lessons at Footscray YMCA a couple of days a week whilst working full time. This grew and grew until she had to open her own dedicated premises, in Commercial St, Maidstone, in 2017.Kristy talks about the close community she has fostered, working with disabled, autistic, and trans people as well as 'mainstream' athletes and the huge difference it has made in their lives. She definitely gets fulfilment from her work!This interview is incredibly inspiring, when you hear what Kristy is doing to help people, you will love her. She also talks about what it was like growing up in the area, how it has changed, and some of her favourite local spots.https://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/
3. Sheridan Rose
41:25||Season 2, Ep. 3Sheridan Rose West, the founder of MamaWest, a hairdressing and beauty salon in Maidstone that was started during the pandemic, in late 2021, is extraordinary! Her life story is rich with experience; leaving school at 14 to learn about makeup and hair, falling into drug addiction and her heroic effort to come clean involving 18 months in rehab, her passion for helping others and her drive to succeed. This makes it an interview you won't want to miss! As soon as you walk in the door of MamaWest, you can feel the positive vibe. The decor is gorgeous with pastels and quirky fittings and it just feels cool and really warm and friendly.Sheridan is really open about her life, and her experiences before she arrived in the inner west. She is so passionate about the community and making a safe space for women to hang out, as well as providing luxury, high-end cutting and colouring services. During the interview, she talks about the three other women who form the co-op, and how much she loves her new business. She has learned the value of a dollar over the years and explains why she is a hanger-oner when it comes to money and how it came in handy when opening the salon during the pandemic. There is just so much gold in this interview with Sheridan.https://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/
4. Fab Cammarano
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