EG Weekend edition 17

17

March 2024 | East Gippsland News Weekend

East Gippsland Newspapers mascot, Kenny Koala, has been out and about in the community, enjoying a coffee with prominent local business people discussing their business, what it involves and what the regions requires in an ever-changing business environment.

KENNY KOALA: A big welcome to coffee with Kenny to the owner of local bookshop, the Book Orchard, Annemieke Jongsma. ANNEMIEKE JONGSMA: I’m not sure what I’ve got myself into,

KK: Anything coming up in store? AJ: Graham Simsion and Anne Buist have a new book out called The Glass House and they will be in store on April 3, Odin and I are looking forward to that. Graeme’s Rosie series was popular. KK: Do Bairnsdale readers follow the national and international trends? AJ: Not really, our local readers are quite eclectic, and buck the trends. KK: What do you do when you’re not at the bookstore. AJ: I does take up a lot of my time, but I like to hang out with Odin. KK: I see you have a role with the local chamber of commerce. AJ: I’m the secretary, I gives me a reality check on what my life used to be like. But I take the view that you can’t sit on your hands and wait for things to change, you’ve got to be a part of it. KK: How is Bairnsdale tracking? AJ: When I looked here and purchased, I obviously saw the potential that Bairnsdale and this region had, but I have been disappointed that it seems to have stagnated. I love this town and I want to help it get to where it should be. KK: What does it need to be great? AJ: Interesting question Kenny, it needs some infrastructure and facilities so it can attract some big names and stop people heading to Melbourne to shop. It needs to be proud of itself, across the board from the council to the person walking down the street, working together to make it great. Sometimes I feel it is getting like Canberra and getting stuck in bureaucracy. KK: Let’s finish with some quick questions, favourite food? AJ: Ice cream. KK: Go to dish? AJ: Oliebollen. KK: Yes! Does pineapple belong on a pizza? AJ: Yes. KK: What is your pizza go to? AJ: Something with chilli, pineapple, onion, cheese, tomato or barbecue sauce. KK: Favourite movie? AJ: Witness. KK: Who would play you in a movie? AJ: Helen Mirren. KK: Good choice. Favourite band? AJ: U2. KK: If you could have a drink with three people from any point in time, friends, celebrities, etc., dead or alive, who would you choose? AJ: My dad, my grandfather who passed away when I was one and Richard Fidler. KK: Thanks for the coffee Annemieke, it was quite the experience. AJ: Likewise Kenny.

but good morning and it’s a pleasure Kenny. KK: How do you like your coffee Annemieke? AJ: A flat white please. KK: Any sugar? AJ: No, I’m sweet enough thanks. KK: Is this your first time having coffee with a koala?

AJ: Yes, though being from Canberra, I have seen plenty of koalas. KK: I see we have a special guest, who’s this delightful chap? AJ: This is my dog Odin. KK: He’s a friendly pup, glad he likes koalas. Tell us about young Odin. AJ: He’s nine, a staffy bordeaux mastif cross. He’s a rescue, I got him from the pound in Canberra. We both got lucky, I saved him and he’s a great dog. KK: How long have you been in Bairnsdale? AJ: A couple of years now. KK: Why the move? AJ: I needed a changed in life, saw a bookshop for sale and decided that was what I wanted to do. KK: Did you know much about the area? AJ: Not really, my brother had spent some time at the RAAF base in Sale so I had a basic knowledge. KK: Had you run a bookshop before? AJ: It’s funny, the nice ones in the building are often the ones that don’t actually come across as being nice to the rest of Australia. KK: So you’re telling me Barnaby Joyce is a good bloke? AJ: Look, I didn’t have to work with him, but he was always nice in my dealings. KK: Why the fascination in book shops? AJ: I came to a point in my life where I was doing everything for my retirement, but the way I was going I wasn’t going to make retirement, so I decided to look in another direction. KK: I’m thinking that I will have to have that conversation one day soon. AJ: I’d wondered for a few years, what I would have done in another life and a book shop keep coming up, the Book Orchard just fell in my lap. I purchased it and here we are Kenny. KK: In Canberra? AJ: Wollongong. KK: What qualifications do you have? AJ: Science degree, teaching degree, masters, I was a police officer for a while, so studied government investigation and policing. KK: Could see you on the beat, wouldn’t be much shop lifting at the Book Orchard. AJ: Some of those habits never leave you. KK: Did you ever teach? AJ: No, my parents were teachers, I see myself as more an educator than a teacher, I’ve never been employed by an education department. AJ: I like to read, but in saying that I think I read more before I owned a bookshop. I think COVID threw a lot of peoples’ reading out of whack. Some slowed down and others sped up. I slowed down and found myself reading a lot more fiction, which was odd considering the world was going through a diverse process. KK: Are you a person who sits down and reads a book in a day on the weekend? AJ: I used to, not so much now. KK: What are you reading at present? KK: Are you university educated Annemieke? AJ: I have spent plenty of time studying Kenny. KK: You’ve had an interesting life Annemieke. AJ: I would say I have had several lives in one. KK: Are you a big reader? AJ: No, I was a public servant at Parliament House. KK: Isn’t that what everyone does in Canberra? AJ: Pretty much. KK: Did you meet many famous people in that role? AJ: Some politicians. KK: Who’s the nicest politician in Canberra?

AJ: The third book in the Richard Osman murder series, I usually have a non fiction on the go as well, I have just finished a good read by a British judge on the English criminal system. I think as I’m getting older, I’m certainly reading more non-fiction. KK: Have you read local author Margareta Osborn’s books? AJ: No. KK: Bella’s Run is a must read. How’s business at the Book Orchard? AJ: I’m on my second year going into my third and I won’t be getting rich quick, but I do love it, I’m alive and happy, Odin’s even happier. KK: Do you start books and then decide, ‘no that’s not for me’, it’s not like the lady at the bookshop wouldn’t give you a refund. AJ: Totally, if I don’t like it, I ain’t reading it. Sometimes if the writing is very good, but the story is slow I will push through and persist for a while longer. KK: I’m like that with Netflix and Stan. Do you enjoy the quality of writing in the Bairnsdale Advertiser ? AJ: Certainly Kenny, it’s great to see the town with a great newspaper, I have lived in a few smaller towns over the years and always enjoyed what the local paper offers. KK: Where else have you lived? AJ: With my parents working as teachers, we saw quite a bit of southern New South Wales, Finley was the closest we got to Victoria. Cootamundra was a good place to live. KK: Are you a sports fan? I see Odin is going okay in the Bairnsdale Advertiser football tipping. AJ: Yes, he’s tipping well, we are Essendon fans, though I must admit I’m more an NRL and soccer fan. KK: Who do you follow? AJ: Parramatta in the NRL and are a huge fan of Arsenal in round ball game. Love barracking for the Socceroos. KK: Back to books, I see you recently had a promotion around comedian, Claire Hooper’s book, Princess Benjamina Has a Very Cheeky Bum , did you enjoy the book? AJ: I loved it Kenny, very funny woman. KK : Any good book recommendations for a koala to read? AJ: Actually have a few options Kenny, there are several good books on eucalyptus trees, which would certainly capture your interest. There’s also a great book on koalas, which you would probably know some of the characters. KK: I think my cousin is in that book. What are other people reading? AJ: The ladies are into the chic books, while the older demographic love a good autobiography. KK: How did Prince Harry sell? AJ: Bairnsdale is a bit more cultured and didn’t go silly over Harry. KK: People still chasing 50 Shades of Grey, or are we on to another colour? AJ: I think are plenty of copies of that series in second hand book stores. KK: Or being used as doorstops or to make your computer taller. Any good new releases or something to look forward to? AJ: James Patterson has a new book out and Kristin Hannah and Rachel Johns will be releasing shortly. Those three always provide an outstanding read. KK: Any local authors? AJ: Doctor Hollands’ book has been a good seller, Alison Lester is always popular.

Mitchell River Tavern

Our delicious pub-style & fine-dining meals are all chef- prepared from locally-sourced, seasonal produce – with GF, vegan & vegetarian options available. Great-value $18 lunches Monday-Friday. Open every day for lunch & dinner. We also have accommodation, gaming/tab, function rooms & a bottleshop.

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59 Main Street, Bairnsdale 03 5152 4030