HAPPY B'DAY MANLY FOOD CO-OP,
HAPPY B'DAY TO YOU

It is true, we have survived the 1st year with flying colours, membership and sales are still growing and so is the Co-op's success.
Let's celebrate on the 18th April - 3.00pm in the shop. Bring surprises in form of drinks, food nibbles or others and join the party.

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
There is a Special General Meeting at 2pm on 18th April in the meeting room above the food co-op.
The only two agenda items:

1. To change paragraph 43a of the Co-op rules to "there shall be a board of 8 directors, all of whom..." The previous number of directors was 5.
2. Approval of Financial Report 1997. Full report can be obtained from the shop. All member are urged to come and stay for the b-day celebrations.

1997 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The food co-op's first general meeting was held 29th November 1997.

The report for the first year contained an impressive list of achievements which led up to the opening of the shop in April 1997. This included the involvement, support and activities of many members of the co-op and the Manly community.

Likewise has the shop been very successful in continuously increasing the sales and at the same time attracting more and more members amounting to a toal membership of 430.

A copy of the auditioned financial report will be published together with this newsletter.

As a result of the increase in sales and membership, the meeting resolved unanimously to employ Keelah and Bev as paid part-time co-ordinators.

The election of a new board of directors also took place. The newly elected board of directors now consists of Keelah Lam and Bev Cowan who stood again for election and were reelected, as well as Connie Harris, Kate Shorter and Cherie Shanks.

The meeting also resolved to increase the number of directors from 5 to 8. This increase has to be confirmed by a special general meeting. Until the confirmation of this change, Verena Bacchini, Christine Bridle and Priscilla Ralph were co-opted as provisional board members.

Some of the new directors wanted to introduce themselves.

Here are a few intros:

Kate Shorter
I am pleased to be a director of the food co-op during 1998 and I will do my best to help achieve the goals we have set. My interests are waste reduction and cheap, healthy food, plus community communication.

Cherie Shanks
I've been involved with the food co-op for about 14 months now. It's been great to see the co-op grow from an ideal to a fully functioning shop.

There has been a lot of effort and an amazing amount of time put into this co-op.

I have accepted the responsibility of Media and Publich Relations.

Connie Harris
I am the chairperson of the board of directors. Before Manly Food Co-op times I was an active member of Alfafa House (Enmore Food Co-op).

Now I live around here and I am busily regenerating the bush. I try to practice zero waste production and to pass this on to my three children.

Com on, let's sew
Anyone interested in donating materials or making up calico bags, shopping bags, aprons, etc. to raise money for the co-op?

We also need a special someone who could screen print the co-op logo onto our work. Thanks to Suzanne and many others for their wastefree wrapping solutions. Please phone Suzanne on 9949 9203.

Air conditioning/Cooling Experts
Who can advise us on our ventilation/colling problems?

Money, Money, Money
We urgently need a new printer especially for printing weekly reports and financial and customer dockets if necessary.

Also, we have to establish a fund for a fridge and an awning. Donations are most welcome.

Manly Food Co-op Waste Action Group
Yes, here we are. Eventually we had our first come together and organised the bush dance as a waste free event. The garbage bin got blocked with a freshly cut Camphor Laurel tree and we felt encouraged about our goals when tidying up.

Some letters with regards to packaging were written, but overall plans and actions need to be determined. We meet monthly every third Thursday at 7:30pm in the Co-op or as otherwise announced in the shop.

Child Care
The Wednesday morning set aside for a baby/toddler meeting on the beach was of course one of those ghastly, rainy days and nobody turned up.

If there is a problem for you to work your 2 hour shift and earn your energy points, please let us know and we will try to help.

Don't forget the food co-op's picnic as a good opportunity to meet other members and their children. Phone Connie on 9451 3231.

Stalls
Volunteers are needed to promote the food co-op at the Kameroi School Fair (Rudolf Steiner School) on Sunday 24th May. Ring Conny on 9451 3231.

Late night shopping!

Please indicate on the list in the shop if you are interested in a late shopping night.

Fruit and vegs
Let us know if you would like a greater variety of greens and which day would be most convenient to purchase them.

Order and ready to pick up
Are you interested in being able to just place your order in the shop, get it packed for a fee and pick it up at your convenience?

Give the shop a ring if you want to use this additional service.

BUSH DANCE POST MORTEM
Though attendance was small, everybody had a lot of fun. Many thanks to all who came along!

The gods obviously supported us as they held a sensational lightening show in the sky.

Thanks to Carol and Gary for once again providing us with rhythmical bush tunes and energetic movements which required just a dollop of co-ordination. The entertainment continued with food co-op member Sean Lees and his band "Emergence" performing and ending the evening with a sensational Rock-n Roll set.

To all who helped organising and facilitating the event, a multitude of good wishes which are extended to all Manly businesses who donated prizes.

Financially we covered our costs, so that has prompted thoughts of making the bush dance an annual event, the next to be held mid '98.

So, an appeal is going out already to all budding PR and social people to join the waste management group who will be organising the next event.

Special thanks to all Manly businesses who donated prizes for the raffle.

Ryoho Yoga Centre, Lisa & Andre, Nicole's Beauty Salon, Nicole, Readability Book Shop, Community Aid Abroad, Danielle Argent Reflexology treatment, Brigitta for the deep fryer, Happs Wines, Miles & Jacky, Dynamic Organics, Roger & Linda, Earth Works, Michael Neville, Satyananda Ashram, Keelah Lam.
Priscilla

EPA RETAIL WASTE PROJECT
The EPA funded project is community based and targets two main groups, retail outlets (small and large businesses) and the general public. The project takes a "hands on approach" and aims to design strategies for managers and store owners to help reduce their use of packaging.

To be successful the project needs community support in order to give supermarkets and small businesses a powerful incentive to change their current practices.

To promote awareness in the Manly community I will be holding presentations for various groups in the public spaces. The main aim of these education sessions will be to illustrate the detrimental effects of waste, to empower people to facilitate change and have a choice over their shopping practices.

Many studies show that grass roots projects such as this one are extremely effective. The Manly Food Co-op's success in providing alternatives to wasteful shopping practices is a good example of the change possible through joint efforts of the community.

You can support the project by making Manly retail owners/managers aware through letter writing or directly while shopping, that you do not want plastic bags and excess packaging. Another strategy to utilise your consumer power is to only purchase minimally packaged products.

Let me know if you want to get actively involved or if you want more information.
Liyana Theidissuiou
Project Officer
Phone: 9977 4744

Salt is nature's only true buffer to toxins and stress. If we can acknowledge the fact that the world's oceans are the filter for the world's waste and that the salt in the oceans is like the salt in our blood. The salt in the oceans is not refined. Our naturally intelligent body will crave just the right food to maintain itself in the circumstances it is dictated to remain in.

On the other hand, following a healthy dietary regime dictated by some scientific or popular fad will over a period of time modify our behaviour.

Our intellect can easily rule the body in certain circumstances but on the other hand that same intellect will justify bizarre behaviour.

An extremely stressed body system will not crave normal foods. A stressed body and mind will require food that feeds stress. A person living a stressful lifestyle will automatically crave the sustenance that can maintain an unhealthy lifestyle. Consuming highly refined substances maintain and nourish stressful reactions and the cycle goes on until something gives or stops. One of the few foods that can break these cycles is salt because it comes naturally with stress buffers. That is the function of unrefined salt in the environment and in us.

Some of us follow our needs fairly easily without trying to question the unquestionable but there are many, many people in the community that have been warned off salt.

They crave salt as they crave the other necessities in life like sleep and love.

They have avoided salt as the poison that they have been lead to believe it is. Rightly so. Refined salt is poison. But if you question them closely you will find that they have strange eating binges on certain foods that were not normally part of their diet. They swallow great chunks of cheese or something equally devastating. These foods generally are very, very high in salt, refined unfortunately, such as chocolate, cheese, biscuits, cheese cake, soft drinks and breakfast cereals or vegemite. These foods combine fats or refined sugar with salt because without the taste and chemical balancing of salt, the huge quantities of fats and or sugar could not be physically consumed and therefore no "hit". One originally is attracted to the absolutely essential life sustaining salt component in the processed food and then gets hooked on the fats and sugar.

This is part of an article4 on "Salt" from The Ryoho Centre Newsletter. You will find the original copy at the co-op, plus an endless supply of excellent sea salt. Consume for life!
Priscialla

RE - VISIT THE VALUES/VISION WORKSHOP
Last September we had a serious go at creating a consensus Values and Vision document. 20 people attended and many brilliant and creative ideas were put forward for all to ponder.

To help us move forward with ease, we now need to formulate these ideas into a clear values and vision document, encompassing our communitarian and envionmental ideals. Since that last workshop, we have done some further work on policy documents for products, staff, volunteers, etc. Ask the Co-op to see the draft documents and notes from the last workshop.

Remember, everyone has something to offer. And it is an exciting and rewarding process to be involved in.

Come to the workshop on Sunday, 22 March, 1-5pm in the upstairs meeting room at the Co-op.

Caroline will again facilitate the workshop. Hooray!!!

The whole is richer than its parts.
Bev

Energy points for members energy
More member are needed to help with the administration of the co-op.

Attendance of the monthly administration meetings is rewarded with 1 energy point per hour. Come to the meetings, help the co-op, and help your shopping!!!

PICNIC PICNIC PICNIC
On the 15th March 98 at 3pm the food co-op is having a picnic for our members and friends.

So, pack your baskets and chill your drinks. Stroll, walk, drive or run to Shelley Beach. Look for our famous co-op sign.

Rind the shop for further inquiries on 9977 0177.

MANLY FOOD CO-OPERATIVE PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENT FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 30 JUNE 1997         NOTE 1997 INCOME     Gross Profit Trading   8,950.73 Donations Received   1,535.00 Fees Received   3,336.00 Interest Received   19.48     TOTAL INCOME   $13,841.21       EXPENSES     Bank Charges   107.07 Depreciation   1,802.00 Fund Raising Costs   436.90 General Expenses   168.40 Insurance   1,530.00 Legal Fees   735.35 Postage   137.25 Printing and Stationery   167.90 Rent Paid   3,666.64 Repairs and Maintenance   580.00 Telephone   338.32       TOTAL EXPENSES   $9,669.83     SURPLUS FOR THE PERIOD   $4,171.38

MANLY FOOD CO-OPERATIVE TRADING ACCOUNT FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 30 JUNE 1997         NOTE 1997 TRADING ACCOUNT     Sales   26,396.33       LESS COST OF SALES     Purchases   26,298.29 Closing Stock of Hand   8,852.69         $17,445.60     TOTAL TRADING PROFIT   $8,950.73

* The full report can be obtained by the members on request from the Manly Food Co-op shop.