Twenty Years On, Still Going Strong
by Juliette Kalifa

Shopping for healthy and ethical choices and for sustainability, buying organic, local and Australian; preferring glass to plastic and cellophane to plastic recycled bags; opting for bulk goods; buying products with minimal additives and certainly no harmful ones; refusing to stock products manufactured by companies that test on animals, that use genetically altered material and have questionable practices in developing countries; and supporting companies practising fair trade locally or in other parts of the world...this is your Co-op, celebrating its 20th anniversary!

Twenty years ago, a new wave of people arrived in Maleny, a quiet dairy town. They had chosen the country in an attempt to live out their ideals and values. They believed in interconnectedness, freedom of expression, cooperation, justice and environmental responsibility. They attracted others to the area who shared their ideas. It was not long before they took action.

At the time, people would have to drive down the Range to find a choice of healthy foods. In late 1979, a group of committed locals agreed that a consumer co-operative should be set up. The inaugural meeting was held in early 1980, and 48 Maple Street – the first home of the Co-op – was up and running. We sold craft and food as well as whatever else our members needed – even tobacco and cigarettes until 1987 (yes, people smoked in the back room!). We considered stocking pet food and 'better' animal-worming mixtures, as some members had cattle and pets.

Every single item sold was listed in a little book and all calculations were done by hand. Packing happened after hours and involved the directors, staff and volunteers. The staff began by giving all of their time and were still partly doing it more than ten years later when they gave two hours for every six hours they were paid for. The same applied to the co-ordinator who would work most days for continuity and efficiency and would be paid the same hourly rate. We all agreed that the responsibility of other staff wouldn't be reduced. Help from volunteers was needed, was forthcoming and was always welcome.

Yes, there was fun in the back room! The place was extremely friendly; there was always time for a chat and for 'catching up', as we had an information corner. If living in the country had meant isolation before, it didn't any more! Maleny had a meeting place, a caring place. We would gather some evenings to pack or even collate the first News (the forerunner of the Maleny News and, later, The Range News), and that was also a social night. There would always be a face behind a project – Richard Giles behind the News, Jill Jordan behind the Co-op – but they wouldn't be working alone. Those projects needed lots of volunteer help and gave us a sense of community. At times, volunteers and directors had to be coaxed, and we would have self-doubt, wondering where all the co-operation had gone. One time, a one-day strike was organised and directors had to open and run the shop! Then, yet another wave of energy would come and optimism would return.

We believed we could change the world, or at least influence it. Many co-ops not only in Maleny but also in other parts of Australia copied our model and developed it to suit their needs. We felt proud of our success. We started with almost no capital and we were "so much more than a health food store". In 1994 we had a Folk Festival disaster to cope with, and we questioned the possibility of surviving in a competitive economic climate with ideals of justice and environmental responsibility. What hope did we have? We hung on to our principles. We reinforced consensus decision-making, communication and clean business practices. We won. The place is still friendly, there is fun in the back room, volunteers are always welcome, and we have a flourishing business in the main street of Maleny. But the question presented in 1995 still remains.

Organic foods were once the 'trade mark' of the Co-op, but this is not so any more. You can now find organics even in supermarkets. So, haven't we achieved one of our goals? We wanted organics to be extensively available, and they are. The organics industry is booming and we were involved in the process. Great! Now what?

We can't stand still: we cut open the apple and dropped its seeds; trees are now growing. We can sit in the shade of the trees and enjoy a nice cup of coffee or meditate...or we can move on. We have some ideas, and we welcome yours – but for now, for goodness sake, shop at the Maple Street Co-op!

[From "Maple Street Co-op News", December 2005/January 2006; published by The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny, Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au, website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]