Schmokin’
Hear me out…
As of June 30, 2023, the estimated resident population (ERP) for Berrima, New South Wales was 1,423.
If you don’t know…
Berrima is a historic village known for its Georgian courthouse, wineries, book barn, and killer pies. It was established in 1830 and is considered Australia's best-preserved village from the 1830s. The name Berrima comes from the local Dharawal dialect and means "to the south".
The current township relies heavily on tourism and consistent weekend traffic to keep the lights on, especially in the current climate.
Keep that in mind…
Schmokin’ Berrima is this awesome little family-run café that opened up during the craziness of COVID in June 2020. These legends have been through the shit, facing health scares and still managing to be a vital part of the community. They host all sorts of cool events, like free skin checks with the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation, and have really helped put Berrima on the map, especially with motor-enthusiasts.
But now, they’re getting hammered by a tiny group of complainers who are hell-bent on shutting down their outdoor seating and events, like the popular Southern Highlands Cars & Coffee meet. If you know anything about a cat, you know these people are relentless. Their complaints have led to a ridiculous 28-day order from the council to remove the café’s outdoor setup, which has been there long before Schmokin’ even existed.
Martyn and Pauline aren’t taking this crap lying down. They want to keep their outdoor space and are calling on the council to set up a Nuisance Complainants Register. This would help make sure that complaints come from real community concerns, not just a few noisy dorks trying to ruin it for everyone else.
Stronger Together…
I just took this screenshot:
12:40pm 01/11/2024
Car meets in Wollondilly, Campbelltown, and Camden have rallied together to support the Schmokin' petition.
Kicked off by Cars & Coffee Southern Highlands and championed by many.
By sharing it with their attendees and on social media, they emphasized the importance of backing their local shops and cafes. These motor-communities understand that supporting local business is crucial for not just the community itself and also sustaining healthy, recurring car meets.
in summary…
With 3702 signatures at the time of writing, my rough math puts that at 260% of the entire population of Berrima are in support of Schmokin’.
Support local, support each other.
