Thursday, March 27, 2014

The official Rickshaw Run wrap

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All right, folks - grab a cafe sua da and settle in.  This is going to be a long 'un.

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Over four days in March, we put the 'scray on show for the fourth annual Rickshaw Run.  People came from as far away as London, Michigan and Dunedin to see what we were all about.

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From both anecdotal evidence throughout the weekend and from our official followup survey, the response was overwhelmingly positive.  94% of all survey respondents said they would return to Footscray as a result of the Rickshaw Run.

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The Footscray Traders Association (a not-for-profit organisation offering free membership to all traders in the area) created the Rickshaw Run with the explicit aim of encouraging more visitors to Footscray.  With these sort of numbers, and sell-out crowds for the past four years, I think it's fair to say it was a rip-roaring success.

In the survey we asked what people enjoyed or valued most about the event.  Read on for some of their thoughts...

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"Seeing such an amazing range of produce at the market, produce I could taste and see."

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"All the people were friendly and wanted to share their passion about Footscray."

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"The whole experience.  We then spent a couple of hours walking and shopping around Footscray."

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...and my favourite one:  simply, "Food."  I think that really says it all!

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Speaking of which, boy, was it good.  From freshly-shucked oysters to street-style snacks at Co Thu Quan, for the most part, people loved it all.

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Patrons loved the hands-on element at Sen, where they made their own rice paper rolls...

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...while at Phong Dinh, trying the house special hu tieu rice noodle soup, one guest commented, "Best soup in Footscray we have ever had...we love here and have tried most of them.  Sensational".

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At To's Bakery, folks got a sensory overload with mini coconut pancakes, cooked streetside...

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...freshly pressed sugarcane juice...

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...for some lucky groups, a shoulder massage from Origin Chinese Massage across the street...

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...and electrifying Japanese drumming.  One person commented, "I was too distracted by the drummers to eat".  I feel ya.

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What I loved most about what we began to call the "stage corner" was the way the wider community could get involved, enjoying the music, and taking some snaps in the rickshaws between performances.

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Bun cha Ha Noi from Sapa Hills won a lot of hearts, with one guest so taken by it that they reported they went home and made it for dinner that night!

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Our survey also gleaned some constructive criticism, which FTA will definitely take on board next year.  There were also quite a few great suggestions for future Footscray-focused events - watch this space!

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There was one strong theme in the comments that I haven't touched on yet.  They had to do with our amazing army of volunteers.  Exactly 100 amazing individuals put down their weekend plans and picked up the Rickshaw Run baton.

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You were an an incredible, diverse and happy bunch who brought a spirit to the event that could not be bought.  I was so humbled and delighted to have the help of so many fantastic people, most of whom I had never met before the day.


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In the survey, people said they valued "the enthusiasm of the volunteers...every one seem to enjoy what they were doing" [sic].

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"The spirit of the event was wonderful.  The passion of the volunteers of their local area was inspiring."

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"I loved the event as a whole but I think the volunteers really made it special."

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And all you crazy volunteers - from all your comments, you loved it too.  One person said it "made me feel like I was contributing to something".  Said another, "I thought it was Type 1 fun - you know when it's actually fun at the time, as opposed to Type 2 - hell at the time but fun in retrospect!"

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You can read my shout-out to the whole volunteer crew in this post.  I do want to say a very special thank-you though to the Footscray Rugby Union Club, who came on board to staff an entire shift.  

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These guys and girls got so much praise from guests for their good humour and professionalism.  More about the club coming soon - there's a foodie connection there too that I'm looking forward to sharing!

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We had a number of very special guests, including Footscray royalty - Tony and Rosa Cavallaro!

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Every guest on the Saturday lunchtime session got an added bonus - some delicious, complimentary treats from T. Cavallaro & Sons.  Tony and Rosa are such untiring champions of the area and their generosity continues to impress and inspire me.

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Another very special guest was Niamh Shields of London food blog "Eat Like a Girl", cosied up here with my gal Veda Gilbert, aka the Hospitality Widow.  She had an absolutely jam-packed schedule for the Food and Wine Festival, but little old us made it not once, but twice in her highlights post - check it out here!

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We got some more blog love thanks to Joyce from Mel: Hot or Not, Bryan of Let's Get Fat Together, Kenny from Consider the Sauce and Jo from thehangrybitch.  Thanks guys, and let me know if I missed any more!

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I think you'll agree our official photographer Cristian Iotti did the most fantastic job.  He's a local westie and you can see more of his work at his site, cristianiotti.com.


I could keep going on, but I'll let federal MP (and rickshaw puller!) Tim Watts sum it up, with his shout-out to the Rickshaw Run and all her volunteers - in no less than Federal Parliament!


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To finish - know what was my absolute favourite comment from our survey?

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See you in 2015!

Friday, March 21, 2014

Shakes and burgers in Footscray!

Things are about to get all shook up in downtown Droop Street.

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It's a bit hush-hush, but I can reveal to you that at number 8, an eatery is taking shape that will add burgers and shakes to the menu of our fair 'burb.  (I also hope there will be some vodka on the shelves to add to those shakes - but that's just me.)

The guys behind it are born-and-bred westies and are pretty awesome.  I particularly love that they seem to be retaining the (IMHO gorgeous) original lettering on the outside of the building!

You can follow the progress of EAT8BIT via their website or Instagram.  (PS:  I just joined Instagram recently and am really loving it - come say hi!)

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

The Rickshaw Run...

...IS DONE!

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I am absolutely on cloud nine.  Feedback from guests, traders and volunteers has been overwhelmingly positive.  More to come but meanwhile I want to give a huge shout-out to the following incredible people who donated their time and energy for the benefit of our community:

RICKSHAW MANAGERS

Grant
Ben
Chris
Paul

RICKSHAW TEAM LEADERS

Mark
Amy B
Rebecca
Fabio
Stu

RICKSHAW PULLERS

Scott
Liz
Duncan
Amy P
Bianca
Millie
Justin
Charlie
Elizabeth
Lockie
Michael
Kylie W
Kerry
Tim W
Luke
Hayden
Jane
Claudia
Matthew
Georgia
Sara
Jo
Mick
Simon
Bob
Kirsteene
Kylie G
Shane
Den
Bryn
Johnny
Nam
Abdi
Janet
Kristine
Danny

MARSHALS

Atsuko
Allan
Kenny
Bennie
Marilyn
Molly
Jenny
Claire
Annie
Raymond
Dean
Sian
Phil
Deb
Oona
Emily
Julia
Marie
James
Kelly
Vernon
Felicia
Temple
Kaylynn
Sylvia
Russell
Janelle
Pauline
Tim H
Sue
Diana
Christopher
Jane
Kristy
Jill
Monica
Max

and extra special thanks to Footscray Rugby Union Club, who staffed a whole session of rickshaw pullers with the following amazing folks:

David
Josh
Lionel
Jordan
Zerlina
Susanne
Ikuna
Lui (aka "Vin Diesel")

and behind the scenes at the club who put it all together:

Leki
Sean

PLUS official club photographer Luke

The musicians:

Toshi Sakamoto and all the drummers from Wadaiko Rinko
Noriko Tadano

Our awesome traffic manager:

Tony

Maribyrnong City Council, in particular:

Susie
Malcolm
Brenton

Our photographer Cristian, and Steven who connected us;

My long-suffering mum and sister plus friends Gis, B and Georgia who took care of our kids all weekend;

Frankie from Cheaper Buy Miles who was the "friend who has a ute" for the whole shebang;

and last but not least, to the traders themselves:

David from D&K Live Fish
Thu from Co Thu Quan
Tony, Hieu and Kim from "Shop 9", Little Saigon market
Yen, Tiffany and staff from Sen
Bao and Anh from Phong Dinh
Ly, Phuong and Goldie from To's Bakery
Chanel and staff from Origin Massage
Long and Ha from Sapa Hills
The Cavallaro family from T. Cavallaro & Sons

More to come, but right now I have a hot date with a 90-minute day spa appointment!  Hot stone massage and sea salt foot soak, come at me!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

RICKSHAW RUN - THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Things are pretty hot here at Rickshaw Run HQ. We have coconut pancakes, all ready to sizzle streetside. We have Japanese drummers, ready to beat out their spine-tingling rhythms. Best of all, we have a veritable garrison of amazing volunteers who have put their hand up to deliver this community event. I am truly touched by your support and cannot wait to share a bowl of noodles (and a beer!) with you.

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A massive thanks to the Footscray Rugby Union Club who are demonstrating their commitment to the community by sending eight of their best players to pull rickshaws. I went to the club's Gala Day on the weekend and was really impressed by their community values, professionalism, and club spirit. I also got to sample some special Bulldog fare - but that's a story for another post, which is coming soon! In the meantime, check out the Club's website and Facebook page.

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Photo by Pier Carthew

We have some really special guests this year, including Niamh Shields of "Eat Like a Girl", who is coming all the way from London to check out Footscray. There are guests from as far afield as Dunedin, New Zealand and Michigan, USA. We also have Footscray's first family, the Cavallaros, riding with us!

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Photo by Pier Carthew

And volunteering we have everyone from a federal senator (thanks Janet Rice!) to artists, barristers, spice merchants, veterinarians and not one but two published authors. Our rickshaw pullers are split 50/50 women and men, which I find extremely awesome.

How I love our diverse and delightful community.

Our volunteer roster has an enormous 128 spots which are now FILLED.

WESTIES - GIVE YOURSELF A HUGE PAT ON THE BACK!

However, if anyone out there is still keen and wants to go on the back-up list in case of illness or other issue for our existing volunteers, I would really appreciate that. You can call me on 0438 583 808 or email lauren@laurenwambach.com.

Finally, I have a small amount of TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE for the Rickshaw Run. Please contact me via the methods above if you would like a last-minute ticket to ride!
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