It was a chance meeting with then-owner of Kennedy’s Lane Farm Robin Wolf which led to
Uri Leshem’s involvement in the property.
Israeli-born Uri had taken a gap year when he turned 50, but after meeting Robin and
helping out, he decided to purchase the farm from the ageing farmer. Originally a stone fruit
and citrus property, it had nearly all been wiped out by hail storms in 2007, so Robin had
changed the operation over to become a certified organic market garden.
For a small stall, its profusion of seasonal produce is always a lure to the eye. ‘The farm’, Uri
tells me, ‘grows almost everything in the market garden, including garlic, ginger, turmeric,
leafy greens, lettuce, culinary herbs, carrots, beetroots, shallots, leek and celery.’ And now
we’re coming into winter, all the brassicas.
And yet you won’t often see Uri himself manning the stall. Behind the scenes, this humble
and modest man has for many years now been offering the opportunity to ‘younger aspiring
farmers to work as managers first then share-farmers on the farm.’ There Uri mentors and
guides them, providing, in addition, accommodation, that increasingly rare commodity in
the region.
It's a wonderful initiative. Currently, Uri has a 28-year old Sydney boy called James Daaboul
as his farm manager. A carpenter by trade, James came to the Northern Rivers three years
ago, ‘pursuing a dream to live on the land and grow food’, Uri tells me. They’ve been
working together for a year now, James settled on the property with his partner and
running the daily operations, planting crops, learning about and implementing ethical work
practices.
So Kennedy’s Lane Farm is more than just a farm and a source of wonderful produce, it’s a
breeding ground for that very valuable resource, future farmers, with Uri Leshem to thank.
Kennedy Lane Farm is at New Brighton every Tuesday from 8 – 11am
