PROVINCIALPRODUCE.COM.AU Your Fresh Produce Family PROVINCIAL PRODUCE AUSTRALIA Provincial Produce Australia delivers the freshest, premium-quality fruit and vegetables direct from farm to table. Trusted by chefs, retailers, and hospitality venues, we pride ourselves on consistency, reliability, and exceptional service. With seasonal produce at its peak, Provincial Produce is your partner in freshness — every order, every time. now a doctor at Western Health Sunshine Hospital. “That’s what we try to do for every young person,” Brendan says.“He came from the most disadvantaged circumstances—and now he’s giving back,” he notes. The school’s community ethos also shows in crisis moments. When Mowbray College closed mid-year, CRC Sydenham opened its doors to 270 stranded Year 11 and 12 students, employed 12 of their staff within two weeks, re-timetabled the school, brought in portables, and kept those students on track for graduation. “If it were our students, we’d want someone to do something,” Brendan says. “Schools aren’t isolated from the community—we’re part of it,” Watson expands. SUSTAINABILITY AS STRATEGY (AND SAVINGS) Watson highlights that running a mini-economy of enterprises means energy demand can spike— particularly with bakers starting at 4:00 a.m. When coal-fired plant closures sent the monthly electricity bill from $8,000 to $28,000, the college moved decisively: ~1,200 solar panels, 750,000 litres of tank water storage, and a 5-megawatt battery. The system has flipped the cost equation. “We’re moving to net producers of energy,” Watson explains. In January, when the school is closed, power flows to the grid; during summer brownouts, the utility can draw from CRC’s battery.“The aim was sustainability and fee pressure relief. Funding doesn’t rise with costs, and we won’t price families out.Twenty percent of our students are refugees; fee concessions and walking with families are part of our mission.” 62 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 07, ISSUE 10
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