A NEW DAWN

It’s the pioneering market that changed how Brisbane shops. When tragedy threatened the future of the iconic markets, the resilience of one family saved the day

- FIONA DONNELLY

It's Saturday morning and stallholders across Queensland are unloading the week's haul in an east-to-west ripple of farmers and artisans bumping in. Marquees are going up, coffee machines are turning on, boxes are being unloaded and early risers keen to fill baskets are sniffing the goods.

For anyone who has ever uttered the words "paddock to plate" in earnest, shopping at a local farmers market is a way of life. And the first flap of the butterfly wing belongs to Brisbane gourmand Jan Power. When Power began Brisbane's first farmers markets more than 30 years ago she also unleashed a torrent of replicas across the state, and the country for that matter.

The first Jan Powers Farmers Markets (JPFM) held back in 1994 was a much different affair to the institution it has become today with its three locations at Brisbane Powerhouse, Manly and Mitchelton.

Since then, there has been much hardship and grief for the Powers. In 2019, Jan's daughter, former radio personality Sammy Power died suddenly at age 55.

It wasn't just the shock of Sammy's death that they had to process and deal with. Since 2012 Sammy had skippered JPFM and acted as the elderly Jan's full-time carer for years. Jan's granddaughter Olivia Gates describes the months following Sammy's death as crazy, a head-spinning period for everyone - particularly her mother Astrid, who in the space of 20 minutes bravely relinquished a banking and finance career of several decades, leaving Sydney to hop on the next plane to Brisbane and help out.

"I really feel for Mum. She lost a sister and gained a business in a few minutes," says Olivia. "She also had to take on care of grandma, to make sure she was being looked after properly. There were just so many competing priorities. It was insane. Then, the pandemic hit."