Well-known Binalong locals Adrian ‘Curly’ Sykes and Jan Giles have made a statement in support of Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Owners of Cafe on Queen, the beautiful little cafe is situated in the quiet but very close-knit Binalong community. It sits about an hour from Canberra, the venue has been open for the last 8 years. It played host to a fundraising concert on Thursday March 6th, with local artists donating their time to the cause drawing a large crowd who turned up, listened, ate and drank, and raised more than $2,000 sending it off the the Red Cross. Artists included Jon Schofield, Daniel Corkhill and Daniel Kelly. All of the proceeds from the bbq and pizza sales was put towards the appeal. Attendees came as far away from Canberra and one hopes they might take back the ideas of the people of the bush who more often than not, have more common-sense than the bureaucrats in the nation’s capital.
Adrain and Jan are everyday bush people. Jan spending the majority of her career in nursing, caring for the sick, the weak and those who entered a hospital but she would have known at times, may not have been destined to leave. Farming on her family’s property alongside her nursing, Jan has never rested on her laurels, also playing a major role in the delivery of the Binalong Players who produced theatre productions across decades, often under the much -loved direction of Australian actor and Director Rob Steele of Muriel’s Wedding and Breaker Morant fame.
Jan’s two children Max and Ali have gone on to be pillars of the local community involved in most organisations who have no other option than to punch above their weight and ensure the community, which is often forgotten by the Council, gets what they deserve from their share of the pie. Ali and her husband Ben have put their money where their mouth is over the last 15 years, investing in the town and its main street. For the Giles’ Binalong is a part of their make up, intertwined in their relationships, commitment and friendly nature and focus.
An American Flag upside down is a sign of distress.
For Adran ‘Curly’ Sykes, farming is in his blood. A descendant of the original settlers and founders of ‘Glendalyn’ which was a farming operation of more than 5,000 acres at the turn of the 1900s, the Sykes’ and Adrian are linked to the town through local government involvement from yesteryear and the local Rugby League club the Binalong Brahmans who with Adrian’s help, saw the village win three consecutive premierships in the George Tooke Shield and the Woodbridge Cup. Adrian has done it all, from growing fat lambs and cropping to managing hotels, he backs the underdog in the fight, as he did when Binalong took on much larger towns and prevailed in the early 2010s.
Adrian on Australia Day. He is flying the Australian ‘unofficial flag’ of Bundy Rum in this photo.
Adrian and Jan have taken a stand. They were both shocked and disgusted when viewing a news piece showing how US President Trump and his Deputy JD Vance treated the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after inviting him to the White House over the last fortnight. One must think the US hierarchy’s behaviour was for show. They brought the cameras in and the media and then belittled and at times attacked the under fire President.
Adrian and Jan decided they could do something to show solidarity with the Ukranian President.
Jan said, “I was disgusted because here’s this man, coming for help and he’s belittled. You don’t treat anyone like that, let alone a head of state and for it to be on the world stage, it’s absolutely unbelievable.”
The couple decided to impose their own so-called “tariffs” on American-owned and made produce sold at their cafe.
The proceeds will be used to support aid to the Ukraine.
Their tax was introduced before the US announced it would place a 25 percent tariff on Australian steel and aluminium. Adrian said, “We call it a tariff because I think it’s the word of the week.”
“With Coca-Cola products, we’ve put a $1 tariff on it, Jim Beam and Cola, we’ve put $2 on it.”
“We’ve taken Jim Beam and Jack Daniels off the shelves, we no longer stock them because they’re brewed, bottled and shipped from the United States.”
The couple said they have not had any complaints from customers and the cafe is promising to match every dollar that is raised through their campaign.
Cafe on Queen in Binalong.
Adrian said, “We should be able to raise around $800, maybe $1,000 a quarter, and over a period of a year that would be about $3,000-4,000 a year.”
Jan and Adrian have vowed to continue their campaign until Mr Trump’s attitude towards Ukraine and its leader changes.
He said, “Binalong is not going to change the world but something like this can sometimes catch on a little bit.”
Adrain and Jan’s families have certainly changed Binalong’s fortunes and after retiring from full-time nursing and farming, they have provided the much needed Cafe on Queen Street, aptly titled Cafe on Queen. If you want to help out the Ukrainians and their brave and under fire President, drop in and see them. As they say, from little things big things grow.