A treasured cookbook helps Marysville heal, as written by Meagan Weymes

This article was written up in the Northern Weekly on the 3rd October 2011, and can be accessed here Northern Weekly

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INSIDE Heather Samsa’s kitchen is an old cookbook filled with handwritten recipes, lovingly passed down from her nanna and her mother. The book holds more than just recipes, but memories and knowledge passed down through generations. The importance of the book only struck the Eden Park mother-of-three after the Black Saturday bushfires tore through her home town of Marysville.

Samsa arrived at 5.30am as the fires were still burning, and what she found was devastating. ‘‘Everything was gone. It was just gone. How else can you describe it?’’

It was only after the fires, when a close family friend broke down crying to Samsa because she couldn’t remember her mother’s jam recipe, that she realised she could do something to help. Within four months the Marysville Cookbook was at the printers, filled with the recipes passed down through generations.

‘‘I realised that if I could help one person smile, then that would make all the difference and if I can help one person I could help the town,’’ she says.

The first of the 300 books were handed out as gifts at community meetings, and the rest were distributed over months by Samsa’s parents from boxes in the boot of their car.

Then people started to approach Samsa wanting to buy the book. After a reprint, she created a blog and started promoting the book via Twitter and word of mouth. Since then, 430 copies have been sold, reaching as far as England, Italy, Switzerland and around Australia. For each book sold, $10 is donated to Marysville.

In addition to the recipes, the book has photos of Marysville before the fires. Samsa says it never crossed her mind to add photos of the fires or the affect they had on the town.

‘‘I still can’t look at Marysville without breaking down in tears so instead I just wanted to focus on what was and what can be for the town. People don’t need to be reminded what caused the damage.’’

Years later, Samsa has been recognised after being selected as a finalist in the Lenovo 10-Second Hero competition. The prize for winning the competition is a $50,000 donation. Despite the recognition, Samsa says that was never her intention.

‘‘Most people in Marysville don’t even know I exist; they know who my parents are and some of them have met me but the majority haven’t. So it’s not for personal benefit. It’s not about me, it’s about the town.’’

For more information or to order a cookbook, visit marysvillecookbook.com

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Don't forget that voting is still open until the 5th October 0400GMT for The 10-second Hero Competition for Marysville to Win $50,000. As one of only 18 entrants world-wide. the odds can't be that bad! Lenovo Competition