For many years Anne-Marie Wilson, of Bowral, has driven past the Donut Van in Berry wishing she could try one.
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But every time she came down the mountain for some retail therapy in the popular South Coast holiday town there was always a long queue and she would think to herself "maybe next time".
Countless times she left Berry with mouth-watering thoughts looking forward to the day she could finally try one. That day came on Thursday and it was just as good as she thought it would taste.
She knows no queue outside the Donut Van is unheard of and will return when visitors from Sydney, Wollongong, Shellharbour, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains are eventually able to return after lockdown.
And now she is carefully planning to pick more quiet days for visits to Berry just so she can come back for more.
Because they do not live in a lockdown area Mrs Wilson and her husband Dallas Wilson chose to get out and support local businesses missing out on important holiday business.
They regularly get out and shop at local businesses in the Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven and this week though that was more important than ever when visitors are not allowed to come from Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Shellharbour, the Blue Mountains and the Central Coast.
"We just thought we would get out and check out some of the interior design shops in Berry," she said.
But when they saw there was no line-up outside the Donut Van they couldn't resist.
"We never go to the Donut Van because the queue is always down the road," she said.
Mr Wilson said they were in Berry on a Sunday two weeks ago and at 5.15pm the queue was at least 50 metres.
This week the couple have also been making a point of getting their meals at local eateries in Bowral to support local businesses on the Southern Highlands when they are not getting visitors.
"Normally I have my lunch at home but I have been going into the Hungry Monkey in Bowral or one of the coffee shops instead," she said.
"They are so quiet. And on Wednesday when I went to the Hungry Monkey they wrote a message on my bag thanking me for supporting them during these tough times."
Perla Gonzalez was very grateful to have some Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands residents shopping local when people from other local government areas can't.
Her family has run the Donut Van for 15 years and this week was one of the quietest they have ever seen.
"We are getting a lot of locals this week and the people who usually come here every day who really support us," Ms Gonzalez said.
"It hasn't been this quiet since the lockdown a year ago."
There was nothing but a positive attitude in the Berry business community on Thursday despite the first week of the lockdown in Greater Sydney, Wollongong and Shellharbour leaving the town very quiet.
Roel Visser, of Goldfish Toy Shop, said March 2020 was the first time business completely stopped in Berry but after that total lockdown ended the store was busier than ever.
Mr Visser is confident that will happen again and is keeping all his staff on despite little foot traffic through the toy shop door this week.
He said what the slow winter school holiday break means is that toy shop will be fully stocked when things start returning to normal again. And people will be ready and able to come back to Berry in large numbers again.
At the Berry Farmers Markets organisers were well prepared, had carefully checked with all relevant authorities what they were and weren't allowed to do and communicated that widely to the local community on social media.
No one came surprised about needing to wear a mask the whole time.
Tricia Ashelford said it was important for the local community to proceed with the weekly market. And everyone respected the rules.
Which was great because proceeding was so important for so many small businesses.
"We count down and look forward to the school holidays because it means important trade for so many stall holders in the middle of winter," Ms Ashelford said.
"If we can make this work and they can still trade that is important so they can have some sort of livelihood."
"We ran all through last year very safely with COVID and have had a lot of conversation this week with the Illawarra Local Command and NSW Health to make sure we had everything in place we needed to.
"That has given everyone a sense of confidence. They know they can come along and shop in a safe environment.
"We have found all the way through the pandemic the older generations really appreciate being able to come outside and shop.
"They feel this offers a safer environment for them to get their fresh fruit and produce.
"And they have built a relationship with the stall holders as well. They know about their farms and their stories and they don't want to lose those connections."
Fay and Darryl Atkins have lived in the Berry and Kiama area all their life and come to the markets every Thursday.
They said it was a great way to shop for fresh local produce and support small local businesses.
"We are very lucky we can still do this," she said.
"The organisers of the markets were very good. We knew all the rules before we arrived and knew what to expect.
At South on Albany restaurant owners John Evans and Sonia Greig have maintained 4m2 dining since they reopened to indoor dining after the 2020 lockdown and are finding their customers like having the extra space.
They have continued doing takeaways and this week has not been too bad for dining-in because of great local support in the Shoalhaven.
While they had many cancellations at the eatery from people in Shellharbour, Wollongong and Sydney, local support for the business remains strong.
They are expecting things to get a little quieter next week but are confident about the future.
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
