Four graphic design students from Charles Sturt University worked with the Comboyne community to produce the 174-page Comboyne Cookbook.

Charles Sturt University with the Comboyne Community Association and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council will launch the book at Comboyne Showground at 2.30pm on October 15.

Third-year graphic design students – Abby Artuso, Thomas Brown, Beka Dennis and Mel Streater – designed the cookbook.

Ms Streater said she was excited to see the book in its physical form and celebrate its success with the community.

“We’re all very proud to be part of the book’s launch,” she said.

The community is invited to attend the launch. 

Lecturer in graphic design in the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries Willhemina Wahlin said the book was a perfect example of the university working with the community.

“The book celebrates the close partnerships Charles Sturt University and our students built up with the Comboyne community while they worked on the book and also the close ties of the university with the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council,” she said.

The students were involved from the beginning of the Comboyne Cookbook’s production to the final result.

“The book really demonstrates the diversity of talent the students have,” Ms Wahlin said.

“They styled the food, took amazingly rich photographs, created the illustrations and undertook the layout of the entire 174 pages.

“It was a huge effort and they have done an outstanding job.”

Ms Wahlin said she was really impressed with the students’ attention to detail and the way they interacted with the community.

She said type of collaborative work with community provided a unique experience for students on all aspects of project management and was a very valuable addition to their graduating portfolios.

“There are a lot of soft skills that designers need in addition to the processes of design and one of the most important of these is building good client relationships,” Ms Wahlin said.

“Designers work in a wide range of organisations, both within the creative industries and beyond, so it’s important that they are prepared for a range of employment options.”

The Comboyne Cookbook project, which is part of the Port Macquarie-Hastings bicentenary, is funded and supported by Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s Community Grants Program.

The recipes are a blend of traditional and contemporary as well as those which celebrate local produce.

The Comboyne Cookbook is available from the Comboyne Community Centre at a cost of $50.

Limited copies of the book will available at the launch or orders can be placed for delivery in early November.

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