Blueberry Revolution is a 30mins documentary that captures the lives of Gurbir, Saihaj and Gurmesh; three young Sikh farmers over a period of ten years, as they try to decide if blueberry farming is the best choice for them.
Gurbir (27) is one of only handful of Sikh women farmers in the town. Sikh religion fosters gender equality and Gurbir is actively involved in the Sikh Gurudwara. After completing her business degree, she decided to return home to Woolgoolga to work on her family farm. Gurbir faces challenges such as climate change, Covid lockdowns and hailstorms. When we meet Gurbir again after ten years, she is a Mum of three children and has a thriving blueberry farm.
Gurmesh (31) has recently returned to Woolgoolga after working in marketing for many years in Sydney. He is the Chairman of the blueberry farmer run co-op called ‘OzBerries’. This co-op has grown from 4 farmers to 95 in just 2 years. When a massive hailstorm devastates the blueberry farms, Gurmesh plays a key role in supporting the farmers. In the ten years that we follow Gurmesh, he has risen to become a local leader and continues to work as a blueberry farmer.
Saihaj (17) is the first Sikh school captain in Woolgoolga, he has been studying hard for his exams and needs to do well to get into the medical field. He is conflicted about whether he should stay back in Woolgoolga or pursue his dreams of working in the field of medicine. Meanwhile, kangaroos have almost destroyed his family blueberry farm. We meet Saihaj again, ten years later and a lot has changed. He doesn’t wear a turban anymore and although he works in Sydney now , he says that Woolgoolga is never too far away.
We meet all three farmers at the the Vaisakhi – harvest festival. This festival is the confluence of Sikh religion and farming traditions. While Gurmesh is now a leading political figure and Saihaj works as a pharmacist, Gurbir has continued the tradition of her ancestors and is proud to be a farmer.
