Women in 4W Driving

BY CHRIS MORTON

Jo Clews

Jo Clews is one of those people you immediately fall in love with. No, not like that. She is warm and welcoming and extremely down to earth. She has been a popular figure in the outdoor industry for more than a decade and, dare I say it, she is the type of influencer that our society needs instead of the endless disappointment that is currently on offer.

Ifirst met Jo when we were introduced to the core of magazine contributors back in 2019. From family adventures on her property to having camp oven delights delivered to us during the 4WD show, Jo has made an indelible mark on our family and she is an extremely important part of the Western 4W Driver family. Jo’s love of cooking dates to being a 4-yearold, making fairy cakes in her grandmother’s kitchen in Mount Hawthorn. She had her own small box that she could stand on, allowing her to reach the countertop. She fondly recalls the smells and the warmth of that kitchen and the joy she felt learning to cook with her grandmother. She has always been a lover of the outdoors and you could say that it was fate that she would make her mark in the outdoor industry. She started writing for Western 4W Driver in 2000, after she and her partner Ken had been away on a Track Care project with Nick Underwood. Reading a subsequent trip report, she commented to Ken that it didn’t reflect the participant’s enjoyment, or the sense of accomplishment experienced by all. Jo started to assist Nick with some of his Campfire Escape’s tours when they ventured south to Nannup. Ken and Jo had a small café at the time, and they would meet the tours after the café closed with dessert for the participants. In 2002, they participated in a Variety 4WD Adventure, getting rained in near Bidyadanga. While everyone else opted to, “take their vehicles and damage them in the mud”, Jo went exploring. Finding a couple of camp ovens, she managed to get some ingredients from the station and had a go at making some damper. The damper was a hit and subsequently, she was asked to assist with the catering on the next four 4WD adventures. It was during one of these trips, while cooking at Israelite Bay that she met Russell Booth from ARB. Russell was very good friends with Peter Woods, owner of the Perth 4WD and Adventure Show. Peter was looking for someone who could talk to a crowd and who could cook. Jo ticked both of those boxes. Getting thrown in the deep end, Jo was asked to cook with camp ovens for her

first 4WD show. Her experience with them, to date, was extremely limited. Doubting herself, she said that she pre-made a batch of scones to stick in one of the camp ovens to ensure success in front of a live audience. By the end of the three-day show, she was hooked. She began to develop her camp oven cooking style. As a result of her involvement with the show, she met John Fitzgerald. John was the head of Engel and was looking for a brand ambassador. They hit it off straight away. John was a 'station boy' at heart and Jo’s love of the outdoors connected the two kindred spirits. For the next five years she represented Engel at the Perth, Sydney and Adelaide 4WD Shows. Jo credits her involvement with the show for another achievement. “Being involved with the show introduced me to the guys who would publish my first cookbook.” I asked Jo, what drives her? What makes her want to share her knowledge with others? Her response was quite simply, “Loving seeing people go away with a smile on their face.” Jo wanted to prove that anyone can cook, especially when enjoying the outdoors. “I didn’t have anyone that I could turn to when I first started out. It was all trial and error until I had an epiphany. It’s not rocket science, it’s just science”, she said. “Cooking doesn’t have to be pretentious, nor does it have to be hard. No-one owns the recipes; they are all just slightly modified versions of food that humans have been eating for centuries. You don’t need the latest and greatest gadgets and gizmos, you just need some basic kitchen tools and basic ingredients.” “I did have some help starting out”, Jo confesses. “Jack Absolom’s Camp Oven Cookbook was a big help to me when I was first getting started. There wasn’t really anything else to guide me.” Jo goes on, “I’ve had quite a few people who have learnt to use their camp ovens with me send me a gift to say thank you, a copy of Jack’s book. I must have more than 50 copies stashed away as a result,” she says with a smile. Her joy comes from seeing people succeed. “I had a gentleman contact me who wanted to learn how to make bread in his camp oven. He arranged to come and camp at Melangata where we stoked up the fire and went about making some bread. The look on his face when his perfect loaf came out of the camp oven is why I love what I do.” Finally, I asked Jo where is her happy place? “My happy place is wherever I am at the moment. Right now, it’s here on Melangata, otherwise, why would we stay here. In particular, it’s Tom’s Lookout. There are others out here but that is my favourite place at the moment. One day, when we leave the station my happy place is sure to change.”

Due to station commitments, Jo only exhibits at the Perth 4WD and Adventure Show now. If you are wanting to improve your camping culinary skills then I highly recommend going along to one of her demonstrations at this year’s show. If you can’t make it or don’t want to wait that long, then pack up the family and head north to Melangata Station and sample the real WA outback at Jo’s home. She offers one-on-one and small group cooking demonstrations as well as some unique outback experiences. Tell her Western 4W Driver sent you.

Jo at Tom's Lookout.