About Us
In 2023, our dreams were realized when we successfully purchased Primary @ Pioneers Park from Lindy & Andrew.
We have both been working in the business since 2017, and in the last few years took over as Head Chef & Venue Manager. It is through the opportunities provided to us by Lindy & Andrew, that we realized we could work and run the cafe together as business partners.
With very different working backgrounds in business & finance and as an international chef, we believe our skills and qualities compliment each other and provide us with well-rounded business experience.
We both love interacting and working with the cafe team on a daily basis. Most of our team of forty five member’s are from the local Casey area, and include a mix of mums, dads, university students, as well as young adults in their first job. Some are making a career of hospitality and others are working their way towards other opportunities via study, but all are equally important to the performance of our venue. With a balanced mix of a bit of fun and hard work, it is the team and their support that keep the days running smoothly.
We welcome you all as an extension of our Primary family and hope that you enjoy your experience with us, each and every time.
Isaac (Zac) and Kerryn
Introductions
Isaac (Zac) and Kerryn
Lindy & Andrew
“The legacy they leave behind”
Lindy & Andrew owned and operated Primary @ Pioneers Park for 11 years and leave behind a wonderful legacy for the current team and customers. They were very passionate about their business, everyone who visited and the generations of team members who have helped create such a wonderful venue to visit. We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Lindy & Andrew and for everything we have learnt from them. You will often see them popping in for a coffee and a catch up with the team and customers alike.
Our History
Primary@Pioneers Park was officially opened in October 2005, on the site of the Old Berwick Primary School. This school was the third primary school in Berwick. The first school in Berwick was established in a hut on Robert Gardiner’s run in the 1850s (south of High Street). A new school was constructed in 1861 in Peel Street, opposite St Michael’s Catholic Church. The school relocated to the Pioneer Park site in 1869. The earliest part of the existing building dates back to 1876, due to the 1869 room being demolished for an extension in 1914. The picture shows the school c.1880.
The school population moved to a new building in 2003 and the community raised funds to purchase the site. The old school building has operated as a cafe since 2006 and is also headquarters of the Casey Cardinia branch of The National Trust, one of the Heritage groups in Casey and Cardinia. They run a gift shop, staffed by volunteers, which sells many unusual and interesting gifts, in addition to National Trust publications. By supporting the gift shop, you are supporting the work of the National Trust in their endeavours to preserve the history of the region. The gift shop is open 10.00am until 3.00pm, Monday to Saturday.
Courtesy of Casey Cardinia Library Corporation and Casey Cardinia – Links to our past.