In April 2020 Oaklands was scrambling to keep up with demand for seeds, seedlings and the chooks were flying out the door as orders came in thick and fast for hens at the point of lay.

"It's no longer at that frantic level but it has been quite exciting to see people interested in growing their own food," Jill said.

"It's quite positive especially seeing younger people excited about being in the garden," she said.

Like other regional areas, Bega valley has seen an influx of people moving in from the cities.

"We've had lots of people coming in from different climates, interested in what we can grow here, a lot of new gardeners," Jill said.

"In the height of the panic we were inundated with orders for hens, veggie seeds and fruit trees, we couldn't keep up.

"Now everyone should be enjoying the benefit of that," Jill speculated.

But the orders for chooks remain strong with a waiting list as the centre can only house so many chooks at any one time and people don't always collect their orders on the day the chooks arrive.

"Ordering hasn't gone back to where it was before the bushfires but then it's hard to invest when there was a drought on, so the rain has contributed," Jill said.

"It's been a roller coaster couple of years with bushfires, COVID, flooding and all the rules. Retail in the last two years has been challenging, the demand, all the rules on top of the bushfires.

"Staff have been impacted and it's been an emotional roller coaster for them and the many people who come in and who are also quite emotional," Jill said.

"We hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and can join with their families and friends. Thank you to everyone for their continued support. People have been really supportive of local businesses; it's been wonderful and we've been grateful that we could be open and still here for everyone," Jill said.