Calamity Jane inspires new Murchison business

“I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should just go ahead and be one,” are Calamity Jane’s words that influence Murchison business owner Robyn O’Malley at every turn.

So much so, that the legendary go-getter has inspired the name of Murchison’s newest ice cream caravan.

Robyn is the proud owner of a property on Murchison’s main st, where she bases herself at her studio selling pieces of jewellery she makes from scratch, along with a friend’s knifes.

“My studio doesn’t make money, so I thought an ice cream caravan would be a good way to boost my income,” Robyn says.

A creator at heart, Robyn left a high-paying job in the North Island where she owned three properties, but was “miserable”.

So she sold up, bought a house truck, ended up at art school and headed south to Lawrence in Otago.

Trucking through Murchison one day, she found herself with a flat tyre so rumbled on in to the local mechanic.

“It was love at first site for me,” she says of her now partner, and reason she made the move north to Murchison.

“I got a flat tyre, fell in love, moved to Murchison and here I am.”

She says opening the ice cream caravan on her first day last year, she was so busy she didn’t have time to feel nervous or doubt herself.

“I’m enjoying creating ice creams. I have put my heart and soul into creating a space that people enjoy. The flowers go off in summer, it’s been really positive and I love it and people love it. I make truly good ice cream.”

Robyn spends time creating unique ice cream flavours which currently include lolly cake and chai and walnut flavour. She also blends Pics peanut butter, lemon cheesecake, and lemon curd ice cream.

“The locals have totally supported me, I tried really hard not to do anything that anyone else is doing. Because Commercial Cafe had been bowled, there was room for more.”

She hopes that next winter, she will have more time to get back into her studio, but long-term would like to turn every inch of her property into space that produces, having been a landscaper for 20 years.

“I’d love to grow my own berries for the ice cream, and that kind of thing.”

She’s also discovered a love for chai, something she had never encountered before her move to Murch. She is now looking at importing it and will continue to utilise it at the caravan.

“I decide what I want to do and i just do it. Some people are sad their whole life because they wish they did something different. We’re here to grow and I’m just overly excited about people living truly authentically.

“Now I follow my intuition every step of the way. I urge people to follow their heart and whatever it is you want to do.”

Calamity Jane’s Ice Cream is open six days a week in summer and Robyn’s studio can be visited anytime by appointment.