Gawler Village Fair

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:35): Today, I would like to bring to the house's attention one of the events that has returned to Gawler and was missing for a couple of years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every year, the two Rotary clubs of Gawler—the Gawler Rotary Club and the Gawler Light Rotary Club—combine to hold the village fair. The village fair is held in Pioneer Park at the northern end of Murray Street on the first Saturday in November of each year.

The event was first held in 1976 and, as I mentioned, is run by the two Rotary clubs with support from the Town of Gawler. The aim of the village fair is to enable local organisations to raise much-needed funds and showcase their activities to the wider community. The Rotary clubs provide publicity during the weeks leading up to the fair and also help provide three-by-three marquees, covered stalls, trestles and also organise entertainment. I can say that I was one of the stallholders this year, as I have been in past years.

Participation for community organisations is free and participants retain all their takings. The event is held as a way of trying to get local organisations to fundraise much-needed funds. I understand that this year the event raised somewhere between $19,000 and $20,000. It was extremely well attended, partly because it was the first event in three years and, secondly, because we had some wonderful weather on that particular Saturday, which actually brought out all the people to the village fair.

A large, broad range of organisations are part of the village fair, and the following categories have been represented in the past: community support, service groups, disability support, entertainment/display, schools and playgroups, church groups, environmental groups, art and craft groups, recreational, and elderly, amongst many others. Stalls are also there to sell food, drink, local produce, plants, trees and shrubs, arts and crafts, novelties and a large range of second-hand items. I think almost every stall has a raffle, so as you go around it is quite an expensive event to visit every stall at the village fair. Importantly, all these funds go into important local projects.

Entertainment demonstrations included organisations like the Gawler Town Band, the gymnastic club, the dog obedience club and the Gawler Car Club. From time to time, various school bands and other groups also provided entertainment. The Rotary clubs, combined with the Gawler Art Society and, in conjunction with local schools, also organised a junior art exhibition, which has been particularly successful. I noticed this year that quite a few artworks were presented and quite a few people were visiting.

Since its inception in 1976, the village fair has enabled local community organisations to raise in excess of $600,000 for community projects. The organising clubs have to meet a whole range of local government and state government health and safety obligations that make sure the event is accessible to all people, particularly those who have some sort of lived disability. In terms of setting up the venues for the day, a number of volunteers and hundreds of volunteer hours are organised by Rotarians to set up the various stalls for the community to benefit.

During the day, staffing and managing the event site requires a large number of Rotarians at all times, and cleaning up is a major operation. It would be fair to say that the Gawler Village Fair is a major event, attracting thousands of people and also supporting a lot of community organisations in our town.

With the few moments I have left, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the new elected members in my electorate, and my electorate covers three council areas. In the Light Regional Council, I would like to congratulate Alyson Emery and Michael Phillips-Ryder, whose wards cover my electorate; in Gawler, I would like to congratulate Isaac Solomon, Ethan White, Helen Hennessy and Mick Launer, the new councillors; and in the City of Playford one of the new councillors whose ward is in my electorate is Chantelle Karlsen.

It is interesting that one of the wards now has all women councillors and that we also have a couple of councillors who are under the age of 21 years. It is great to see such diversity in local government in my area.