February 3, 2020
A fun evening to raise funds to help the southern NSW town of Cobargo will be held in Nanango on Wednesday (February 5).
The giant garage sale plus “eat in the street” has been organised by the Nanango Tourism and Development Association (NaTDA) and will run in Nanango’s CBD from 4:30pm until about 7:00pm.
NaTDA secretary Jane Erkens said many people wanted to help the victims of the devastating NSW and Victoria bushfires that struck over the Christmas and New Year period.
But with such a large area to cover, the biggest question was where help should be best directed.
“NaTDA had a discussion about this and we selected Cobargo, a small town in the Bega Valley where people lost their homes and a lot of important infrastructure including local shops,” Jane said.
“The South Burnett now has a connection to Bega through Bega Cheese’s purchase of the Peanut Company Of Australia a few years ago, so it seemed right.”
Jane said the Wednesday fundraiser was something she would like the entire region to be involved in, not just Nanango.
“We already know that people involved in the reconstruction have said they don’t want donations of goods because they have to be stored and looked after,” she said.
“Instead, what they want is cash because it will let them buy what people really need.
“So that’s what we’re aiming to do, as well as show our region’s support for all the fire victims struggling to get back on their feet around Cobargo right now.”
The fundraiser will be held mainly in Drayton Street, with members of the public encouraged to bring along their surplus goods and set up a stall for a small donation if they want to sell items, or simply donate goods to stalls manned by volunteers.
Local takeaway food outlets such as Crusty’s Pizza, Cocos Tapas Bar and Red’s Fish N Chips will also be staying open late and offering fundraiser meals which can be enjoyed on tables and chairs set up on the footpaths.
The Palace Hotel will be offering wine tastings, face-painting for children and the opportunity for local sports and community groups to come along and tout their wares.
Around the corner in Henry Street, Shortiez and Nanango RSL will also be part of the occasion.
Buskers will be providing live music to add to the atmosphere.
A portion of all proceeds from these activities will also be going towards the fundraising drive.
Jane said mayoral candidate Brett Otto would be bringing along a group of volunteers from Kingaroy to assist with the fundraising effort.
Any other volunteer groups which would like to help should contact Jane on 0400-631-677 or NaTDA president Gloria Kirkness on (07) 4163-2848.
