February 5, 2020
Rainy weather may have slightly diluted crowd numbers at a Nanango fundraiser for bushfire victims on Wednesday night, but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the hundreds who turned out to support it.
The event was billed as a “Monster Garage Sale / Eat In The Street” and the public was encouraged to donate goods for a footpath sale and grab a bite to eat from any one of several Nanango eateries who stayed open late for the occasion.
The result was an L-shaped strip of shops stretching from the Commercial Hotel in Drayton Street to Nanango RSL around the corner fronted by a long string of stalls selling anything from books to clothing, and home-made baked treats to bric-a-brac.
The crowd was so dense in some places that people were forced to walk on the road to get past, and the atmosphere was convivial and upbeat.
Hungry guests also took advantage of sets of tables and chairs outside several eateries to have their dinner, or browsed a number of other shops that also stayed open late.
The unusual event, which was organised by the Nanango Tourism and Development Association (NaTDA) at the urging of its secretary Jane Erkens, was planned several weeks ago when conditions were hot and dry.
By Wednesday, though, the weather had turned cool and drizzly and Jane was forced to take to social media to confirm Eat In The Street would run, rain or shine.
So while the light sprinkling that fell over the town in the late afternoon probably deterred some people, it was fewer than initially feared.
Jane said she was delighted with the roll-up, and paid tribute to both the volunteers who manned the stalls and the customers who patronised them.
“So many people contributed to this because we were all moved by the New Year’s Eve bushfires,” she said.
“Lots of people want to help the bushfire victims, even if it’s only in a small way, and I think that motivated many people to come out despite the weather.”
The proceeds of the night will be sent to the southern NSW town of Cobargo, a small town of 800 people in the Bega Valley that was heavily affected by the recent bushfires.
- Related article: Nanango Reaches Out To Fire Victims
To be honest I believe the wet weather is what bought so many people out. After the hot and dry weather it was a lovely change to be out in the cool. This fabulous event was run by NaTDA and we were assisted by Brett Otto from Kingaroy who bought over donated goods from across the South Burnett. With President Gloria keeping me on track and then the support of family, friends who are all part of this amazing community we have achieved a great thing for the Cobargo community. A big thank you to everyone for their support.