Lions Country Fair sizzles in Helensburgh sunshine

A record number of people rolled up for Helensburgh Lions Country Fair, which was back at Charles Harper Park on Saturday, October 28 after a four-year break.

Despite rain on the fair’s eve threatening to cancel the event for a second year running, the sun shone brightly Saturday morning and more than 3000 people are estimated to have dropped by to browse the stalls, ride the attractions, watch local performers and engage with community organisations.

It’s one of the biggest turnouts in memory, said Helensburgh Lions Club president Rod Peppernell.

“This year, it just was constant all the way through,” Rod said.

“The public school came along with their 40-kid choir to open it up… and all the parents and grandparents came to see their future stars perform… and with the dance group, there was just masses of people around – they were quite intrigued.

“So, from opening, I reckon the park was full until closing at three o’clock.”

For volunteers on the Helensburgh Lions Club barbecue, a constant flow of traffic meant sausage sizzles were served all day.

“[The community] really supported us – I think we sold over a thousand sausages, over a hundred bacon and egg rolls and all the drinks,” Rod said.

“[People say], ‘What does my sausage sizzle do?’, and that's when we say, ‘That helps us with the community groups, when we give some money to the Salvos, when we give some money to Country Companion… natural disasters, when we've got to support the RFS or the fire brigade.’

“We don't take any admin fees out of it – it all goes directly back to the community and the causes… so it was good that people just walked up to us and put a couple of dollars in the donation tin and said, ‘Keep up the good work’.”

Rod said that the Lions Club’s success was shared by other stallholders on the day.

“A lot of people said that they'd had a really, really good day,” he said.

“The food stalls said they were nearly running out.

“The Men's Shed, they were saying that they got eight potential members out of it – six of them women… and then you've got, down the fence line, community groups like Helensburgh Landcare, they seemed to be selling all their stuff, and even the Country Companion people, they said that they got their little puppies adopted out.

“Fire and Rescue and all the local RFS brigades – like Darkes Forest, Otford, Helensburgh and Stanwell Park – were there stationed throughout the day, and they had heaps of people coming up, kids sitting up in the trucks, and they said they were busy with people talking to them and asking about volunteering and things like that, so events like this get community groups to get their message out too.”

Though proud of the six months of hard work put in by the small group of volunteers at Helensburgh Lions Club, Rod would be pleased to see more people offer their time next year, saying it may even help revive the beloved Walker Street parade.

“For a little club like Helensburgh to put on a good day like that, I think it's a great achievement,” Rod said.

“We were really surprised at the volume of the townspeople that came. They really supported us, which we were really happy with, and a lot of young families came and everything like that, so it was really good.

“I know a lot of people asked when we’re going to bring back the parade – a lot of people ask about that, but it is a lot of work, so if we can get some more people to help, maybe we can bring back the parade.”