Inaugural Fine Food and Wine Festival a success
A fortunate break in the weather allowed Ballina’s inaugural Fine Food and Wine Festival to proceed as planned last Sunday.
The event attracted over 600 people, all of whom enjoyed a wide variety of food and wine presented by over 30 exhibitors, and a packed program of entertainment.
Organisers said feedback has been very positive and it seems that Ballina might well have an event that it can now proudly call its own.
Ballina’s Bounty was the brainchild of Rotary member Milton Colburt, who brought with him considerable experience with similar events gained in Sydney.
“In September last year members of the Rotary Club of Ballina on Richmond held a special workshop,” he said.
“We knew we needed a signature event that we could focus our attention on and we felt that Ballina needed one too.
“We considered all the alternatives then put a short list to the vote and a food and wine festival attracted the most votes.
“So it really grew from an initial concept, an idea I guess, into something that’s now an absolute reality.”
The clear question on everybody’s lips is does the event have a future?
In Colburt’s view it certainly does.
“I think the people of Ballina and indeed people from right across the region have spoken,” he said.
“Their support for and belief in this event was evidenced on Sunday and I think the strength of the response guarantees the festival a place on the event calendar well into the future.
“What we now need to do is debrief, gather our thoughts, get some feedback and consider what is possible from this point on.
“There’s certainly a real opportunity to make the event bigger but there’s only so much a relatively small Rotary Club like ours can do.
“Every Club member volunteered their time on the day to make this event happen and I’m very proud of that fact, in fact I’m very proud of the commitment made by everybody involved with the event.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that we want to run it again but the first thing we must do is find a signature sponsor. We also need to look for event partners that can help us take the concept forward as professionally as we can.”
Event organizers are seeking feedback from the event and would welcome your email responses. Visit the event website www.ballinasbounty.net and click on the ‘contacts’ link.
