Bermagui’s Olivia Buchli and Hannah Buchli, and Hannah Klurt of Cobargo shape their entry in Saturday’s Bermagui Seaside Fair sandcastle competition.
Abbi Hunnam of Traralgon and Bella-Rai Hull of Bermagui take part in the Seaside Fair sandcastle competition.
Elijah Buchli of Bermagui and Jason Klurt of Cobargo create their sand castle on Horseshoe Bay Beach.
Enjoying the sights and sounds of the Bermagui Seaside Fair are (from left) April Keft, Amilia Wintle, Tracie McDonald, Steve Wintle, Vicki Wintle, Sophie Wintle, Elissa McCabe and Isaac Wintle.
Balen and Marshall Carbery of Coolagolite enjoy the jumping castle at the Seaside Fair.
Ellenor, Ann and Nicolas Pretty, of Coolagolite, take Sofia for a walk around the stalls on Dickinson Oval during the Seaside Fair.
Jasmine Smyth is impressed by the classic cars on display on Saturday.
Canberra’s town crier Alan Moyse and Wendy Dixon dress to impress at the Seaside Fair.
GREAT weather, joyous crowds and a host of fun and fabulous events combined to make the 16th annual Bermagui Seaside Fair an unforgettable day at the beach.
The fair, which started with a poets’ breakfast at 8am and ended over 12 hours later with a fireworks display, brought thousands of people to the small seaside village.
Jo Jacobs from the fair’s organising committee said she was thrilled with the success of the fair and said it “surpassed our expectations”.
“We thought it would be a great day, but this year I think we really improved as the fair really did have community ownership,” Ms Jacobs said.
“Community participation was wonderful and people staying all day helped to give the fair a wonderful, inclusive atmosphere.”
Some of the most popular attractions were the street parade, poets’ breakfast, the arts, craft and photography exhibition at the Bermagui Surf Life Saving Club, Questacon’s science marquee and the sandcastle competition.
“We couldn’t have our fair without the support of all our volunteers, our sponsors, the Bermagui Chamber of Commerce and the Bega Valley Shire Council, so a big thank you to everyone – and we’ll see you again next year!” Ms Jacobs said.
Lori Hammerton, who oversaw all the entertainment at the fair, said the whole day was “just really, really good fun”.
“The street parade is always a hoot - we had 43 entries this year and it was a real success,” Ms Hammerton said.
The theme for the fair was “B” for beautiful Bermagui and locals certainly had a lot of fun with it.
“The children from Bermagui Public School looked fantastic dressed as bees, and the ladies from the CWA went with the ‘blue’ theme, including blue wigs, all while blowing bubbles,” she said.
After the parade, the Bermagui Citizen of the Year was announced, with the honour going to local paramedic Peter McCabe.
“Peter is a fantastic man who goes out of his way to help everyone in the community,” Ms Hammerton said.
“He’s heavily involved in kids’ sport in town and runs Nippers at the surf club, and we couldn’t think of a more deserving fellow.”
The fair ended with a spectacular fireworks display over Horseshoe Bay.
“Not only is it a lovely way to end the day, but it’s always welcomed by the town’s fisherman who are usually at sea all day and miss the majority of the fair,” Ms Hammerton said.
The fun still hasn’t ended in Bermagui, with a variety concert featuring music, bush poets, comedy and an afternoon tea to celebrate Seniors Week on Sunday.
“I don’t like the word ‘senior’ so I like to call it our ‘recycled teenagers’ concert’,” Ms Hammerton said.
“We want there to be something for everyone and because of mobility issues many older folks don’t make it to the fair so we give them a little piece of it at this concert.”
The Seniors Week Variety Concert will be held at the Bermagui Country Club from 1-5.30pm on Sunday.
* For more photos, see page five and the online gallery at www.begadistrictnews.com.au.