Tathra pig races a big hit with over $30,000 raised for Northern NSW flood-affected towns

Tathra Lions Treasurer Ian Murray said there were around 1250 people through the gates and it was an "excellent day" with people getting lot of enjoyment from bidding on the pigs.

He said the money raised was "on the top end" of their regular takings for such an event, with people generously reaching into their pockets for the cause.

"I think it helped that it was over Easter, but it was probably more difficult to run it on a weekend like that because getting food is not that easy when you've got Good Friday and Easter Saturday in front of it.

"But everybody really rallied around and made sure it happened," said Mr Murray.

"We haven't been able to run it for a couple of years due to COVID and that's why we decided rather than waiting until the end of this year, let's have a go at Easter- and it certainly worked."

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A special mention was also made by the Lions to the Tathra Sunshine Club Boardriders, who assisted with ticketing, raffle draws, and helping patrons park on the day.

"Normally we give them a share of the profit that they usually spend on a community project of their choosing, but they also agreed to forgo that share for that to go to the flood victims in those towns in Northern NSW," Mr Murray said.

The money raised will be transferred to a Lions Club from the flood-affected area who will then distribute it appropriately and at the direction of the Tathra club.

"The particular towns we are looking at - Woodburn, Coraki, and Broadwater - and they're towns that don't seem to have community organisations that can assist them, so we're looking at those three towns in particular, but not exclusively.

"We're relying on our fellow Lions clubs, who have already gone out to those areas and had a look and said that they're the ones that need help, we're relying on them to distribute the funds to the benefit of the businesses and the community, " Mr Murray said.

Mr Murray said he suspected the funds would be distributed in the form of vouchers and given to people who have lost houses or belongings to redeem at businesses in the area.

The final race of the day was certainly the biggest, with a payout of $2,250 for a member of the bidding crowd.

"The bidding was spirited and it was in the spirit of the event," Mr Murray said.