Funds help CFA achieve goal

IF you can see yourself sampling local wines and craft beers, grooving to live music and enjoying gourmet food, the Invermay Progress Association has organised the perfect afternoon.

Their annual wightwick winery fundraiser is set for Sunday, 1 March, funnelling all proceeds to the Invermay CFA, captained by Daryl Rowe.

From 12.30pm, bring your own chair and connect with the community as the All Ordinaries and The Harmonies play, a barbecue is cooked, wines are auctioned, and products from local businesses are raffled.

Mr Rowe said every dollar the brigade receives is helpful, recently raising enough money to achieve a 10-year goal.

“We’ve been chasing a second appliance. We were fortunate enough last year that our State government VESEP grant application was successful,” he said.

“We provided in the vicinity of $35,000 towards the cost of the appliance, and the VESEP process paid for the rest. A significant amount from the Progress Association fundraisers went towards that $35,000.”

The station can now send additional firefighters to incidents as the new and old truck both hold five people.

“You’re on call 24-seven. We can have fifteen people here for a call out at three o’clock in the morning,” Mr Rowe said.

Invermay CFA has 21 operational volunteers. In 2019, they had 53 call outs, including a 4am fire on Good Friday at wightwick winery.

A suspected stolen vehicle on the block adjacent to the winery spread across the boundary fence and got within metres of the wightwick house.

Nine appliances from within the radius of Glen Park, Creswick and Cardigan attended the fire to support the Invermay station which receives an annual allowance.

“It doesn’t pay for the niceties,” Mr Rowe said. “It’s towards a general running for the brigade for consumables.

“If it wasn’t for these fundraisers, we’d still function but we wouldn’t be as well equipped as what we are.

“I think the wightwick fundraiser has raised in excess of $12,000 to $15,000 at this point. It’s a good day.”

Adult entry is $10 and children are free. Find wightwick at 323 Slatey Creek Road North, Invermay.