CFA fundraiser to mark the beginning of strawberry picking season

TUCKERBERRY Hill Farm will host a fundraiser in support of the volunteers of the CFA next month.

The event has been timed to coincide with the first day of the farm’s strawberry picking season and will take place on November 5, running from 10am-5pm.

With a particularly intense bushfire season anticipated, Tuckerberry Hill owner Christine Lean said the fundraiser was a chance to give back to the CFA.

“In 2016, our café at Tuckerberry Hill was damaged by fire and the local CFA brigades came to our rescue and stopped the fire spreading to our shed.

“The loss of our café was a blow, but the loss of the adjacent shed would have put us out of business.

“They really did save us.”

The event will feature live music, food trucks, and children’s games in addition to the farm’s usual offerings, including berry ice-cream and berry picking.

Several local businesses have already contributed to the fundraiser, donating items valued between $25 and $100.

These items will be raffled off over the day and the proceeds will go directly to the CFA.

Dazzling Dan the Magic Man will also make an appearance with two roving magic shows planned for the kids, and experienced brewer, Ed Mylan, has developed a specially brewed jalapeño beer named “Fire in the Hole” for the occasion.

Ms Lean said 50 per cent of everything sold on the day will also be donated to the CFA.

The funds raised from the event will be divided between the brigades located at St Leonards, Drysdale and Mannerim.

It was volunteers from each of these brigades that responded to the fire at Tuckerberry Hill back in 2016.

“My hope is if they don’t get enough money for all of them to have something that they want, then they combine and get something that they can all use being that they’re relatively close together,” Ms Lean said.

Brendan MacDonald, captain of the CFA’s Drysdale brigade, said the fundraiser was a “fantastic offer.”

“Not that we do anything for any sort of reward. It’s just what we do,” he said.

“We don’t expect anything but it’s certainly a nice gesture.

“It means we can buy extra equipment, which is beneficial for the community.”

He said volunteers from the CFA would also attend the fundraiser with one of their fire engines, weather permitting.

Ms Lean hoped the community would get behind the event to ensure the fundraiser’s success.

“Even if it’s just for an hour, take part in some of the music and have something to eat here, and get involved with the CFA.”