Wallington ready for ‘berry’ good time

PARENTS and students of Wallington Primary School are banding together to make this Sunday’s Strawberry Fair a roaring success with food trucks, showbags and strawberries headlining the day.

The annual Strawberry Fair is the local primary school’s sole fundraiser of the year and has been so for over 40 years, principal Glen Lauder said.

“It’s a fantastic event for the Wallington community, for it to be one of the few fairs to have lasted this long is just phenomenal,” Mr Lauder said.

“We have people coming back to the event time and time again and it is a great showcase of what a lovely little school we have.

“After a couple years of not being allowed to have parents on-site or kids at the school, it’s super exciting to see everyone back and bustling to make this event happen.”

Funds raised on Sunday will go to upgrades and new projects around the school.

In past years, the school has purchased laptops for a class, created a sensory garden, resurfaced its basketball courts and more. This time around funds will be going towards the school’s playground in “desperate need of an upgrade”.

Member of the fair’s committee and parent at the school, Cat Miller, said the band of parents responsible for organising the event enjoys the process.

“It’s fantastic for the parents to come together and be part of the fair, we all stock up strawberries together and get to know one another,” Ms Miller said.

“We get together all types of strawberry-related foods whether it be pavlova with strawberries, chocolate-dipped strawberries or just strawberries, the event really lives up to the name.”

In addition to the food there will also be sporting and animal displays, an animal petting farm, pony rides, lucky dip and show bags, auctions, entertainment and rides.

Last year’s Strawberry Fair was cancelled due to COVID-19 and Ms Miller believes that the school community has been craving an event like this for the past two years.

“This is going to be a real sign for us that everything has opened up and we can do these events again,” Ms Miller said.

“For the first time ever this year, we’re changing up the format with food trucks to try and attract a new crowd. We’re all seeing this as a bit of a celebration of making it through this pandemic.”

The fair will run from 10am to 3pm on Sunday with only a gold coin donation required for entry.