Browse the shelves at Rotary book fair

MORE than 30,000 books will hit the shelves today (Friday, February 14) at the annual Rotary Club of Geelong West Book Fair.

The community event will run until Sunday, February 16 at the Geelong West Town Hall and feature books from various genres, all at $2 each.

All funds raised will go towards supporting rotary projects both locally and abroad.

The Barwon Health North Dental Clinic, Geelong Youth Engagement, Samaritan House and Operation Newstart have all been past beneficiaries of the fundraiser.

Rotary Club of Geelong West Book Fair co-ordinator Michael Clyne said the club was excited to again be making a positive difference in the community.

“We are a charitable organisation trying to raise as many funds as we can to put back into Geelong, other local areas, and a little bit of Australia and international.

“We’ve been working all throughout the year to sort the books, every second week, if not every week. We are looking to sell as many books as we can.”

Mr Clyne said the majority of book donations have come from either the Geelong Regional Libraries Corporation or the general public who are downsizing or clearing out an estate from somebody.

The most recent book fair, held in August 2024, raised more than $25,000.

“It’s about getting as many books available as we can, and getting as many people in as we can,” he added.

“We usually don’t set a fundraising target, rather we rely on the generosity of how much people want to spend.”

All romance books will be half price today to celebrate Valentines Day, and children’s books will be half price all weekend.

The fair will open each day at 9am.