Book Fair raises $10,000 for bushfire relief

THE tenth edition of the Torquay Rotary Book Fair has gone down as one of the best yet, raising more than $10,000 for bushfire relief across the state.

Thousands of books lined the walls of the Surf Coast Secondary College across three days for a bargain price of just $2 each.

A wide range of titles were available including non-fiction, romance, children’s picture books, sport, biographies and science fiction.

 

The children’s book zone was a big hit this year, with children enjoying quiet time away from the hustle and bustle of the fair.

Local support organisation Story Dogs was a much-loved addition to this zone, with a special dog brought along to help reluctant young readers.

Torquay Rotary Book Fair coordinator Neil Henderson said this year’s event was a major success, particularly with the current climate we are in.

 

“We set an ambitious goal of $10,000 to aid bushfire relief and the result was just amazing. We surpassed that figure before Saturday was up and it just keep ticking away.

“Fundraising has slowly been going the past few years, which is just incredible. It’s better than what we’ve done in the past.

“We know our locals look forward to the Book Fair, and there’s certainly plenty of repeat customers who might come and buy at least a bag of books for the year.

 

“We believe we got through about 5,0000 to 7,000 books this year, all good quality new ones, not old tatty sales. This certainly helped with sales.”

The Torquay Rotary Book Fair plans on returning for its 11th edition in 2027.

The club’s next big fundraising event is the Torquay Rotary Motor Show on February 8.