Ducks for bucks

TORQUAY Lions Club is getting creative with its fundraising efforts during lockdown, with members preparing for the club’s inaugural Beached Duck Race.

The Lions Club normally raises funds through sausage sizzles, pub raffles, and its Lions Train, but restrictions have meant these methods are no longer viable.

Instead, the club is encouraging people to “adopt a duck”. The rubber ducks will be numbered, and on Saturday, October 3, they will be dropped into the Torquay surf, with the owners of the first three ducks that reach the shore receiving prizes.

Torquay Lions Club leadership chairman Neil Roche said he was hopeful the fundraiser would a success so the club could continue to give some of its regular donations.

“It’s going pretty well so far. We’ve got some annual commitments we’d like to keep but we’re having to change our methods in sourcing the funds,” Mr Roche said.

“We give scholarships to grade 6 students each year to help them move into high school. There’s also all our general donations we give to the surf clubs, the SES (State Emergency Services), and people like that.”

No gathering will be permitted to be held for the race, which will instead be filmed and posted on the club’s website and Facebook page shortly after.

“Hopefully down the track we may be able to grow it a bit and it might become more of a community event when we can all be together again.”

Bunnings, Torquay Book Shop, and IGA have donated vouchers for winners of the event.

To purchase a duck, head to the-lions-club-of-torquay-inc.square.site/s/shop.