Thousands flock to carnival

By Lachlan Ellis

Weather reports were concerning for its organisers leading up to the event, but the Blackwood Woodchop & Easter Carnival has been a roaring success once again this year.

Brendan Hehir is President of the non-profit Blackwood Progress Association, which runs the event each year, and said it was a welcome surprise that so many attendees braved the rain and cold.

“The weather was pretty dodgy, but what really impressed me was the way people hung around. Not just the people putting on the show, but the punters, they came and they stayed. We had about 3,000 people show up – considering the weather, that was brilliant,” Mr Hehir told the Moorabool News.

“They hung in there between showers, they’d go and listen to a bit of music in the tent, but as soon as the rain stopped, they were right back out into the activities. Last year was perfect weather-wise, about 24 degrees and sunny…but this year, everyone had to try a bit harder to try and have fun, and they did. It was a magnificent show of energy. I reckon we had more fun this year than last year.

“The wood choppers worked all the way though, and the punters got into the tug-of-war, the egg throw, the kids’ races, and more. None of it suffered…I like to say it was a bit of a triumph in the face of adversity.”

The dedicated crowd included children, some of whom could be seen making fun out of the rainy conditions by jumping in puddles and playing with mud.

A veterans woodchop championship, on top of the regular woodchop competition, was also held in honour of much-loved local electrician Darren ‘Ces’ Kirchner, who recently passed away.

Mr Hehir thanked Moorabool Shire Council for supplying a grant for the musical performances on the day, Bendigo Bank for their sponsorship of the event, and the Carnival’s other supporters, of whom “there are too many to name”.

“The day was a surprising success…it was tough going, but everyone who stuck it out had a great time. We’ve had a lot of thank you’s and great feedback on social media, with people saying the Carnival is still one of their favourite country events,” Mr Hehir said.