Photos: Kerikeri kids raise money for Oz in Blaze Aid gala

Reporter·Northern Advocate·

28 Feb, 2020 10:00 PM2 mins to read

Thirteen-year-olds Lucy Spice (Kerikeri), Mishell Zisakis (Okaihau) and Sophie McEntee (Opua) made tie-dye T-shirts to raise money. Photo / Peter de Graaf

A gala organised by teachers and students of Kerikeri's Springbank School has raised more than $7000 for victims of Australia's bushfires.

Blaze Aid drew a crowd many hundreds strong to the Old Packhouse Market on Thursday for an evening of food, live music and fundraising, along with bouncy castles and giant bubbles for the kids.

The amount raised is expected to go up further as more stall proceeds come in.

Student-run stalls donated all their proceeds to the cause while regular market stalls gave a proportion of their takings. The market provided the venue and waived stall fees while musicians played for free. Hairdressers chipped in by snipping hair in exchange for donations, St John cadets held bucket collections for any leftover cash, and donated items were raffled and auctioned off.

The event was the brainchild of teacher Michelle Chapman but students such as Georgie Ludbrook, 16, did much of the organising.

Georgie said the proceeds would be split between Bobin Public School in New South Wales and Backpacks for South Australian Kids.

The 14-student school was razed by fire then flooded, while the backpack charity provided necessities for kids who had lost everything.

''It's been really positive, everyone we contacted has been super-eager to help out.
All the kids were into it and made some cool products to sell,'' she said.

''It's really cool, knowing so many people wanted to come out and support our event.''

Performers included Gav Brown of Perth, JPG and the Merv Pinny Band.

■ You can still contribute to the Blaze Aid Relief Fund. The bank account is 06-0350-0872802-00.