Community Markets Display | Longwarry VIC

Sunday: 6 April 7:30am – 1pm 

Community display @ Community Markets  – Longwarry VIC

With daylight saving ending overnight, we decided to start our day early, departing at 7:00 AM after completing our morning routine. We had a 20-minute drive to the event location, where we checked in at the CFA checkpoint and were directed to our assigned setup area.

After unloading the trailer and positioning the vehicle, we set up the gazebo and other resources, ready to welcome visitors when the market opened at 8:00 AM. Alan Woollard had arranged for our participation and was on-site to assist, providing a box of informational materials for us to distribute.

From the market’s opening until our 1:00 PM closing, we engaged with a steady stream of attendees. We were pleased to be joined by Jezreel and Glenda Locop, the pastoral team from Longwarry, who helped throughout the day. We also had the opportunity to connect with Pastor Peter Watt and his family from Warburton, as well as Pastor and Mrs. Andrew Kapusi from Warragul, who came to show their support.

It was a very successful day, with an estimated 500 people visiting our display. Many expressed familiarity with the “Incredible Journey” program and were interested in the vehicle and the materials we provided. Several children enjoyed having their photos taken in the car, and we distributed QR code cards for the online content.

We were pleased to receive a visit from local election candidate Mary Aldred, who was enthusiastic about our efforts. Even after we had packed up, people continued to request the informational books, which we were happy to provide.

The CFA generously waived the stall fee, as we were not generating income from the display. Despite some windy conditions, our setup remained secure, and the rain held off until after we had returned to the caravan park for the afternoon.

The rest of the day was spent on laundry and resolving a printing issue by acquiring a cable to connect the laptops directly to the printer, as the Wi-Fi connection was proving too slow.

We enjoyed a pleasant evening meal together before Glen departed to visit relatives in the area. The caravan park was home to noisy flocks of Corellas, which provided a lively backdrop as we settled in for the night.