Community
16 May, 2025
Morning tea milestone
THE kettle is boiling in preparation for the Lismore district’s Biggest Morning Tea event, with this year marking a special milestone for the event.
This year will mark just over 25 years of the event, which began back in 1999 and has managed to raise around $17,000 from donations from Cressy, Derrinallum, Lismore and Bradvale.
Organiser Sandy Gibson said this year’s event will celebrate the contributions of past and current volunteers throughout the event’s history, with many being invited to attend.
“It’s not really about me – it’s about all the volunteers who have helped out all the way through, which has been amazing,” she said.
“I’m hoping that everybody who has been associated over the years, if they are able to, can come back and enjoy the celebration because 25 years in a little community with a population of 250 is wonderful.
“It’s a credit to our volunteers because they’re the ones who get it to happen – everybody gives up their time, they give things to raffle, they bake, they come, and they bring their neighbours and family.
“We used to have an art and craft festival up the road – it went for ten years, and it always raised money for all sorts of organisations.
“We’ve had a lot of fun – we’ve had raffles, we’ve had artists do paintings for us – there’s been a lot of involvement in them.”
This year’s event will be held next Saturday (May 24) at the Wooltrack Store in Lismore, with raffles and prizes on the day.
Residents are also being invited to bring along a flower from their garden to place into a vase to honour the memory of someone who has died from cancer.
“We’re all knowing people now who are affected by cancer,” Mrs Gibson said.
“I think all of us within the last 12 months have had a couple of instances of cancer being within the family.”
The morning tea will begin at 9.30am and run until around 1.30pm, giving residents flexibility on how they support the event.
“You can come at any time during that time, which gives people an opportunity to come and stay if they want to or they can come in quickly and have a cuppa before they go if they have a busy morning,” Mrs Gibson said.
Those who are unable to attend can donate through a donation box at one of the businesses around Derrinallum and Lismore.
Mrs Gibson said she hoped people will be able to put their hands up to support the event behind the scenes.
“It’d be terrific if people put their hand up because it’s a very worthy cause – a most worthwhile cause,” she said.
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