Festival

BUSHFIRES in the Kinglake National Park last weekend caused the cancellation of the Gulf Station Pioneer and Working Horse Festival.
The festival, scheduled for Saturday, 28 and Sunday, 29 January at the National Trust’s historic Yarra Glen property on the Melba Highway, was expected to draw a crowd of about 5000.
Gulf Station property manager Margaret Cooper said the decision to cancel the festival was made after a community meeting held in Yarra Glen last Thursday, 26 January, outlined the danger of nearby fires.
“At the meeting the CFA outlined that it was possible Yarra Glen could come under ember attack from the Kinglake fires,” Ms Cooper said.
“The National Trust felt we needed to be responsible and not invite people into a high risk area, and that we needed to heed CFA’s advice to keep local roads clear.”
Ms Cooper said cancelling the event, now in its third year, was a difficult decision to make.
“Everyone attached to the festival is very disappointed that we had to cancel the event at the last minute, but the CFA couldn’t guarantee us coverage if we came under attack and we felt too vulnerable,” she said.
“It is very disappointing for us because this is our biggest fundraiser for the year and instead of making money we’ve lost thousands.”
However, Ms Cooper said the decision to cancel the festival was not all doom and gloom.
“The catering company sponsoring the festival, Prestige Events, decided to donate all the food for the festival to the CFA crews fighting the fires up at Kinglake,” she said.
“As well as that, Gulf Station and some of the other festival stall-holders have donated boxes of fruit and other food items to the crews.”