By KATH GANNAWAY
THE not-so-humble donkey was celebrated in spectacular style at Wesburn on Sunday.
More than 2000 attended the first ever Donkey Festival at Wesburn Park, organised by East Warburton donkey owner and advocate Linda Jay.
Linda, representative for the Donkey Society of Victoria in Yarra Ranges, breeds miniature donkeys and has a rescue donkey.
She said the interest leading up to the event had been a good indication of the numbers, but with perfect summer weather and great support in promoting the event, she was thrilled to see so many people gather to learn about, celebrate and have fun with donkeys, as well as raising funds for the Donkey Society’s rescue work, and for the Upper Yarra SES – who do rescue work of a different kind.
She said donkeys had caught people’s imaginations for many reasons.
“They are such charming creatures and have a beautiful nature, but at the same time they are not something you see every day.
“They are a lovely animal to have if you have enough land, or to teach children to ride and people are rediscovering that, so they need to also find out how to care for them.
“It was great to be able to put on a day to answer those people’s questions,” Linda said.
There were lots of activities, including pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, rides, stalls, music, demonstrations and competitions.
Linda said a highlight of the day was seeing people showing their donkeys and taking part in the competitions.
“There were people who have only ever had their donkey on their own property, so for many of those owners it was a first-time experience,” she said when asked about a personal highlight.
“To see so many receive their first ribbon, I thought was fantastic.”
Another highlight was that the success of the event meant valuable funds for the Donkey Society’s rescue work, and for the local SES.
“The volunteers worked so hard all day and I am really glad it was also such a financial success for them because of all their hard work which contributed to making the event a success,” she said.
She also thanked the Upper Yarra Community Enterprise which operates the Yarra Junction and Warburton Bendigo Community Banks.
“They came on board to support the event and the sponsorship gave me the ability to make some of the extra activities happen which contributed enormously to the overall appeal and success of the festival,” she said.
