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Gala season is well underway, but there will be a big gap noticed by many in the community where the popular Stanmore Bay School gala used to be.
It’s the first time for more than 20 years that the school has not held a gala.
For its most recent gala, the school switched its date from November to March so as not to clash with too many other galas and community events.
Principal Carol Abley says the gala usually raises in the vicinity of $15,000–$18,000 each year and is a massive amount of work for its small, dedicated Parent Teacher Association and other volunteers.
She says when the new committee was elected this year, they said right from the outset that they would not organise a gala, but left it open to anyone else to form a sub-committee to take the project on. No one stepped forward.
The gala is the biggest single source of revenue for the school, but other significant amounts are raised with activities throughout the year such as sausage sizzles, discos, Spellathons or Mathathons and book fairs.
Carol says that in the main, money from the gala is used for “nice to have” items, rather than essentials. In the past it has funded drinking fountains and classroom resources including technology, books and maths equipment.
She says she is sorry that the gala has gone, for now, but appreciates the demands it made on volunteers.
“Most of all I liked the community feel of the galas,” Carol says. “Everyone seemed to have fun, and there were some good bargains to be had.”
