STRINGING ALONG: Orange-based violin maker Peter Reid and his wife Francine with a selection of the stringed instruments made in Orange for music students and on display at the Kinross Wolaroi SChool Circus Fair on Saturday. Photo: JUDE KEOGH 0302kwsfair13
IT’S the major fundraising event of the year for the Kinross Wolaroi School parent body and on Saturday the annual school fair was held in bright sunshine in contrast to last year’s event, which had to be held undercover due to inclement weather.
Parents and Friends Association president Richard Cheney said stallholders from all over the state took part in the fair designed to raise more than $20,000 for the school.
“This year we have identified electronic signage as our project,” he said.
“We would like to erect signage within the school grounds to direct people to the various areas within the school.”
This year the number of stallholders rose to almost 60 selling everything from violins to jewellery.
“Our students have played their part too by setting up their stalls to sell cakes and gardening items,” Mr Cheney said.
For violin maker Peter Reid it was an opportunity to show off the magnificent stringed instruments he makes throughout the year along with violas and cellos.
Mr Reid, who is an industrial arts teacher in Orange, hand makes the stringed instruments in his cottage-style workshop, selling to music students in Orange and Bathurst.
The majority of timbers are imported from German and other parts of Europe, however recently Mr Reid has experimented using Tasmanian timber and is pleased with the result.
Mr Cheney said following the success of last year’s KWS Fair sufficient funds were raised to erect two covered bus shelters within the school grounds to protect students from the weather while waiting to catch their buses.