DEBATE between councillors regarding the McCormack Barber New Year’s Eve celebrations has posed a very different question for its ongoing viability, should it continue as a charity event?
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Orange City Council has been trying in recent years to reduce its outlay towards the annual festivities, which has remained around the $30,000 mark since the event started in its current form in 2011.
During that time, more than $25,000 has been raised for charity, mostly equipment at Orange Health Service, which is a fantastic achievement.
However, the second achievement the organisers originally set their sights on was for the event to become self-funding, and this has been much easier said than done.
Councillors’ suggestion to instead put the gate takings away for a rainy day makes sense in some ways. Immediately, there is an extra pool of funds to draw on the next year, and although this might only be in the order of $5000 when the budget is close to $80,000, it is still a step closer to making the event more sustainable.
If this gold coin donation was transformed into a ticket, even if it was only $5 a person, this effect would be compounded or, alternatively, it could allow the donation aspect to continue in some form.
But the organisers’ hesitation towards this option is also understandable. Once a donation becomes a cover charge, the event is then making an income and that could change the requirements for McCormack Barber, who are already injecting a lot by way of money and in-kind support in an effort to do a good thing for the community.
The last thing the families who enjoy this event would want is for the organisers to put it in the too-hard basket and walk away.
Once this year’s event is complete, perhaps the financial options for coming years need to be given closer scrutiny to allow the event to continue for the thousands of eager attendees without penalising the organisers.