THEY may not have got the opportunity to fly in thanks to Saturday’s inclement weather, but there was still a huge turnout at the Max Hazelton Aero Centre for Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea.
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A huge number of Orange residents turned up for a tour of the Orange Aero Club’s facilities, as well as pilots from Parkes, Bathurst and Sydney who drove in on Saturday after conditions were deemed too treacherous to land their small aircraft.
The unique morning tea was aimed at raising money for the NSW Cancer Council, and despite the less-than-ideal conditions, the club still raised almost $1500 to the worthy cause.
Orange Aero Club president Mike Seccombe said it was a successful day of fundraising, and those who visited got a unique tour of the club’s facilities.
“It went really well, we had about 150 people visit throughout the morning which we were quite surprised about,” he said.
“We were expecting upwards of 30 or 40 planes but because the weather was so lousy they couldn’t do that.
“One of our members conducted a tour of the new Aero Medical Exchange Facility that we have here and the clubhouse which we built about three years ago.
“We were also going to take people to see the terminal, which is beside our building, but the weather just didn’t allow for it.”
The $1500 raised on the day was thanks to $5 donations upon entry, a raffle, as well as generous donations from Orange businesses.
With any luck, next year’s event will reach even greater heights with the visit of more than 30 planes unhindered by wet and windy conditions.
bryson.ferreira@fairfaxmedia.com.au