Some of the CanAssist volunteers helping out in the furniture pavilion this week were (L-R) Barry Woodhouse, Bob Strick-land, Eric Davies, John Francis Kelly and Anthony Burke. They would love to see more men join them as volunteers.
The widely popular CanAssist garage sales are looking for a new home.
The Parkes Showground Land Manager made the difficult decision last week to demolish the main pavilion where a large part of the garage sale items have been housed for about five years.
CanAssist volunteers this week moved some items across to the Feature pavilion next to where the furniture garage sale items are stored. All the items will have to be moved in time for the Parkes Show in August this year.
Finding a new home of about 1,000m² for the monthly garage sale with adequate parking and ablution facilities, is posing a major challenge to the CanAssist committee.
The monthly event not only attract bargain hunters from all over the region, but also helps to boost CanAssist’s funds significantly. “We would not be able to help people in Parkes to the extent that we do without these funds,” said President of CanAssist Parkes, Sylvia Glendenning.
The garage sales had just come back as a regular event following the COVID lock-down and the super cell event in January which flooded the main pavilion, when the news of the demolition came through. Sylvie said some suggestions of possible new venues had been made and they were making a list to evaluate all of them. Bob Strickland, who volunteers with about nine other men to handle the furniture side of the sales, said the second dilemma for CanAssist was a shortage of helpers. “We are all getting older, and we need new blood.”
Volunteers help to pick up, deliver and sort items, arrange the furniture for display and do some maintenance.
“We are here Thursday to Saturday from 8:30am to 12:30pm and enjoy morning tea together. We have become such good friends, that some of us practically live here!”