Once again the weather was very kind to us and the day for our festival was just brilliant.  I heard people on the bus comment about how green Dayboro looked and how beautiful it would be to live here.
Firstly a big thank you to all our helpers. It really is wonderful to live in a community who bands together and helps out when needed.

ust a couple of phone calls and we have a great work force for the weekend.  Thank you all, it could not be done without you.
I would really like to hear from all our groups and associations who had a stall on Dayboro Day.  I would like to have an estimate of the monetary value that the festival means to Dayboro.  What else can we do to make it better for you?  If you have any comments on the day please email me on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   Please remember, everyone on the committee is a volunteer and we do our best to make it run as smoothly as possible. 
Public Liability Insurance and Health Certificates played a big part this year and I know some of you were not happy about this.  However it seems to be the way of the world these days, everything has to be covered, just in case.  At least we will all be ready for 2010.
Wasn’t the parade great this year?  I was up the top end this year and I must say, I thought it was the best parade ever.  It just gets better and better.  Thanks go to Barbara Abernethy and her offsider Judy.  They worked very hard on this parade.  I know some of you didn’t want to bother sending forms back, but it did make it a little easier for Barbara to plan the parade, so ‘thank you’ to all those who did, and keep up the good work for next year.
The entertainment was just the best.  Thank you to all who entertained us throughout the day. Lexie Bell did a wonderful job with the program for both stages.  Thank you Lexie for a great day filled with great entertainment. Lexie is also in charge of the Kids Passport to Fun and what a great time the kids had with that.  We will have to print up more passports for 2010.  We had hundreds of very happy children. But wait, there’s more, Lexie also sources our sponsorship/donations for the festival.  Thank you to all those who donated to the day, you helped make it the success it was and a big thank you to Lexie for all your hard work.
Just a small note here, we have the rides etc here on a commission basis.  They run their rides etc and we do not interfere with their pricing policies etc.  We merely collect our % at the end of the day.  I know the prices can seem very high for a family, but we do try, when possible, to have other forms of entertainment for families free i.e. Kato the Clown and Alexis the Puppet Man and the Kids Passport to Fun.  The Combined Churches also helped out this year with entertainment for the children.
I would also like to thank Craig for the use of his helicopter again this year.  ALL proceeds from the chopper rides will be donated to a family in Dayboro.  This family is facing some difficult times ahead and thanks to Craig we will be able to at least help out with some of the financial burdens.
Thank you to Craig Doyle for also sponsoring the entertainment on the stage in Lions Park.
We would be lost without our ‘Spruikers’ on the day so, thank you Adam, Shane, Dale and Helen for all your help with our festival. They were all brilliant and helped keep the day festive and us informed.
The market stalls are a focal part of the day and for this we have Linda, Michael and Mark to thank.  Linda and Michael’s phone runs hot for about 3 months leading up to the festival.  When all the forms are in, Linda, Michael, Mark and I sit down and mark out the stalls on the map.  This carries on for about three nights AND we all still talk to each other when the job is finished.  By about 9am festival day, they have the stall holders in place, most happy, some not, but by the end of the day they are all happy and are ready for another year. Thank you Linda and Michael Conyard, you do a fantastic job!
The Raft Race was again a roaring success.  I’m never sure who has the most fun, the crowd or the competitors.  Thanks go to Melissa Arkell for her continuing commitment to this event. 
Thank you to Scott and Virginia from Dayboro Bakery, who donate the Cream Buns and the Pineapple Pies for our fun events. Also thanks to Lexie and Doreen who ‘oversee’ and sometimes participate in these events. I think Lexie just does it so she can eat Cream Buns! (Pictured - Photo by Bill de Bok)
Now, who have I missed out? 
Ken and Craig, our Dayboro law enforcement officers, thank you for being there. Ken arranges the security, the road closures and the Mounted Police for us.  Thanks guys for all your help. 
Bronte from Moreton Bay Regional Council was a great help on and before the festival, so thank you Bronte. Please join us again in 2010.  Thank you also to Councillor Bob Millar for all your help ‘behind the scenes’.  I know you are a great supporter of the Dayboro Day Festival.  Moreton Bay Regional Council offers us heaps of in kind support, without which our day could not run as successfully and efficiently as it does.
Petrie SES, another great team of people who donate their time to help us out every year.  They deal with traffic safety procedures due to the road closure and do their job very well.  Thank you guys.
St John volunteers were not kept busy during the day but we do thank them for their time and patience on the day.  A quiet day is a good day for them.  They are a very necessary part of our day.
Steve Adcock is our ‘go to’ man on the day.  Thanks Steve for all your work on the day.  Just one word and Steve was off to help out wherever possible.
Thank you to Jodie Adamson, Bronte, Dominic, Nathanial, Luke, Noelene, Gail and anyone else who stepped in and helped out at Dayboro Day Festival HQ tent. This was a vital part of the festival having this tent manned all day. They were info tent, lost children tent, Kids Passport tent and Chopper ride tent.
Congratulations to our award winners for 2009
Resident of the Year Award- Richard Hawkins
Business Recognition Award - -Dynamic Autocare Plus
Junior Achiever Award - Lachlan Ferguson
(See photo of the awards winners on page 1 of this edition.)
Richard Hawkins, Resident of the Year, received his award in recognition of his tireless voluntary work within our community, most notably with the Dayboro Junior Rugby League Club, and the Dayboro War Memorial Association.  Richard and his crew have brought Dayboro’s ANZAC Day ceremonies to the impressive recognition events that they are today, including the introduction of a Dawn Service.
David and Christine Easlea of Dynamic Autocare Plus, received the Business Recognition Award in recognition of their close links with this community - starting small and building their business to the stage it is today with its modern diagnostic equipment to service your vehicle.  All the while employing and training a number of young local lads and sponsoring community events, teams etc.
Lachlan Ferguson, Junior Achiever, is a very talented young sportsman.  Although his athletic achievements are wide-ranging, his first love is tennis.  Just prior to Dayboro Day, Lachy went to Cairns to participant in a tournament.  The result? - Winner in the combined 11 and 12 years division in both singles and doubles.  Right now he is over in Paris taking part in the World Finals. 

Dayboro Antique and Collectables Fair

(Collectables such as these toys from a by-gone era are but a small fraction of what was on offer this year. Photo by Bill de Bok)
What a day!  We had approximately 1500 people through the doors for our fair.  Tom Williams from Dayboro Shed Antiques has put on another successful event and for this I thank him.  Tom works very hard behind the scenes.  He deals with all the stall holders, advertising and sponsorship/donations for the event and then backs up with the valuations on the day.  Tom has a helper for the valuations on the day, his name is Bob Farley.  Thank you Bob, I really appreciate the work that goes into this event.  ALL profits from the entry fee and valuations benefit Dayboro in some way.  The profits from this year’s Antiques & Collectables Fair went to the Dayboro Rodeo Association and the Dayboro Churches Community Chest - $5000 and $3000 respectively.
Thank you too, to all those who donated aprons for our display.  They were a great hit. Jackie Wallace did a great job rounding them up and with help from Jenny Easlea displayed them beautifully for the day. What will it be for next year Jackie?
We had some great helpers at the fair this year.  Thank you to Jackie Wallace for her ‘behind the scenes’ work and to Cheryl Waldock, Ericia Sammon, Maureen Bourke and Pauline Cruice for your help on the door. Also a big thank you goes to Tom’s ‘people’ who helped Tom throughout the day with crowd control, parking etc.
Please forgive me if I have not thanked someone I should have.  The memory is slowly fading.  Just ask the young ones at the IGA, they’ll tell you on that score.
It seems such a small thing to just say ‘Thank you’ to all of our helpers, but you know that it comes from the heart.  I really do appreciate everyone’s hard work, but I have to say, the one person I really rely on is my wonderful husband Mark.  Thank you Mark, I know the mowing, gardening and weekends away suffer for a bit, but I, we, could not do it without you.  Are we doing it again next time?  Of course we are!  Who would miss out on all this fun! That is of course unless someone else would like to have a go!