Bounty of the Sea

The Garden Bar was full of colour, food stalls – street style, people sitting at tables or on the grass, waiting to see if they had won the next raffle draw, buying their food tickets, carrying drinks form the bar to their friends, children eagerly waiting for the costume dress parade, volunteers behind every counter serving food, selling raffle tickets, serving drinks and ensuring that everyone had a good time. The sun was shining and the music by Doc Jeffries and Sam Ware from the centre stage just made for a fantastic, easy going, bright Sunday lunch and afternoon.

It was the Bounty of the Sea Festival and a very successful Sunday for the Mercury Bay Club after not being able to hold the festival during the covid period.

A host of people came through the door and halfway through the programme, some food supplies were close to running out.

Whitianga does well organising events that cater for children, their parents and right up to the very elderly and/or frail. There was a seating and shade arrangement that catered for all choices and abilities. The food was excellent and bountiful -prawn cocktails, prawn kebabs, mussels fritters, scallop mornay, whitebait fritters, and a sausage sizzle and American hot dogs for non seafood eaters.

Stephen Andrew, Manager of the club, was very pleased with the numbers and the weather and Sheryl Andrew, Stephen’s partner and the co-ordinator of the festival, was simply relieved that all the planning had come together. It really was a very happy day.

Caption: A great team at the Bounty: Kylie Kahotea-Moses, Harold and Caroline Pulis, Kathleen Reid, Trevor Fraser( RSA President), Praveena Raman.