Witnesses out in force

A RECORD number of people attended the Jehovah’s Witnesses three-day convention at the Bendigo Stadium at the weekend. Convention spokesman David Ray said 3170 people attended the event on the Friday, with 3230 on the Saturday and 3506 on the Sunday.“We have noticed a lot of visitors,’’ he said. Mr Ray said the convention included 47 speakers, with some having practical demonstrations to go with their talk, a full costume Bible drama, and baptism by full water immersion. The convention, titled Remain Close to Jehovah, attracted members from 37 congregations across Victoria, as well as from several congregations interstate. A total of 580 volunteers were responsible for putting the annual event together.Mr Ray said Bendigo was one of 23 locations throughout Australia which held a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention each year.Marketing manager of tourism for the City of Greater Bendigo John Rossi said he believed in excess of $1 million had been injected into the local economy as a result of the event.He said it was an event where all sectors of the economy benefited. “These types of events are important in keeping the city ticking over,’’ he said.