Organisers of a newly-formed central Victorian antiques fair have cancelled this year’s event after failing to find a suitable site.
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The Campbells Creek Fryers Antique and Collectables Fair – formed in 2017 to replace the Fryerstown Antique fair – was held at Campbells Creek recreation reserve in January, but stallholder manager Kim Rowlatt said a financial disagreement with the committee of management ended that relationship.
“There's no point in pursuing something if you've got a hostile committee who can do what they want,” she said.
The fair chose to move locations for the 2018 event and lined up the Elphinstone Recreation Reserve, where Ms Rowlatt said they again had a conflict with the committee over a hire price and decided to look elsewhere.
The fair then moved shires in an attempt to secure a venue for 2018, but Macedon Ranges Shire recently declined to support the event at the Kyneton showgrounds due to the perceived fire risk.
“The stallholders are devastated this has occurred,” she said.
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Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve committee member Brad Cross said the fair originally agreed to hold the event as a joint venture, but “cracked the wobbles” during planning for the event.
He also suggested the price eventually paid by the antiques fair was not a large amount to hire a site of that size for a week.
Section 86 Committees of Management within the Mount Alexander Shire manage reserves on behalf of the council, and determine users fees and charges for specific facilities.
Mount Alexander Shire Council manager of community places and spaces Ben Grounds said hire fees are paid directly to each committee.
“Each committee uses venue hire funds for management, upkeep and development of their reserve,” he said.
“Council worked extensively with the Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve committee of management and event organisers in the lead up to, and after the event to try and ensure the event would be successful.”
The Fryerstown Antique fair, which was run by a separate group called the Fryerstown Trustees, was cancelled after 43 years when emergency services said they could no longer support the event in Fryerstown in the middle of the fire danger period.
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