On Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th March, the Bogan Gate community and surrounds came together to celebrate 125 years of Bogan Gate.
The event was planned for the 8th and 9th October last year, but was unfortunately cancelled due to continuous rainfall and flooding at the time. After a five month wait, the event was held bigger and better than ever!
A long list of stalls and food vendors were set for the day with plenty of fun activities for all ages. Some competitions were also held, including ‘Car most likely to be pulled over by cops’ which was kindly judged by NSW Police officers Dane and Nat. The winner with the most suspicious car went to John Dickford and runner up went to Darrin Kopp.
The Saturday began at 9am with the Bogan Gate opening ceremony. This involved the new gate and plaque being revealed, which were both paid for by NorthParkes Mines. Following the reveal, everyone travelled to the Bogan Gate Golf Club for the Village Fair. Live music was played by many musicians, including Grace Denham-Jones. Kids Zone was a hit for the little ones, they had plenty of entertainment, including games, a jumping castle and art and crafts. Free face painting was also available with the option to purchase colourful mermaid hair. Vintage Machinary displays were a big hit for everyone of all ages. Multiple stalls held by local and surrounding businesses were also very popular. With a huge variety of shops, there was something for everyone. Plenty of other activities and attractions were held throughout the day.
Sunday began with a free community breakfast, which was held at the Bogan Gate Memorial Hall. This was all prepared by the Bogan Gate Memorial Hall team. Following the delicious breakfast, everyone moved to the Bogan Gate War Memorial Clock Tower to watch the 100 year commemorative ceremony with Trundle Light Horse. At 9:30 the Bogan Gate Time Capsule was opened at Bogan Gate Memorial Park. The time capsule had been closed for 100 years. After the busy morning, everyone moved to the Memorial Hall for art and craft demonstrations and workshops. Attendees were taught many arts and crafts, including crochet, knitting, sculpture, woodworking and more.
The event was put together by an array of people and groups who worked together to make the day a reality. The Bogan Gate Village Fair team spent countless hours organising paperwork for grants and approvals to run the event, The team behind the Vintage Machinery Display worked hard to restore machines to their former glory to display on the weekend and Mark Judson who created a marvelous presentation and family tribute, just to name a few.