Statement: Lachlan Festival cancelled

IT is with great disappointment that I inform you of the cancellation of the 2012 Lachlan Festival. Due to a lack of support from both the community and the Derwent Valley Council, the Lachlan Festival cannot continue.

The Lachlan Festival Committee was formed as a sub-committee of the Lachlan Reserve Committee. The Lachlan Reserve Committee is a special committee of the Derwent Valley Council. The purpose of the Reserve Committee is to administer the funds allocated to Lachlan from the councils' reserves fund which is funded from subdivision of land in the Lachlan area.

The festival committee (Lachlan Reserve sub-committee) was formed to promote use of the public space (Gleeson Park) that the reserve committee maintains and develops. Whilst the festival committee was included under the umbrella of the Reserve Committee we were covered under the Derwent Valley Council's public liability insurance.

The council has decided that the festival has outgrown its original charter, and therefore will no longer allow the event to operate under their insurance. The festival runs on a tiny budget and we cannot afford to both pay for our own insurance and pay for the event. Whilst we are unsure of why the council has made this decision, it is a decision they are standing by and efforts to convince them otherwise have fallen on deaf ears.

I have spoken personally to the council's insurance company who explained to me that all the council had to do was approve the event as a "council event" and authorise the committee to organise and run the event on council's behalf in order for us to remain insured. The council steadfastly refused to consider this option.

I was told to approach the council for sponsorship, which may or may not be approved, and they couldn't give me an answer until the next meeting of council which is far too close to the event to find out that we're not insured. We were no longer able to run our fundraising events without insurance and therefore have no way to raise the funds to pay for our own insurance.

Had all of this occurred much earlier in the year and planning process, we may have been able to overcome the setback, however the council chose to formally notify us in October which was simply too late for us. At this juncture it seems unlikely that the festival will operate again in the near future.

The committee has worked hard over the past year to make many improvements to the running of the festival, acquire assets and raise the profile of the local area.

Sponsorship money will be returned to sponsors, stallholder fees will be returned, and any remaining funds will be given to the Lachlan Reserve Committee (Gleeson Park) to help fund their current projects. All non-financial assets (such as marquees etc) will be donated to the Lachlan Community Hall.

Reuben Hopkins
Chairperson

www.lachlanvalley.com.au/festival.htm