Happenings Co Mackay party planners on massive NYE rave
They’re young and want to have fun. Meet the boys behind a new Mackay businesses taking loud music to the bush with bold plans to expand. But already they are facing a swirl of rumours about Covid and crowd numbers.
Mackay
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Organisers of a massive New Year’s Eve rave at a rural property are already dreaming up their next big event in what is emerging as a market disrupter for city night-life.
Deekan Durbridge and his mates Jordan Mules, DJ Anthony Barker and Tiweka Anaru are behind Happenings Co, an event planning business challenging the way Mackay parties.
Its latest event, First Day Out, was a New Year’s Eve bash at a property at Mirani with 350 people partying and camping at the makeshift venue.
Launching an event business as Covid cases explode across the country is not an easy feat, and Mr Durbridge, 18, shot down claims the First Day Out party violated crowd limits or failed to meet Queensland Health and legal requirements.
He said the all-ages event, for which people 18 and over were given wrist bands, had a maximum of 400 people and met the Covid regulations at the time.
“On our terms and conditions on our website, it says that people have to be vaccinated,” Mr Durbridge said.
“We followed the rules pretty closely about outdoor regulations.
“All of our patrons who attended were on a list so if (Queensland Health) need to get on to us, they can get that list.
“But they haven’t contacted us and as far as we’re concerned, it went ahead all OK.”
Happenings Co hosts ticketed events, with First Day Out the second to the young lads’ claim after an 18th held in August 2021 drew in about 550 people.
The grounds were bulldozed and a camping area set up for that event, and music was pumping for 24 hours in something akin to a bush rave.
Mr Durbridge said security dealt with the “few fights that broke out” on the night, the set-up for which began on Thursday with the event kicking off about 5.30pm Friday, December 31.
Water stations were set up around the grounds and a food truck catered for festival goers, with a meal part of the ticketed entry price.
Mr Durbridge said the business was about bringing like-minded people together with music, and argued the rural or remote locations and camping provisions meant it was safer for patrons and road users.
Happenings Co worked closely with local police, the council and Queensland Health, he said.
Mirani Senior Constable Rik Cook said First Day Out was compliant with Covid restrictions at the time, before mask mandates were enforced.
He said a police check in the early evening found there were fewer than the reported 350 to 400 people inside the venue area which was fenced off and clearly marked.
“It was an open-air space,” Constable Cook said.
“As it is a paid event by a business, police are usually engaged in the consultation as happens with most events in the Pioneer Valley.
“As far as we can tell it was compliant with the legislation at the time.”
Mackay Hospital and Health Service has not linked the bush party to any spike in Covid cases in the region, but Happenings Co co-founder Jordan Mules posted on the First Day Out event page on January 4, urging anyone with symptoms to get tested.
While he had tested negative, Mr Mules wrote he had been in close contact to everybody “but it’s still not worth the risk to not get tested”.
“If you test positive, make a post in this event or DM either myself, Deekan or Anthony,” he wrote.
Mr Durbridge said he was yet to know if anyone had tested positive.
As the owner of a fledgling business, Mr Durbridge said fines for non-Covid compliance would have a “big impact” and threaten its success with plans to expand into family friendly event and festival planning.
“I feel like we have done everything we were supposed to do to keep patrons safe,” he said.
“There were campgrounds next to the area and security positioned throughout the whole of it.”
Future events would likely include transport arrangements for people not wanting to camp but by including an area for people to stay the night, Mr Durbridge said it reduced the number of people drink-driving back to the city.
Festival-goers were also breath tested before driving from the grounds using a minesite kit.
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