Tough decision made over Airlie Beach carols
The event typically draws about 1000 residents to share in Christmas cheer.
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THE foreshore will be a little quieter this festive season as the Airlie Beach Rotary Club has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s carols event.
Rotary Carols by the Beach is typically held on the Airlie Beach foreshore and pulls crowds from across the region for some festive fun.
However, Rotary Carols by the Beach organiser Dalwyn McErlane said the club was forced to cancel the event because of COVID restrictions in a decision that was not made lightly.
“We’ve had over 1000 attend the event, and the restrictions up until just the other day were no more than 1000 people together,” she said.
“In that small space on the foreshore, there really isn’t a lot of room for social distancing.
“Even if we did get 1000 people, we wouldn’t have been able to get them to social distance properly.
“As things lifted, it just got too close to the date to actually organise it.”
Ms McErlane said another factor in the cancellation was that school students had not been able to rehearse because of restrictions.
She said despite the tough decision, the Airlie Beach Rotary club carols would be back bigger and better in 2021.
The club will still spread Christmas cheer through a partnership with Ray White Whitsundays A Little Ray of Giving campaign.
The campaign launched today and residents can get involved by dropping off a present to the Ray White office in Cannonvale that will then be sent to a child in need.
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“The gift drive was a simple way to help put a smile on the face of children and families who may need some extra cheer at this time of year,” Ray White Whitsunday principal Mark Beale said.
“All you need to do is wrap up your present and drop it under the tree in your local Ray White office.
“Tell the Ray White Whitsunday team if the gift is for a boy or girl, nominate an age group and your gift will be delivered by the team at Rotary to a child who will appreciate the lift to their festive season.
“Sometimes just a small gift can make the biggest difference to families who are struggling at an expensive time of year.”
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