Grafton needs a reason to celebrate new year's

I'm just asking for a reason to celebrate the fact that it's not just another day, it's a whole new year

Rebekah Lougher. Picture: Adam Hourigan

WHAT did you do for New Year's? That has been the question frequently asked of me and by me over the past couple of days.

My answer is pretty simple, I was in bed before midnight. But it wasn't because I'm someone who hates going out, it was because there were no New Year's Eve events in Grafton.

Before the pundits start, I know that Yamba and Maclean had some really great events on - they deserve their time to shine, don't get me wrong - and I'm not just some millennial complaining that there is nothing happening in Grafton.

I know that Graftonians young and old want to see something happen in town on New Year's Eve.

We did have the great community event that I'm talking about. The Grafton Shopping World fireworks were embraced by the town and, in the two years that it ran, the event outgrew the car park.

Shopping World management did try their best to keep the event going, putting out a call for community organisations to hold the event, but even the pledge of sponsoring the fireworks didn't seal the deal.

It was a shame to see the fireworks and the whole event just disappear. Especially because the community embraced it as a great way for all of us to come together to celebrate the fact that another year was done and dusted - for better or worse.

I think that we need another event just like that. We have a beautiful riverfront and I think we should embrace it for all it's worth, just like we do the other 364 days of the year. We should have live entertainment and market stalls for all ages.

Plus, I'm not even asking for a huge Sydney Harbour Bridge-style firework display, I'm just asking for some family fireworks that symbolise the fact that the new year is fast approaching.

I'm just asking for a reason to celebrate the fact that it's not just another day, it's a whole new year.

Rebekah Lougher is a work experience student from Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.

Originally published as Grafton needs a reason to celebrate new year's