Great Whitsunday Food Network is under voluntary administration

‘It’s become a real community hub and you see hundreds of people coming through during peak seasons’. Mackay Isaac and Whitsunday farmers and stallholders are brainstorming for a way to keep the ‘hub’ going.

Greater Whitsunday Farmers Market president Deb McLucas said there was hope the weekly market will continue in some way despite the organisation heading towards liquidation. Picture: Matthew Forrest

Hope is building a popular weekly market may live on in some way despite its organiser heading towards “likely” liquidation.

Greater Whitsunday Food Network on Friday revealed it would not host the Farmers’ Market after this coming Wednesday as the organisation was now working with voluntary administrator KordaMentha.

“People have loved the market and really appreciate what we’ve developed in bringing farmers to Mackay every week to bring the very best quality fresh produce into town,” GWFN president Deb McLucas said on Sunday afternoon.

“They really don’t want to see that go and are very keen to support whatever needs to happen to ensure we can keep that going in some way.

Deb McLucas at Greater Whitsundays Farmers Market

“Most of our stallholders have been communicating among themselves and brainstorming for ideas as to how it might continue.”

The markets support dozens of Mackay Isaac and Whitsunday micro food and agribusinesses.

Ms McLucas said it would not be via GWFN as the organisation would be “wound up”.

“The scenario for us is that the organisation will most likely be put into liquidation,” she said.

“The amount of money that’s owed … it’s not likely that we’re going to be able to raise that in any way that’s going to allow us to continue to trade.”

However, Ms McLucas said they were “quite optimistic that ultimately there will be a way to keep the market running in some form”.

“It’s become a real community hub and you see hundreds of people coming through during peak seasons,” she said.

Greater Whitsunday Farmers Market president Deb McLucas. Picture: Matthew Forrest

Unfortunately, Ms McLucas said, the not for profit organisation relied on funding to support its activities.

“The staff costs for us have been quite substantial and we’ve been able to support that with funding in the past,” she said.

“Since 2019 it’s been more difficult for us to secure funding and certainly since Covid-19.

“This year in particular we’ve had several knock backs on funding applications that we’d put into various organisations and foundations.”

That culmination this month, Ms McLucas said, when the figures revealed “quite a substantial” debt and “we hadn’t been successful in receiving funding that we had budgeted for”.

“It wasn’t right to continue to hope we might get funding … we needed to make that decision,” she said.

“It’s a tough gig to run a not-for-profit organisation and to put your heart and soul into it.

“Some of us have been there from day one for six years … and then to have to reach this point.”

Ms McLucas said a positive was the organisation had built a very strong community.

“It might be a good thing in the long run for people to identify a better way to take this food movement forward that’s going to be more sustainable long term,” she said.

Originally published as Great Whitsunday Food Network is under voluntary administration