Markets rebirth stalls as COVID concerns take hold

Plans for a reboot of popular beachside markets have fallen through as organisers work to minimise the risk of breaching COVID-19 restrictions.

A plan to restart the popular Peregian Beach Markets stalled last Sunday as organisers now look to begin their COVID-19 recovery plan sometime in spring.

The markets were forced to close in March due to pandemic health concerns and last month posted on its Facebook site there were plans for an August 16 reboot with a COVID-Safe plan in place.

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Markets manager for the past 12 years, Annie Ey, said organisers were hoping for a spring return in the next few weeks.

“We’re just working towards it, for the COVID-Safe requirements,” Ms Ey said.

“It just takes a bit longer as most of the staff are all volunteers and we’ve got a skeleton staff.

“I’ll be lucky to fit everyone who wants to come in with the two-metre stall spacings, so it’s a good thing.”

Ms Ey said the markets, which were biggest in Noosa Shire, were forced to close on March 13.

“The stallholders are very patient and some of them are going other places in the meantime,” she said.

“We’re just not going to create too many waves, there’s enough waves and uncertainty, so we’re just trying to keep a pretty low profile.

“We are keen to get back, but we just have to be patient to make sure all the Ts and Is get crossed and dotted,” she said.

Ms Ey said people had been messaging her and telling her in person how much they missed the markets held on the first and third Sundays of the month.

“Having run it for 12 years I can only say that they’ll be hoping that we get it right so we won’t be opening and closing it,” she said.

The markets are the major fundraiser for Peregian Beach lifesaving services with the lifesavers keen to resume the income stream.

The Peregian markets are almost ready for a comeback

The markets initially should be able to accept about half as many stalls as it had before the pandemic.

And while Peregian village maybe missing its markets over the winter period, the Ekka long weekend was a real shot in the arm for local traders.

According to Peregian Beach newsagent Dan de Rooy, the influx of visitors brought a 20 per cent spike in his takings on normal Saturday trade.

“That’s great for us, that was across all products, we had just shy of 400 people through the door and normally a good Saturday would be around the low 300s,” he said.

And he’s likely to have another bumper Saturday trade soon with plans to use the Peregian foreshore park and local surf club for a special Spirit of Peregian community get together on September 5 to mark the community’s survival of the massive fire outbreaks.

The Peregian Family and Friends organised events is to mark September 9, last year, when fires spread from Peregian Springs across the motorway and Emu Mountain Rd to stalk north towards Peregian Beach.

Event spokeswoman Leigh McCready said the tireless work of the local firefighters would long be remembered.

Peregian will be turning out to thank the local firefighters again.

“The fires really shook our Peregian community and we still talk about it to our children, so they are all aware of the role that these men and women played to protect us all,” Ms McCready said.

“While it was frightening, it also galvanised our local community as it made us all more aware of the important work of our local rural fire service.

“Many locals have since become volunteers.”

The Family Fun Day will be held in Peregian Park behind the Peregian Surf Club from midday to 3pm and includes a number of activities for the children including a jumping castle, face-painting, popcorn and snow cones along with busking and two fire trucks.

There will also be sign-on information for both volunteer fire fighting and local lifesaving as Peregian looks to increase their nipper and adult participation rates into the future.

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