Thirteen-year-olds Lucy Spice (Kerikeri), Mishell Zisakis (Okaihau) and Sophie McEntee (Opua) made tie-dye T-shirts to raise money. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Thirteen-year-olds Lucy Spice (Kerikeri), Mishell Zisakis (Okaihau) and Sophie McEntee (Opua) made tie-dye T-shirts to raise money. Photo / Peter de Graaf
A gala organised by teachers and students of Kerikeri's Springbank School has raised more than $7000 for victims of Australia's bushfires.
Blaze Aid drew a crowd many hundreds strong to the Old Packhouse Market on Thursday for an evening of food, live music and fundraising, along with bouncy castles andgiant bubbles for the kids.
The amount raised is expected to go up further as more stall proceeds come in.
Student-run stalls donated all their proceeds to the cause while regular market stalls gave a proportion of their takings. The market provided the venue and waived stall fees while musicians played for free. Hairdressers chipped in by snipping hair in exchange for donations, St John cadets held bucket collections for any leftover cash, and donated items were raffled and auctioned off.
The event was the brainchild of teacher Michelle Chapman but students such as Georgie Ludbrook, 16, did much of the organising.
Georgie said the proceeds would be split between Bobin Public School in New South Wales and Backpacks for South Australian Kids.
The 14-student school was razed by fire then flooded, while the backpack charity provided necessities for kids who had lost everything.
''It's been really positive, everyone we contacted has been super-eager to help out. All the kids were into it and made some cool products to sell,'' she said.
''It's really cool, knowing so many people wanted to come out and support our event.''
Performers included Gav Brown of Perth, JPG and the Merv Pinny Band.
■ You can still contribute to the Blaze Aid Relief Fund. The bank account is 06-0350-0872802-00.
International students Julia Leuschke (15, Germany) and Melissa Venturin (17, Italy) sell hot dogs to raise money for fire-ravaged Bobin Public School. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Northland MP Matt King and wife Sara King at Blaze Aid. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Kerikeri 11-year-olds Sean Heath, left, and Patrick Finch dish up miso soup while Peter and Melanie Finch look on. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Hunter Blakeman, 12, dishes up a plate of nachos with team mates, from left, Ollie Ludbrook, 13, Ben Colblatz and Ted Houry. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Kerikeri 12-year-old Ema Hollister made cheesecakes to raise money for Blaze Aid. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Ten-year-old Eva Whyman makes a giant bubble while, from left, Elena Blechschmidt-Dezillie, bubble man Keith Earl and Chloe Whyman look on. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Chloe Whyman is all concentration as she creates a giant bubble. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Opua 13-year-old Sophie McEntee gets her hair cut for a charity donation by Faith Porter of Kerikeri. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Kerikeri 11-year-old Sophie Hunia checks out her new haircut, done at one of the Blaze Aid fundraising stalls. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Guess the number of sweets for $1 with Rocio Vallejos, 12, Mishell Zisakis, 13, and Ellamae MacCarthy, 13. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Kerikeri rocker Merv Pinny - whose latest single has topped the South African charts - headlined the Blaze Aid event. Photo / Peter de Graaf
