And so 2020 departs
While many stallholders took a well-earned break, there were still plenty plying their wares at Trash and Treasure on Sunday 27 December 2020 - the traditionally smallest, and last market of the year.
Thank you to all our stall holders and customers who have stuck by TnT through a tempestuous year. And thank you to all Rotary Members who have pitched in throughout the year to keep TnT running...without your regular assistance TnT could not run as smoothly or efficiently as it does. The Market passed its 46th Anniversary back in September 2020 and it's worth reflecting on its story.
It's the story of The Little Market that Could. Not glamorous, tucked away in a suburban car park, tirelessly building community and raising funds to help anyone who needs it. The Market relies on the spirit of Rotary Fellowship to keep going.
Sometimes it's hot, sometimes cold, sometimes we'd all like to be elsewhere, but the Market is a service project of Belconnen Rotary and as members of this Club we all contribute so that we have the funds to donate to all our other work in the various Avenues of Service. Service at the Market is part of being a Belconnen Rotarian.
Read on and learn some of the history of the market.
The Market's Origins.
The market's story goes back to January 1974. From our Club's history we learn that "A Club Assembly on the 30 January 1974 was held to, among other matters, digest the presentation from Vice President Ron Morrison the week before which was the initial suggestion for the Club to adopt a project named Trash and Treasure Market. The Bulletin reported on the 30 January 1974 that the week before:
“Vice President Ron explained to a hushed house the secret ‘Rockdale Lion’s plan for selling Sunday car park spaces at Jamison to stall holders who would, in turn, sell junk and surplus household material to the public. The public would be admitted at 20 cents each. Stall holders would pay $2 per day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The approval of the Department of the Capital Territory had been obtained and Departmental officer George Duckworth spoke briefly on the relevant points. Ron (with a delightful flair for alliterative prose) called the project “Trash and Treasure Market”.[1]
Mal Ferguson the Club Community Service Director was quickly into his stride in the new Rotary year to get TnT started. On 24 July he reported to the Club meeting[1] on the circumstances of the Market and a synopsis of his report is:
“We are working towards a commencement date of Sunday 1 September next, and for the market to operate from 10 am to 4 pm each Sunday thereafter. The market will operate in the Jamison Centre car-park next to the Jamison Inn. The concept of T&T is simple. We lease stall spaces to sellers for $3 each Sunday and charge buyers an entry fee of 20 cents (children under 12 free). Items which may be sold comprise, for example, handicrafts, pottery, paintings, leather goods, second hand clothing, household appliances, book, furniture, etc. Approval for the project has been obtained from the Dept. of Capital Territory and the business name ‘Trash and Treasure Market’ has been registered. All moneys raised will benefit local charities. It is hoped that this project will generate sufficient revenue to (with the aid of a 2:1 government subsidy) enable the construction of an old people’s home in the Belconnen area. Similar markets operate successfully in Sydney and Melbourne.
Manpower required. Initially we will need 5 members each Sunday to erect fencing, mark stall spaces, collect money from stall holders & buyers, direct stall holders to their spaces, dismantle fencing, deposit money. Once the market is established we can call on other bodies e.g. APEX, to operate the market for a percentage and this will lighten the burden on our members. We hope to get free (news item) publicity in the press, radio TV and get a VIP (Ken Fry?) to officially open the market on 1/9/74. Obviously the success of this venture depends on attracting sufficient stalls and buyers. Please go out of your way to spread the word about T&T and encourage your friends to set up a stall to get rid of their junk.”
Further on the history records that "Apart from their duties erecting and then dismantling the fence, those members on duty, were engaged in siting of stalls, collecting stall fees and the 20c from buyers as they entered the market and of course, sorting out or ‘pouring soothing oil’ on arguments or disagreements that might arise during the conduct of the Market. TnT duty was all in all a considerable day’s work for rostered members." Some things never change.
The actual returns received from stalls at TnT on a weekly basis over the first 38 weeks, shown at Attachment B, amounted to $7131.00 giving a better result than the predicted return.
As it happened, there were twenty-six seller’s stalls at the first market and a slow but steady progression in stall numbers, and in buyers, over the following weeks. The launch of the market was no ‘happenstance’ or tackled in a manner of relying on luck, but rather the result of careful planning and diligent work by Club members.
