TWELVE teams battled it out for the title of Taroom’s best and brightest on Saturday, but only one could win. In the end, it was the Strange Stations Team led by local policeman Guy Phillips which claimed the crown.
Close to 100 people turned out for the Trivia Night to raise nearly $10,000 for the Taroom Kindergarten.
Taroom Kindergarten Association President Catherine Perrett said the organisers were delighted with the support from both sponsors and the community.
“This is the first time in a number of years we have held a big community event fundraiser and we are ecstatic with the result,” she said.
“There are 22 students this year and this money will help with everything from reroofing the kindy to rejuvenating the mud kitchen to the kindy’s everyday operating costs.
“We simply couldn’t do it without the support of sponsors like Senex Energy and Caroline Herring, Kristin Pearce and Heidi Phillips who put in hours as the organising committee, while showing the ropes to newer parents such as myself.”
Senex Energy was the main sponsor and was supported by many other Taroom businesses which dug deep to donate prizes and buy tables.
Despite Senex being major sponsor, unfortunately its team couldn’t bring home the goods but they gave it their best shot with good sportsmanship points awarded to Farmer Williams for being coated in lashings of fuchsia lipstick as part of the hunting and collecting challenge.
Many teams were surprised that it wasn’t just trivia they were being tested on as they faced challenges from playdough creations to paper plane building and flying, to lolly wrapper chain contests.
The longest lolly wrapper winner went to Sarah Parry-Okeden after the ABH team admitted to cheating and gave her their prize as the rightful winner.
Kindergarten parents Cameron Phillips and Tim Wright moonlighted as MCs and scanned the crowd for any cheaters checking their answers with a sneaky Google search on their phone.
Just as in kindy, the offenders were marched up to the naughty chair so Cameron and Tim could make sure they had no chance to touch their phones while they reflected on their poor choices.
While there were some notable repeat offenders, they won’t be named for confidentiality reasons.
Senex Energy Community Relations Manager Trevor Robertson said Senex is delighted to support local organisations like the Taroom Kindergarten.
“Kindy is just the first stepping stone in a lifetime of learning and we are delighted to play a small part in providing an excellent educational start for Taroom children,” he said.
“This is about Senex helping to create a vibrant and sustainable future for the community where we operate.
“At the end of the day, organisations like the kindy cannot function without the support of hardworking volunteers, whether they be teachers or kindergarten parents, and the trivia night is a testament to their dedication to giving their children the best start in life.”
