The business team who organised the auction gathered together at its close and Glenda, the key organiser, centre, thanks the team and the community for its success. Photos by Tala Blundell
The event was completely sold out and it was estimated that nearly 5% of the Coromandel town population attended the auction – a reflection of the community support. MC – local celebrity Jim Davies and Auctioneer Kim Raddick from Richardsons Real Estate, kept the ball rolling with quick fire auctions and lots of laughs. With over 50 items up for sale, punters with an eye for a bargain had to keep on their toes.
The Bizarre needs a new roof. It is a local Op-shop, located on the main street of Coromandel Town – an Aladdin’s cave of quirky second-hand items and pre-loved clothing. It was originally set up by the Anglican Church in 1965, to raise funds for the church renovation project.
It has operated ever since, with various organisations running it, and is currently under the supervision of C.I.L.T. – the Coromandel Independent Living Trust.
C.I.L.T. is a local institution which serves the community with various services including transport assistance for medical appointments, social and family assistance for those in need of support, addressing rural isolation, helping to improve digital connectivity and literacy; and running programmes to support people with disabilities and other barriers to participation (https://www.cilt.org.nz/about/).
The funds raised last Sunday will go towards the repairs and maintenance of the Bizarre’s roof.
Right from the start, the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement. The Club rooms were packed with people, all there to support their local icon and to bag a bargain.
Donated goods were beautifully presented and available for inspection prior to the auction.
They included a treasure trove of items, ranging from glitzy evening dresses to original local pottery from renowned Coromandel potters.
Volunteers from the Bizarre modelled a variety of outfits, all of which were donated by the local community.
Local potter Paul Armstrong was a popular model and strutted his stuff on the catwalk, much to the delight of all present. His pottery vase and ceramic lidded bowl fetched good prices too – a double contribution to the cause.
A vintage milk urn received furious bidding and finally sold for the highest price for the night.
Multiple items stimulated buyers – a fluffy ram, backpacks, vintage proton bags, signed Coronation Street memorabilia and carved paddle sets. All fetched amazing prices and organiser Glenda Heath was delighted with the provisional result on the night.
Glenda (formerly the Promotions co-ordinator for the DB group, with huge events such as Opera in the Park in her portfolio), has been the co-ordinator of the Bizarre for about four years, after moving to Coromandel from Auckland. This is the first Bizarre auction and may be the forerunner to many more. Glenda has been amazed at the generosity of the people of Coromandel town and beyond who contributed fabulous and quirky items to the cause. She commented that they could not have put on this event without the community and their generous donations, or without her dedicated team of volunteers, who have gone beyond their normal volunteer roles to ensure this event was a great success.
Glenda added that the provisional total raised on the night hugely exceeded expectations and the proceeds are expected to fully cover the cost of remedial work on the roof of the Op-shop. Glenda said there were too many people to mention individually, but she wanted to thank all her wonderful volunteers, and of course the wider Coromandel community who both support the Bizarre and C.I.L.T. and in turn receive support from them. It’s a great relationship and shows how ground-roots level support makes a huge difference in a small town.
