EXCLUSIVE
The future of Wyndham’s major community festival, Weerama, is in limbo with the event unlikely to go ahead in 2015.
Although it was due to be held on March 28 and 29, Star Weekly understands the festival’s organising committee will hold an extraordinary meeting this week to determine the feasibility of holding a scaled back or one-day event – or abandoning this year’s festival altogether.
In recent years, the festival has received dwindling support, and in July last year Wyndham council told the organising committee it had concerns about the event, including its impact on Werribee CBD traders, along with safety, risk management and governance issues.
The organising committee had applied to Wyndham council for $60,000 as part of its Identified Needs Grants program, but in mid-December it was told the council would be providing only $25,000 for the 2015 event.
An October 9 letter to the committee by council chief executive Kerry Thompson stated Weerama was a “very important festival” to the city, but she called on the committee to re-design the event to “meet the needs of the community and local businesses”.
Ms Thompson went on to say the council “shares the committee’s desire to see Weerama continue”, but she asked the committee to consider deferring the 2015 festival.
Ms Thompson suggested that the committee, with the council’s support, employ an event planning consultant to design a “new and improved festival” or hold a “significantly scaled back” event in April and seek feedback from visitors about what they would like to see at Weerama in future.
In a statement to Star Weekly on Monday, Ms Thompson said the Identified Needs Grants were designed to “provide funds to incorporated organisations whilst they become more sustainable.”
“It is intended that funding amounts should decrease each year to reduce reliance on council funding,” she said.
The festival was first held in 1978 after the Keep Werribee Shire Beautiful committee merged with the Life Be In It committee to form an organising group. Over the years, it has featured a range of iconic events including the traditional street procession.
At the height of its popularity during the 1980s and ’90s, the festival ran across 10 days, while only seven years ago, it was still being spread across four days.
Although it was due to be held on March 28 and 29, Star WeeklyLong-time festival director Gerry Greenwood said Weerama had played an important part in Wyndham’s history.
“We used to have 60 to 70 floats taking part in the procession.”
