A Garden Party? What a splendid idea!

PALMWOODS GARDEN PARTY

Sunday, October 4th, 2020, was one of those perfect days. A nearly cloudless blue sky, a comfortable twenty-six degree maximum temperature, a light breeze. The sort of day that makes you so glad to be alive. In Queensland. In the Sunshine Coast hinterland.

It was on this day, at Lyndel Grant’s lovely fifteen acre home near Palmwoods, that Oriana held its inaugural fundraising Garden Party. A dedicated team of Oriana choristers helped to set up stalls offering a myriad of potted plants; home-grown and home-cooked produce; vinyl records and CDs; and refreshing, nourishing, delicious food and drink, to be enjoyed at seats and tables tastefully placed in shaded areas of Lyndel’s lawn and garden.

From ten am till four pm, there was a steady stream of people, comprising Oriana members, their families and friends, music lovers, plant enthusiasts, and people just enjoying an outing in a beautiful setting on a glorious day. They came, they saw, they admired, and many of them bought. The quality of the goods for sale, and the very reasonable prices, made for an irresistible combination for many, and transactions were brisk. Indeed, Yokki’s jams and preserves were completely sold out long before the day was over.

It was a lovely, friendly, laid-back atmosphere. It was an opportunity to catch up with people who had not seen each other for a long time. It made one very aware of how blessed we are to live in this wonderful part of the world. It was also opportunity to disseminate the ‘Gospel of Oriana.’ And to top it all off, it proved to be very financially worthwhile. In these economically-challenged Covid times, it was a much appreciated contribution to Oriana’s coffers.

Thanks, many thanks, to everyone who helped to organise the day, and who helped to make it so enjoyable and profitable. It was Oriana’s first Garden Party, but I’m quietly confident that it will not be the last.

Ian Rix

26 October, 2020.