• Loani Prior: the renowned tea cosy expert will be a huge drawcard for this year’s festival. Photo by Mark Crocker.
THE Fish Creek Tea Cosy Festival is shaping up as one of this year’s hottest events in South Gippsland.
Kicking off this Saturday at 10am with a demonstration by tea cosy queen, Loani Prior at 11am, the event which runs until Sunday, May 27 is sure to continue to gather steam across a packed program that includes a tea cosy exhibition, Devonshire teas, Sustainable Living demonstrations, a market day and a celebration of inTEAnational Tea Day.
Loani will also be the judge in the tea cosy festival competition, with many predicting a boil over in a contest that has seen entries from far and wide. The best-selling author of Pretty Funny Tea Cosies, How Tea Cosies Changed the World and Really Wild Tea Cosies – will be a major draw card for an event that has continued to grow year by year.
Festival committee president Marge Arnup said excitement was bubbling in Fish Creek ahead of Saturday’s launch. “The competition drew entrants from as far away as Queensland. I’m really excited by the numbers. All up we had 183 entries,” she said.
They included, among the three male entrants, Member for Gippsland South Danny O’Brien, who Marge said, had put the “local” into local parliamentarian by entering the competition and putting his hand up to be one of sponsors of the event.
“Last year’s tea cosy exhibition saw between 3500 and 4000 people come through. If you get 500 people in Fish Creek in a day it’s really busy. The place was buzzing,” she said.
“This is really a time for us to celebrate diversity, hospitality and community in Fish Creek. It’s really about us saying, it’s amazing where we come from.
“It’s also something we hope benefits the wider Corner Inlet community, including the galleries, Toora, Agnes Falls, Port Welshpool. We want to welcome people and have them come and enjoy where we live.”
She said Loani’s demonstration would be “a must for anyone who is serious about tea cosies”.
Marge described her committee as “really different” – but in the best possible way.
“We’ve all got different skills and strengths and we play to them. We’re a very cohesive group. It’s just been wonderful,” she said.
Mr O’Brien said he was “very proud to support local events like this, bringing people to our communities and putting us on the map”.
“This is the Fish Creek Tea Cosy Festival’s fourth festival and the local support is overwhelming,” he said.
“I am sure the inTEAnational theme will bring some interesting tea cosy entries to be displayed and the week is jam-packed with a variety of events planned for the community and visitors to enjoy. “I’m hoping my own entry will get the recognition it deserves!”
For a full list of events go to teacosyfestival.com.au
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