MEMBERS of the Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Motor Club delivered multiple donations directly to a number of local sports and service groups, all raised at the 2026 Motorfest event which was held in March this year.
The beneficiaries of this awesome local event included the TGHN Surf Lifesaving Club, Tea Gardens Lions, Hawks Nest Meals on Wheels, Tea Gardens Soccer Club, and the Hawks RLFC.
“Motorfest raised $7500 on the day of Motorfest, and we are very happy to be, once again, distributing these funds to local groups and clubs like these,” TGHN Motor Club President David Jones told NOTA.
Nat Skelly accepted on behalf of the local Surf Club, and explained how the donations will be put to good use.
“The motor club donation will be used to subsidise our youth (aged 13-17) to attend the Hunter Surf Lifesaving Youth Camps and program in the 2026-27 season,” Ms Skelly said.
“The camps, programs and leadership training include opportunities for our youth to further develop their lifesaving skills, build confidence, teamwork, and even some focus on UAV operation or youth facilitation for the programs and search & rescue experiences, all of which are designed to empower our next generation of SLS volunteers to become confident, skilled and engaged members of the SLS and broader community.”
Tea Gardens Lions Club President Amanda Sykes accepted on behalf of her group, which is currently at the pointy end of establishing a brand-new fenced off-leash area (FOLA) dog park near Bennetts Beach.
“The funds will help projects the Lions do around our towns, such as completing the new fence on the soon-to-open dog park in Providence Bay Park, Hawks Nest, which we hope to officially open on Sunday 21 June.”
While much of the dog park has been put together by the local group, funds are still needed for covered seating areas so that the humans using the park have sun and weather protection.
Alyssa Barker, from Tea Gardens Sharks Soccer Club was grateful for the funds from Motorfest, indicating that it would go towards new uniforms for the kids and players.
“Many current uniforms have been in use since 1998, and these funds also go towards reducing costs for parents to allow their kids to stay active and in the sport,” Ms Barker said.
Maria Harder, from Hawks Nest Meals on Wheels, expanded on the operations of the local food service, noting that many customers are doing it quite tough, and these sorts of donations really help out many who need it.
“It is good to have a clean allocation of funds that we can use to clear the slate for people who have not been able to afford even the most basic costs for food in our community,” Ms Harder said.
“We always need more volunteers, the kitchen is in need of a renovation, and recent heavy rains saw the big walk-in freezer flood, leaving an inch of ice to be cracked off the floors.”
By Thomas O’KEEFE
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