Charlotte Varcoe
SUMMER markets in Mount Gambier/Berrin will be run under a new team this coming year.
The not-for-profit Limestone Coast Festivals and Events committee have officially taken over the Rotary Library Markets which has since been rebranded as the Summer Thugi Markets.
Thugi is the Boandik name for the Cave Gardens and was officially recognised by the State Parliament as a dual name earlier this year.
The markets will be limited to about 85 traders with the Rotary Club looking forward to continuing to attend as traders themselves.
Festivals and events treasurer Tammy Flier said it was a recent development after the Rotary club made the decision it did not have the resources to continue.
“The Rotary Club wanted to keep the markets going but was not sure in what capacity they could continue to do it,” Ms Flier said.
“Our committee has the experience to take on the markets to keep it going with markets bringing a lot of people to the city’s centre and it is also great for tourists, especially during the summer period.”
She said the committee believed it was a good time to rebrand the markets while also acknowledging the Cave Gardens/Thugi as the “great space” it is.
“The markets will run through summer and rightly so because the weather can be a bit sketchy in Mount Gambier for outdoor traders so we decided to focus on the summer months,” Ms Flier said.
“We are looking forward to taking over the fantastic work the Rotary Club had in place including traders but we are also looking forward to marketing the event a bit more because these markets really bring vibrancy to the area.
“There are a lot of small home-based businesses that just do markets on the weekend so having markets gives more opportunities for people to spend their money with those businesses sas well.”
Speaking on the name change, Ms Flier said it was a great opportunity to acknowledge the Boandik traditional name of the Cave Gardens/Thugi alongside other key areas in town which were also dual named.
“We think it is really important to acknowledge the Cave Garden/Thugi Boandik names and it is a great way to acknowledge the Boandik people,” she said.
Rotary Club vice president Darren Archibald said the club did not have the personnel available to run the markets any longer and looked for an alternative option.
“We wanted to continue in a similar format and wanted to add somebody who was capable, which was where the changeover came from,” Mr Archibald said.
“We had a chat with the group and decided to go with them because they have a track record and are doing similar activities but they also wanted to do it similar to how we had it set up and continue that tradition.”
He said although the club would not have any more administration over the markets, the club would still attend.
“We would like to think the markets will continue but any changes for the future are outside of our control,” Mr Archibald said.
“We have been a part of these markets for about eight years and still have a number of projects we are looking into but we are certainly still going to cater at the Thugi Summer Markets.”
The markets will be held on the second Sunday of the month from November until February beginning at 10am and finishing at 2pm.
