Fashionistas flocked to the Garden of Time for a good cause when about 250 people fundraised for the Weipa Community Kindergarten on 31 May. Photo: Supplied (Angus Walker).
Nothing was going to stop about 250 revellers from making the most of one of the rare opportunities to frock up in Weipa for the 2025 Wine by the Sea (WBTS) on 31 May.
There were some incredibly nervous socialites – and organisers – on Saturday when the western Cape York township had an unplanned interruption to its power and water supply just hours before guests were due to converge on Kumrumja Park for the Weipa Community Kindergarten’s biggest annual fundraiser.
Thankfully, a crisis was averted and Weipa Early Childhood Education Association president Claire Sabatino praised the Rio Tinto team for restoring services in time for people to complete their WBTS preparations.
“It was definitely nerve-racking, but it was a fantastic result,” she said.
“The Rio Tinto team really pulled together, and 20 minutes before Wine by the Sea was meant to start, we had power and water fully back on.”
The annual event adopted a theme of Garden of Time this year, which explored nature, time itself and the fleeting nature of fashion.
Funds raised from WBTS will go towards the not-for-profit kindy’s operational costs, as well as the construction of a nature playground for some of Weipa’s smallest residents.
Ms Sabatino said while fundraising was the main purpose of the event, she admitted many viewed it as Weipa’s night of nights when it came to presenting a reason to “dress to the nines”.
“It was spectacular weather and such a good night; the outfits people turned up in were amazing,” she said.
“Whilst we’re fundraising for a great and well-needed not-for-profit, the reality is it’s not every day you get to do something like this in Weipa, so people use the opportunity to dress to the nines and see an amazing sunset.
“We haven’t finalised any of the [fundraising] numbers yet; they’ll come through later in the week and, hopefully, we can share that with everyone who attended, so they can see how much of a contribution they made to the kindy.”
Ms Sabatino said the kindy committee was exceptionally grateful for the generosity of revellers, as well as the cohort of local businesses that offered prizes and cash donations.
“You can tell that everyone believes it’s an important cause, and is really willing to get behind it,” she said.
