Hey, Kayla Kearins here. I’m here to report on the Konini School Sustainable Gala…

The day before the exciting gala, everyone was running around, desperately trying to pull everything together for the next noon. Sparkling drinks were being stacked, Kawakawa balm was being poured, Birdseed feeders were being hung up. The year sixes paced around, extremely busy and exhausted…however it all paid off.

On the 28th of October, early in the day of a beautiful Saturday morning the teachers and a couple of generous volunteers neatly laid everything out, put up the gazebos and stalls out ready for selling goods. Pumped up the bouncy playhouses and got the mudslide ready for sliding! At 10am customers started rolling in, buzzing around the unique stands.

By 10:30am it was filled with people searching to buy items before they sold out. It was like busy bees in a beehive! Almost all of the crochet was already all gone, the only thing left was the pretty crochet tulips. I was disheartened that I was too late to buy one of Sarah’s homemade toys, but happy that she got such good stuff that anyone would cough up money for.

I went around all of the stands and stalls, intrigued by the objects on sale, wanting to buy them all. I was most surprised to see a whole jewellery stand! Filled to the top with glass wall hangers, bracelets, rings, necklaces and abstract earrings. I bought a pink bracelet with the Turkish Evil Eye, said to bring good luck and ward away bad spirits. The wind chimes made by the year fours sung in the calm wind.

The freshly sizzled sausages and Burgerfuel chips were so yum, you could taste the natural flavours! It was clever to sell delicious neapolitan ice cream because it soon got really sunny and hot. All of the community there wanted ice cream. I went around the back to see happy children slipping and sliding like penguins on the bouncy houses. Everyone came back muddy from the mudslide but with wide smiles on their dirty faces.

Soon it was lunchtime and the waiting lines for food were snaking all the way around the decorated school! I also got a Sparkling fruit drink which was so refreshing and not as unhealthy as soft drinks, (they were up for sale too though).

The year sixes made lots of sales, Kawakawa balm, Birdseed feeders, books, puzzles, Harakeke flower and Sparkling juice.

It was a great feat, I loved the Gala and thought it was really fun and such a great idea. We should definitely do it again! It was hilarious to see teachers being dunked (no offence!). The Gala actually turned out to be better than I had imagined. It was also very smart to be able to take cash out at the school office so parents weren’t forced to drive around, seeking for an ATM machine.

The Gala was awesome and without hesitation would recommend it to others to go and buy goodies or even lunch!

Everything there to buy is so worth it! I overall loved it and without a doubt would go again.