School fetes: PV media comment

A recent article in the Age focused on the increasing size and complexity of school fetes – and the way schools increasingly rely on them to make ends meet.

According to the article, “School fetes are ditching 20 cent lucky dips and free petting zoos in favour of large school festivals as they try to plug financial shortfalls with community fundraising.”

Parents Victoria CEO Gail McHardy is quoted in the article:

Parents Victoria executive officer Gail McHardy said many fetes had grown bigger to compensate for the gap in fundraising during the COVID lockdown era.

McHardy said events like fetes were reliant on active parent communities and continued involvement from volunteers.

But she said if public schools were adequately funded by the state government, the need for fundraising wouldn’t be so great and that schools needed to be aware of their community’s changing capacity to contribute.

“The massive fete may work for some, but it doesn’t work for all,” she said.

Read the Age article