12/03/2026
I am a community centre volunteer. I’ve been involved with the Community Centre for over 13 years and have worked around 120 markets in that time. I rarely comment publicly about the centre, but after reading some of the comments being posted online since the last market I feel it’s important to correct a few things.
I’m speaking from first-hand experience of how the centre and markets operate, not from rumour or speculation.
1. “Faye gets paid / is lining her pockets”
This is completely incorrect. Faye, the committee, and the people who help run the markets are volunteers. They are not paid for their time and never have been. These rumours have circulated for years but they simply aren’t true.
2. Personal accusations being posted about Joel and Faye
A number of comments being made online are not just wrong, they are potentially defamatory. People need to be careful. Faye hasn’t set foot in the pub in years, and Joel is a well-known local business owner who contributes a great deal to the community. It’s worth remembering that real people are being talked about here.
3. “The centre receives council funding”
The centre does not and never has received funding from council or government. The only exceptions are occasional small grants for specific events such as the Christmas Carnival, and those rarely cover the full cost of running them.
The centre survives largely on money raised by volunteers through the markets, along with a small amount in donations. Running the building costs over $100,000 a year once you account for insurance, rates, maintenance, compliance requirements and repairs (including vandalism damage).
That’s also why the kitchen operates during markets and no other food stalls are allowed — we rely on the income to keep the centre open.
4. “The markets are stale”
That’s a matter of opinion. Many stallholders return month after month and attendance has remained strong over the years, which suggests plenty of people still enjoy them.
The committee also doesn’t control exactly what types of stalls apply to attend, aside from making sure there isn’t an oversupply of certain types of vendors.
5. “A new committee is needed”
On this point, many people might be surprised to learn the committee actually agrees.
Faye and the others have been there for too long and they know it. They’ve been asking for people to step up and take it over for years. Running the markets is harder than it looks, and keeping the centre operating takes a lot of work behind the scenes, and once people see what’s involved many don’t return.
If anyone genuinely wants to contribute new ideas or energy, the best thing they can do is step forward and get involved.
6. “The markets should have been cancelled because of the weather”
Weather calls are difficult. In the last year alone, most markets have had rain forecast and in pretty much every case it never arrived.
If markets are cancelled and the weather turns out fine, organisers are criticised. If they proceed and it rains, they’re criticised again. It’s never going to be a perfect decision every time.
Individual stallholders need to take responsibility for their own decisions around weather, and can withdraw up until 2pm on the Thursday before the market without penalty if they’re concerned about the forecast.
7. "The centre's financials are out of date/not filed".
No, that wrong too. The government website you are looking at is out of date. The centre's financials are in full compliance and are audited every year. It is all up to date.
8. "The centre doesn't hold public meetings".
We aren't required to. Neither does Rotary, the CWA, or pretty much any other not-for-profit in Australia. I am not sure where this came from.
9. “Faye is a bully”
No, she’s direct, she’s a straight shooter and she does not mince words - which some people may not like. She enforces the rules strictly, but equally, to everyone, no exceptions, no excuses – and some people don’t like that either. She’s also heard every excuse under the sun (dozens of times) as to why the rules shouldn’t apply to such and such stallholder because of . She's also ultimately responsible for the centre - the buck stops with her, so things are going to be done her way, and some people don't like that either.
So yes, she can be short tempered or impatient when people try to lie to her or claim the rules shouldn’t apply to them. She’s no more perfect than you or I, and she sometimes gets it wrong - but she is also someone who has given an enormous amount of time to the community over many years. She’s in her 70s, she’s in constant pain, and she doesn’t want to be doing this. No volunteer gets every decision right every time — they’re human.
But it’s also worth recognising the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep community facilities like this running. When Faye first became involved, the centre was in serious financial trouble and was on the verge of being closed permanently. The changes she put in place, together with the endless hours of hard work done by many volunteers since then has helped keep it operating for the town.
I could go on but that's probably enough - at the end of the day, the centre exists because people volunteer their time to keep it going. If you care about the future of the markets or the centre, the most helpful thing anyone can do is support it — or better yet, get involved.
