Page 70 - Demo

A pair of quality spanish mackerel taken during the event.
The volunteer committee did a fantastic job redesigning the Weipa Fishing Clas- sic to suit COVID-19 restrictions and still managed to put on an amazing event.
S2020 Weipa Fishing Classic – a lesson in COVID innovation
MALL outback had no precedent or gion and the commu- communities rely that no one would turn nity and ended up hav- on their major up, so they ran a com- ing three boys along the
Competition Roundup
by DAVE DONALD
community events for munity survey on the way. We really enjoy
many reasons – for the social interaction, to raise money and to en- joy the unique lifestyle their particular location provides.
our beloved Weipa Fishing Classic, usually staged over the June long weekend, would have to be abandoned.
to community organisa- tions by the voluntary Fishing Classic com- mittee each year.
local ‘Secrets of Weipa’ Facebook page.
our camping, fishing and exploring the Cape and now we are intro- ducing our boys to the lifestyle and they are thriving! We truly love the region and want a prosperous future, which is why we remain active in keeping the community spirit alive and well.
AS: The committee started by reviewing the economics of our usual proceedings. In past years, we’ve relied heavily on the involve- ment of the ‘Creek to Coast’ program to han- dle the media and pro- motional side of things but this came at con- siderable expense. So, with the likelihood of a much-reduced event, we asked ourselves how we could better deliver product data transpar- ency for our sponsors
* continued P71 www.bnbfishing.com.au
In the small Cape York Peninsula outpost of Weipa, the major events of the year in- clude the Fishing Clas- sic and the Bullride, weekendskeenlyawait- ed by a town situated in the heart of arguably the best country in Aus- tralia for both activities.
Apart from the enjoy- ment it provides for a town with more boats per head than any other in the state, there’s the injection of over a mil- lion dollars into local business that the event brings, a prize pool of around $130,000 dis- tributed, and tens of thousands of dollars in profit are donated back
So, off they went into the unknown with plen- ty of enthusiasm and ideas!
But in the ‘year of the pandemic’, it seemed
I had a chat with the Classic committee pres- ident Aaron Schleich to get a handle on how it came together.
However, in August, with many other com- munity events canned or heavily modified, the new Fishing Classic committee decided Wei- pa couldn’t afford not to runitsbiggestweekend.
The response was overwhelmingly posi- tive!
The larger of two boat/motor/trailer packages that were up for grabs at the event.
Page 70 – Bush ’n Beach Fishing, January 2021
AS: Well, Dave I’ve lived in Weipa for the past 13 years and have been a homeowner here since 2009. My wife Janine and I came up here with the intention of working with Rio Tinto for two to three years, but loved the re-
A couple of the more tech savvy members thought they could come up with a COV- ID-safe format, but were concerned they
The 2020 Weipa Fish- ing Classic exceeded all expectations, confirm- ing that the vision of a small but dedicated group could be realised if you get out there and have a go!
DD: How did the concept for this year’s Fishing Classic come together?
DD: G’day Aaron, first up, tell us a bit about yourself?