As Win Crilly was flicking through the pages of the journal containing details of raffle sales since 1983, she unsurprisingly announced to this year’s three major beneficiaries of the raffle that it would be her final involvement in the 60-year-old fundraiser.
“There are just not enough people, and we are not selling enough tickets for the amount of work we do,” she said.
For the past four decades, the raffle taken up five months of the now 90-year-old’s year and she explained the frustration of recent years had forced her into making the tough call.
“I’m starting to pull out my hair, and I can’t do it any more,” she said.
This year’s figures highlight the reasons for having to call time on the raffle. There was only a touch more than 5000 tickets sold this time around, about 20 per cent of the glory days of a decade ago.
Ms Crilly will, however, become a gun for hire on the raffle ticket scene and has offered her services to any community group wishing to use her renowned skill set.
“I will sell a raffle ticket for anyone who wants me to,” she said, conjuring up images of a return to Allan St with her card table, folding chair and crocheted blanket over her knees.
“But I am not running the charity raffle any more.”
This year, she and the Henley Friends team that has been the backbone of the raffle for six decades sold just 3240 tickets and profited just $4451.04 — a far cry from the glory days of the record-breaking $26,000 in 2009.
Thelma O’Keefe and her Girl Guides sold 1000 tickets and will use the $1190.44 profit to, among other things, ensure the survival of the group, which is now down to three Girl Guide members.
They are about to embark on a recruiting drive at St Augustine’s College, thanks to the motivation of two of those girls.
Jen Savage and the Kyabram Community Learning Centre sold 674 tickets and will now re-introduce the raffles they stopped because of their involvement in the Kyabram Charity Raffle.
They walked away from the Kyabram Club for the last time with a cheque for $803.50.
And Kyabram P-12 College, which runs the raffle alongside its regular fundraising program, sold 500 tickets and profited $595.44.
The end has come because there are just not enough Kyabram organisations interested in being part of the fundraising or, more precisely, selling tickets.
At its peak in 2014, the raffle’s combined profit was almost $50,000, and during a stint from 2014 to 2016, the raffle made more than $20,000 profit for its major beneficiary, Henley Friends.
That organisation remains hopeful of securing government support for the shared living space it hopes to develop on land in Edis St. Plans have been in place for some time, but the funding for the seven-figure project has remained well out of reach.
Kyabram P-12 College business manager Jan Prior said many of the raffles run by the college now had an online component to support sales.
She said while it was sad to see the end of the raffle, the college would continue to look at different ways of supporting its operation, and funds from this year’s raffle would be put towards outdoor equipment for secondary students to use.
That will include an outdoor volleyball court and nine square games that match the offerings for the primary students.
“They have a new gaga pit, which is extremely popular,” she said.
KCLC will continue to use the new Container Deposit Scheme it now manages in the town as a source of extra income, and make up for the shortfall from Kyabram Charity Raffle profits.
“We have doubled our bins and doubled the days we operate,” Ms Savage said.
“We will seek out a community group to partner with us to deliver the program because, at the moment, we are having to pay staff to man the site.
“If we outsource that service, the profits will be shared, but another group will also benefit, and it will free up our staff for our growing Foodbank scheme.
“We have people coming in for food support that have never had to source the service before. People who are employed.”
Such has been the demand that what is usually 80 to 100 items on the menu for Foodbank customers has been reduced to about 30.
“We have to go and buy most of that,” Ms Savage said.
“We have support from some businesses and individuals, including Sheridan Partners, Dawes and Vary, Elders and other businesses from the professional offices in Fenaughty St, but the charity raffle money will be used to prop that up in the interim.”
While the historic Kyabram Guide Hall is still standing, the group is going through a challenging time.
Ms O’Keefe said two of her Girls Guides were about to embark on a recruiting drive while another member was tackling the significant task of completing her Baden Powell Award.
Ms O’Keefe, who has been involved in the group for 27 years, said she was sad to see the charity raffle fall by the wayside.
However, one thing is certain: Ms Crilly certainly has earned her raffle ticket-selling badge.
