It's all about Community ...

This is our catch cry: the goal, the purpose, the passion of Friends of Donvale and, wow, did we see that in action last Saturday!

Welcome Fest was the "Welcome back to school" and the celebration of our community that we hoped it would be. With faith and ambition in equal measure, we commandeered the whole of the soccer pitch, the covered basketball court, every single parking spot on the campus and pretty much everywhere in between for the day.

There were inflatables, games of skill and dexterity, bubble soccer, doughnuts, candy floss, snags, pizza and a family-friendly disco. There was just one stall that had nothing to do - the First Aid Tent!

With a crowd of over 1600 people, it was so exciting to see friends catching up, introductions being made, families enjoying time together, fun, laughter, excitement. We were blessed with glorious weather and an amazing team who made this event a reality.

A big thank you goes to all the many parents who selflessly volunteered to take their turn setting up, supervising games and activities, cooking and serving sausages, selling drinks and ice creams, serving on the stalls, helping in the car park and packing up. This in itself created a real sense of community.

To the leadership, administration and maintenance teams, thank you for working with us to make this happen. A special shout out to Primary teacher Ali Mr Coffey who represented the staff in the Dunk Tank (pictured below). Thanks for being such a great sport!

It gave us so much joy to see parents and children of all ages enjoying the time together. Thank you for your enthusiasm, your patience and your encouragement.