The Carterton book fair was in full swing over the weekend. PHOTO/ARTHUR HAWKES
ARTHUR HAWKES
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More than $5000 was raised at the Carterton Rotary Annual Monster Book Fair which took place on Saturday and Sunday.
Bibliophiles in their hundreds descended on the Carterton Events Centre, jostling shoulder to shoulder in the tight aisles, and leaving with books by the boxload.
Staffed by volunteers from the Rotary Club, all the proceeds from the two days of rampant book selling would be going to local charitable causes.
Members of the Rotary Club of Carterton 9940, Friends of Rotary, plus students, staff and parents of Kuranui College, joined forces to set up the enormous market on Friday.
The team divided the centre into long rows, with books arranged into sections covering every topic imaginable, which were available for just $1 each, no matter the book’s rarity [50c for kids’ books].
Rotarian Deirdre O’Flynn, the organiser of the book fair, said it raised more than $5000, which would go to several initiatives around the region.
O’Flynn said all the money raised would be staying local, “particularly for the youth”.
“We’re giving the Kuranui College hockey team money for their next tournament, and providing dictionaries to schools for the year fours – we try to do that every year.
“We also use the money to send students on leadership courses, so we do try and put it towards the youth: it all goes back to the community and we take nothing ourselves.”
O’Flynn said the book fair was a total smash, with people able to fill a whole bag of books for $5 on Sunday.
“It’s been the best year yet!”
