Primary school carnival raises thousands for technology

Royal Oak Primary School’s carnival last Saturday raised $72,000 to fund new technology and multimedia equipment for its students.

The principal, Linley Bruce, said the decile 8 school relied heavily on fundraising, and the carnival was a major part of that.

Mrs Bruce said the school had very few international students to provide extra money.

She said the carnival was a “great success”.

It was not the largest amount the annual event has ever raised, Mrs Bruce said, but it was high.

The carnival’s main events were a silent auction, quick fire raffle, and international food stalls.

Much of the food was donated by the carnival’s main sponsor, Pak‘nSave.

Goods were also donated by a number of other businesses and members of the public.

The second-hand book stall was popular, as were the face painting stall and bouncy castles for the younger children.

One of the star attractions was Po from the film Kung-Fu Panda.

The weather on the day was showery, but the carnival was not disrupted. Awnings and gazebos were in place to shelter stalls from the rain.

Year Six student Charlotte George, 11, said the carnival was “fun”.

She performed in a school dance group on the day, and her mum helped to sell pre-loved goods at one of the stalls.

Charlotte also tried some of the games on offer.

“I tried the bottle bank...it was exciting to see what number I got.”

The school is having a 'mini-carnival' this Friday afternoon to sell leftover sweets and silent auction items that did not sell on the day.

They hope to raise even more money from the sale of these items.

Mrs Bruce said the school also relied on other forms of fundraising throughout the year, such as raffles and sausage sizzles.