Mothers Day 2006 - AOP at Evandale Markets

After weeks of foul weather and one postponement of our trip to Evandale markets the week before, our trip at 7:00am on Sunday Morning ( Mothers Day ) was a resounding success. The day dawned clear and there was no wind, although the temperature at first was fairly low and gloves were needed, the fine weather saw a great turnout from the public. The four hardy and happy volunteers there ( Jan, Leah, Vanessa and myself) set up a stall with two tables, one with donated books for fundraising and one with A.O.P. Information and merchandise and an A.O.P. display board behind it. Trade was brisk right from the start and each sale ( book or A.O.P.item ) was accompanied by telling the purchasers why we were there and why we needed and valued their help, we also enclosed a copy of the “Dying for a Cookie” anti-palm oil flyer with each sale. Having the book stall as well as the A.O.P. stand gave the public a chance to talk to us without feeling pressured and gave us the chance to bring up the plight of the Orangutans in a very easy fashion which kept everyone feeling comfortable.


Jan proved herself a real star when it came to selling the A.O.P. and it’s merchandise with one adoption bought and at least five other people who seemed certain to adopt and were given adoption forms and A.O.P. brochures. To keep the adoption thought alive for them when they returned home some of the prospective adopters children who seemed to show great enthusiasm for the Orangutans, and in some cases had already gone through the adoption catalogue we had with us, and selected with their parents which one they would like, were given a small orangutan toy, about a dozen of which I had purchased long ago and long since recovered the cost of. The delightful couple who adopted “Alan” on the day were also given a slightly larger Orangutan toy to mark their adoption with. These small but nice gestures were very much appreciated by those who received them. I must also thank the organizer of the Evandale Markets who showed a lot of interest and gave us an excellent spot and looked after us. All up we raised $250.00 from A.O.P. merchandise sales and the adoption, and $299.20 in book sales. A grand total of $549.00 in cash for the day, and many new friends for the A.O.P. made with the promise of more adoptions to come and awareness of the threat to Orangutans well publicised. The day was great fun and despite all of us being new to the idea of operating a market stall and unsure what to say or do to start with, we soon got the hang of it and had a really good time. In fact we had such a good time we thought of many items we could sell to help raise funds and awareness at our next market stall which we hope to hold in August once the subzero temperatures have gone away again. So it’s a big thanks to Jan, Leah and Vanessa for a really great effort and a job very well done, roll on our next big day out.

Cheers,
John tas@orangutan.org.au
AOP State Representative for Tasmania