She’s the fete queen of Mount St Thomas Public School but Rosemarie Bowden tends to miss most of the fun on the big day itself as she’s too busy working.
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But Mrs Bowden hopes to change all that on Saturday when she volunteers at her 38th straight school fete.
Mrs Bowden hasn’t missed a fete since first manning the trash and treasure stall back in 1970.
And, having taught at Mount St Thomas for 33 years, she has seen some changes in what is now a popular biennial fete.
‘’The chook raffle prize was a real live rooster. We also raffled a cocker-spaniel puppy and a life sized, hand-made rocking horse one year,’’ Mrs Bowden said.
‘’There were camel rides in 1994 and once, when a massive storm blew the fete away, we all went around the neighbourhood and sold the cakes door-to door.’’
Mount St Thomas School P&C president Shellie Eastley said Mrs Bowden was the ‘’heart and soul’’ of the school community.
‘’Rosemarie hasn’t missed a fete. She bends over backwards to help the school at all times,’’ Mrs Eastley said.
Mrs Bowden and her brother Michael Blake have been busy turning all the donated ‘’trash’’ into even more treasure for the November 14 fete.
‘’People give up some amazing things and our stall is busy all day,’’ she said.
She has also sold some ‘’crazy items’’ over the years.
‘’The moose head and the mounted Murray cod mouths that a taxidermist gave us were memorable,’’ Mrs Bowden said.
‘’We also used to sell lots of animals: rabbits, hamsters, birds, but I had to say no when one young man tried to leave his carpet snake with us.’’
The Mount St Thomas Public School Family Fete runs from noon to 5pm on Saturday, November 14.
‘’It will be a wonderful day….if I sell my treasure quickly, I might even take a wander and see what all the laughter is about,’’ Mrs Bowden said.