After several postponements last year, the Rotary Book Fair is back this week to help Geelong residents find their new favourite stories.
The biannual book fair was pushed back in August and September last year, but Rotary Geelong West has announced it will finally take place this weekend, from Friday, February 18 to Sunday, February 20, at the Geelong West Town Hall.
The postponements have allowed the Rotary club to collect thousands of extra books, which will all be available for a gold coin.
Rotary Geelong West president Kasia Quail said there was a book for everyone, with the club having collected fiction, biographies, cooking and gardening, classics and children’s books over the past year.
“It is amazing to think that by simply buying and reading some $1 and $2 books you are helping to change lives – [it’s] just a small contribution, but such a big result,” she said.
Ms Quail said money raised on the day would be put back into the community through the project Rotary supported.
Previous book fairs have been used to raise money for towns ravaged by bushfires and drought over the past few years, as well as more recently to support COVID-19 frontline workers and Barwon Health to purchase diagnostic equipment.
Ms Quail said Rotary had collected book donations throughout the year, with the Geelong Regional Library Corporation (GRLC) being one of the fair’s biggest supports.
GRLC chairman Ron Nelson said the library was proud to support the fair and wanted to see its older books find new homes.
“Geelong Regional Libraries have supported the Rotary Geelong West Book Fair for many years through the donation of books which have been ‘retired’ from our library collection,” he said.
“We are very proud to be able to support such a worthy initiative in this way.
“It is wonderful to see items from our collection finding new homes in the community rather than ending up in landfill.”
