Saturday saw people turn up in numbers to Railway Park, Byron Bay, for the Byron Community Centre’s free feast called Breaking Bread.
The event kicked off with wandering minstrels and ended with the Elderbeats and Byron Community Choir performing their end-of-year concert at the Centre.
Community Centre general manager Paul Spooner said Breaking Bread was ‘a fantastic success. An estimated 500 people were fed at the event.
Generosity
‘The response to this event was overwhelming. From donations of food from local businesses such as The Farm and Fishheads to a retired lady who baked two fruit cakes to share – the generosity of our community was overflowing. A young Japanese English language student heard about the event and donated his time all day in the kitchen.
‘He joined a small army of volunteers from the Byron Community Centre, Liberation Larder and the Byron Homeless Breakfast to bring the feast to the town.
‘Two visiting Thai Buddhist monks dropped by and blessed the food before local Aboriginal dance troupe The Buyarra Dancers added a very local cultural flavour to the day.
‘The overall feeling of the day was one of celebration and thanks for the wonderful community we share together – whether long-term local or casual visitor.
‘It is an event that volunteers, businesses and people have already asked the Byron Community Centre to make happen again next year. At this stage, I would say given the way the community embraced the event it’s a definite yes!’
