http://www.barcvk4ba.com.au/index.php/barcfest

BARCFEST 2019
Is being planned for Saturday 1st June 2019 at the Rochedale Scout Grounds
To make a roaring success with vendors and buyers, we plan to open for trading from 8am to 12 Noon

2019 booking details : well no need to book just turn up ready to buy or sell
 
a once only admission price of $5.00 per person is required from everybody attending on the day

BUMP - only a couple of weeks away..

There hasn't been much in the way of advertising for this event so this is your reminder.

BUMP again - only a few days away - THIS SATURDAY.

Maybe I should change the title of this post to 2019 BARCfest - Brisbane - the hamfest that wasn't.

About 7.30AM this morning after a number of us SEQ amateurs had already turned up at the venue, the following was posted on the BARCfest page of their website :

 


I feel sure that someone must have known that 'it' wasn't going to happen ! Probably even two or three days ago if not more. That would have been a little in advance and may have been enough to stop people from venturing some considerable distances to turn up to be told (by other, not BARC people) that it was cancelled.  One of the people I spoke to was from the Sunshine Coast, probably close to 2 hours away.

I was looking forward to perusing the "junk" but also catching up with people that I don't see other than at hamfests. Obviously that was a 'fail' too.

As we left, more and more cars were parking on the road verges outside the venue.  I am guessing there are going to be a lot of disgruntled SEQ amateurs.

Time & fuel costs for many unhappy people.  Not good BARC.

If you were one of the many who turned up through lack of notice, email BARC (  vk4ba@qsl.net ) and voice (well, type) your displeasure. 

Maybe you should also consider boycotting any future BARC events - and don't forget to mention that possibility in your email.


Doug VK4ADC


 

Doug, it was good to meet you regardless, albeit in strange circumstances. Not only were there five of us from the Sunshine Coast, there was at least one person from Toowoomba!

I had a clue things were not great when there was a lack of advertising for the event, but I went anyway as I wanted to see what folk wanted to buy and what wasn’t available at hamfests in general.

Caboolture is the next one on, hopefully confirmed and all good. Sunshine Coast is also almost sold out of space, so that looks promising, along with its raffle and door prizes being bigger than Wyong in value!

Cheers and 73’s to all that made the effort this morning
Mark
VK4AN

It might be wise to enquire about the circumstances before launching a few missiles. Notwithstanding the lost time and fuel, let's hope it was a muck up rather than something more serious. It is after all just a hobby.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

Yep 4 hour round trip for nothing...tnx BARC.......
I checked the BARC website at 4.30am to get the directions, no sign of any cancellation at that time.
Whatever the circumstances, not telling anyone is totally unacceptable. At least someone should have been there to update us.........

Phil VK4CDI
Toowoomba

The club president posted on Facebook tonight that apparently Bunnings sausage sizzles offer better revenue opportunities for clubs, which I feel misses the point.

Hamfests are very much social events as well as fund raisers for clubs, they are not sausage sizzles. Ironically the feedback I had from the previous BARCFest was the disappointment in the lack of food available!

I would argue that the cash that changed hands today probably was similar to a Bunnings sausage sizzle between the twenty five or so odd cars that turned up. And it was good to meet new faces and folk I had not met before.

I encourage BARC to reconsider their position, Hamfests need a boost, advertise in AR (FFS It’s free for affiliated clubs), commit to feeding the hungry Amateurs, and maybe look at a Sunday event as opposed to all the Saturday events that seem to be in VK4, when VK4s with kids are usually being a taxi for sports etc.  Have a look at running a car boot sale next year, cater for it via a BBQ, and QSL Comms will sponsor the raffle with prizes worth over $1000 to help with the club funds, while we all enjoy the social interactions such an event offers.

I was a foundation member of Brisbane Amateur Radio Club (BARC) back in the 1970's - in fact my membership number was Q001 - and I was one of the committee that started the BARCFests. We would never have just simply not turned up to an organised and advertised event. We had pride in what we accomplished but it seems the current committee sees things as "too hard" a form of work to earn the mighty dollar instead of also valuing the social aspect.  

It is demoralising to see the degradation of what started out as a progressive entity committed to improving amateur radio in the Brisbane area. We had the BARCFests but also ran radio novice courses and had plenty of social activities for amateurs and their families. The early members selflessly helped each other with projects in trouble, put up antennas for members....  Nothing was too much trouble.

It seems that the times have changed - too far for my liking.  It seems that almost everybody wants the 'here and now' with minimal effort and involvement.  There are definite exceptions, and I do know (or did know) a lot of people who counteract my previous statement, but most are showing the patina of age and are no longer able to assist as much - and for a multitude of other reasons (note: not excuses). 

It was with dismay I read this on Facebook.. and yes I have extracted the whole of the President's post there  :
"Sincerest apologies for all the inconvience caused by the cancellation of our BARC FEST 2019
As President It is my complete responsibility for the fopar by not removing the notices advertising on WIA and our website 
Radio Fests are unfortunately dwindling in numbers and content and are not really an event to make money for clubs as in previous years
Bunning bbq's do return much better value for time involved and will be the way of the future for us
I envisionaged a low cost car boot sale for sellers that would allow the Fests to continue and maybe grow for the benefit of Amateurs 
However given the bad feelings and feedback received from the cancellation of the Fest my consideration is that we as a club will not in the future offer this as an event again
I do hope the challenge to make Radio Fests Great Again will be meet by other clubs
My heartfelt apologies to all that were greived by the cancellation

"
For a change I haven't edited the spelling or grammar errors.. simply highlighted the most obvious. 
envisionaged : envisaged ? inconvience : inconvenience ? greived  : aggrieved ?

Brisbane really does need to have its own hamfest and if BARC doesn't want to hold one then we need to enthuse another club within the Brisbane area to think about instituting such an event from 2020 onwards. Sure there are others somewhat local : RedFest (Redcliffe), Caboolture, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast. But let's stay in Brisbane proper.

How about it guys & gals. Are any of you in a club that will take it on ??  BrisFest anyone ?

PS Did they really expect that they wouldn't get any grief coming their way after cancelling without notice ??