By Parker McKenzie
A community-based non-for-profit has helped raise over $2000 for local schools recovering from the June 2021 storm weather event at the annual Kalorama Chestnut Festival on Sunday 1 May.
Rescue Logs supported the festival by organising for chainsaw sculptor Schlomit Moria to give a live performance and auction off the resulting wombat sculpture, along with a laughing Kookaburra bench she had made before the event.
Rescue Logs founder Julia Hall said the event went well and it was great to see so many people come down to support the schools.
“There was a real buzz on the day and it was so great to see the crowd watching Schlomit do her carving,” she said.
“We managed to raise $2300 and we are really proud of that, and we are happy to be able to support them.”
The Chestnut Festival is volunteer-run and features a diverse range of stalls showcasing locally made handcrafts and produce, roasted chestnuts and food stalls.
Rescue Logs formed after the storms and repurposes fallen timber for community projects.
The kookaburra bench sculpture — made using local chestnut wood felled during the storm — was bought by Linda and Jeff Parsons, who paid $2000 to take it home.
Ms Parsons said the pair was absolutely chuffed with their new bench.
“We liked the idea of a sculpture that symbolised the storm and all the fallen logs. Thought it was a great cause too, the kinder,” she said.
“We were looking for something for the grandson’s garden, we wanted something different and it’s just amazing!”
The wombat sculpture was auctioned off for $300, with the proceeds going towards supporting Mt Dandenong Kindergarten and Mt Dandenong Primary School, whose buildings were damaged during the storm.
The 2022 festival was the first time Mt Dandenong Primary School has helped host the event.
Kalorama Chestnut Festival committee member Mariana Job told the Star Mail on 7 April the festival has been running for over 30 years as a fundraiser for the kindergarten.
“You can still drive past it and it’s surrounded by fencing, they are working out of a temporary space in Olinda Primary School,” she said.
“We really need to rebuild and repair, so much was damaged.”
The event started with parents selling chestnuts out of brown paper bags to raise funds for the kindergarten and has now become a loved family outing for locals and tourists alike.
Ms Hall said Rescue Logs is busily working on its next project: sculptures, a reflection area and a play space for Kalorama Park.
“We are about to release some drawings of the reflection area publically so we can get comments from the public,” she said.
“Our next big event is the kite festival which will be in September, the last weekend before the school holidays. It’s another family-based community event.”
You can find out more about Rescue Logs at www.rescuelogs.org
