Some 600 participants in 119 groups channelled their inner child in Broulee’s 18th New Year’s Eve sandcastle competition, creating dragons, sea monsters, sharks, UFOs, seals, huge frogs, rampaging squids, corpulent comic characters and even sandcastles on the normally placid beach.
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“It’s always a hoot, just good fun,” said Deb Waser who organised the event for the Broulee/Mossy Point Community with her husband John.
“Locals and tourists alike love the competition and we get terrific support from nearby businesses.
“We had participants from every capital city in Australia along with internationals from the USA, NZ, England and Samoa.”
While the proliferation of dragons and UFOs put the beach threat level into the red, by far the most dangerous hazard was the judging.
Organisers sensibly chose a balance of old Broulee (Gayle and Ross Clarke), new Broulee (Kim and Andrew Jackson) and overseas Broulee (Abbey Earl and Chris Unwin, both now living in England and able to leave the country in the case of a controversial decision).
They were complemented by spotters, Ross Hayward and Barbara Roberts, of Broulee, whose role was to spot the things the judges hadn’t.
Over eating over Christmas was clearly evident in an obese frog which implausibly floated on a delicate lily leaf in a decorative depiction by Henry and Owen Abbott and Amy Cramer. Disturbingly large nostrils erupted from Falcor, who was released from the Never Ending Story by the Harveys of Mossy Point.
A horrifying and athletic squid grappled with a boat and babies carelessly left on the beach by Sydney’s Shaun Thodey, Loretta Attwater, Giulia Corradi, Michelle Heldon, Angela Caldwell. They came second in the sand sculptures (and got the babies back).
Recidivism was rife. For instance, the Scahill sisters from Melbourne were third-time lucky winners of the juniors section with their sea monster. And winners from last year, the Eastwood and Johnston families from Sydney, picked up a third in the sculpture section with a particularly lazy looking seal. Seasoned five-timers, the Inglis, Miller, Schwarz and Moore families, a hybrid combo from Canberra, Hobart and Bendigo, won the sculpture section with a toothless dragon
The organisers paid tribute to the local businesses who contributed so wholeheartedly to the event. Generous support was received from Broulee Surf School and Total Eco Adventures, Mogo Zoo, John Hicks, Single Fin Canteen & Goods, Broulee Offshore Surf, The Mossy Cafe, Smokey Dans @ Tomakin, Milstons Past & Present of Mogo, In & Out at Mogo/Mogo Village Centre and Fudge Shop, Broulee Beach Pharmacy, the ‘Nutgrove’ families, Cut N Run Pizza Truck and Broulee Surfers & Surf Life Saving Club.
Some $1200 was raised for community projects of the Broulee Mossy Point Community Association.
… and the winners were:
Juniors
1. Sea Monster - Scarhill sisters from Melbourne
2. Sea Serpent - locals kids from Broulee
3. Harry Potter castle and broomstick - kids from Canberra
Sandcastles
1. Bagwatts Castle - HippoGriffs of Canberra - Abi, Maya, Jemma, Rhys Goodwin and Peter Ozdowski
2. Pyramid Castle called Toot and Come In - from Woodlands in Dunns Creek Road - John Sutton, The Dohrn Family, Sam Knowles and Arki Wellington
3. Castles with Turkeys and Seaweed - from Canberra and Melbourne - Solomon and Pearce Klugman, Oliver and Benjamin Amkel, and Lisa Abbott
Sculptures
1. Toothless Dragon - Canberra/Hobart/Bendigo - Rick and Nyah Inglis, Natalie Miller, Shelley Moore, Bella Schwarz
2. Squid Shipwreck - Sydney - Shaun Thodey, Loretta Attwater, Giulia Corradi, Michelle Heldon, Angela Caldwell
3. Seal on a Rock - Sydney - Sam, Ivy and Tim Eastwood, Amber Johnston
