Mark Lomond says that it’s full steam ahead for the Sou’Wes Newfoundland Delta Waterfowl’s annual dinner for the first time since COVID hit. – File photo
By Jaymie White
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
PORT AUX BASQUES – The Sou’Wes Newfoundland Delta Waterfowl organization will be holding their annual dinner and auction on August 27 for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
The event has had to be cancelled three times because of COVID, but it is full speed ahead for 2022.
Doors at the event will open at 5:00 p.m. with dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. and it will be held at the Port Aux Basques Lions Club.
Mark Lomond with Sou’Wes Newfoundland Delta Waterfowl said, although they had to cancel the event, their fundraising still thrived because of the auctions they did online.
“Most of our items that we would normally have on display for auction at the dinner and events, we managed to raffle them off and actually make more money than we would’ve at the dinner and events. We’ve been doing really well with fundraising with no dinner and events.”
They could’ve continued without the dinner and auction, but the group wanted to bring it back.
“This was our biggest fundraising event of the year before COVID, it was successful, we always had fun, we always did well fundraising, everyone enjoyed it and had a great time. Everyone is looking forward to having it again.”
Lomond said it isn’t about making more money, it’s about the locals.
“This dinner and event, we could take this gear and make a lot more money off raffling, but we are doing this for the locals. Giving them an opportunity to get some good gear and guns without a whole lot of competition from the outside world. We’ve got a lot of hunters, a lot of locals supporting us over the years from the area, we wanted to do something for everybody here.”
Lomond said this event, despite there only having been a few, was gaining in popularity.
“We only had three in the past, because we only started in 2016, so we only got to have three before the pandemic started, then we had to cancel two, and then we had to cancel this years’ in April, but they’ve been getting bigger every year, more and more support, they’ve always done well, they’ve always been very popular.”
The event this year will be similar in setup to previous years.
“Normally we have a dinner, usually around 6:30 in the evening, but beforehand you have a lot of time to walk around and look at all the items. There will be some we will be selling raffle tickets on, some will be silent auction, some will be on display for live auction after the lunch, and we have kids’ games set up, and we are going to have a different menu for the kids this year because we are having a roast beef dinner this year,” said Lomond.
Even though a lot of items will be raffled or auctioned for the hunter, there is a little bit of something for everyone.
“We have a lot of guns and a whole lot of household items, paintings, knife sets, art for the walls, moose antler carvings, we have a lot of hunting gear like knapsacks, blind seats, stuff like that, so a lot of hunting gear but we do have a lot of home décor as well.”
All proceeds from the dinner and auction will go toward the fundraising efforts of Sou’Wes Newfoundland Delta Waterfowl.
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