The Cootamundra Public School P&C have organised a local community scavenger hunt on Saturday 16 September between 10am and 2pm.
The event, which is supported by Cootamundra Gundagai Regional Council, is designed to be a family friendly day with over $5,000 in prizes on offer generously donated by local businesses.
Clue sheets cost $10 per family with participants set to work through the hints to find the prizes within the town limits, either on foot or by car.
Amanda McGlynn, volunteer and parent at the Cootamundra Public School P&C, spoke to The Times about what the scavenger hunt has to offer for all ages.
“The scavenger hunt started from an idea at the P&C club. We started throwing ideas on how to raise money and one of us had been on a scavenger hunt recently at a hen’s night,” McGlynn said.
“We thought we’d like to do a scavenger hunt on the history of the town, as well as businesses, to get families involved to be educated about town as well as promoting Cootamundra a bit.
“There’s lots of historical buildings in town that people should either know or learn about. All of our clues are based on businesses who’ve donated prizes. We’ve got over $5,000 in prizes generously donated by local businesses. The prizes are made up of cash vouchers and merchandise.
“We’re going to have four different prize pools and we’re also going to have a cash prize for the photo of the day, which we will judge after the day and will be drawn on Friday 22nd of September.
“The clues cost $10 per sheet. If family members want to do three or four attempts at different things, they can actually purchase as many clue sheets as they like on the day.”
Following the scavenger hunt, participants will gather back at Cootamundra Public School for a sausage sizzle to cap off the day.
“We want it to be a family day where everyone can spend the morning together learning about town and then we thought a sausage sizzle at the end would be a great idea for families to get together and have lunch,” McGlynn continued.
“We’re targeting anyone in town who’s interested. There’s no real age group, we’re happy for grandparents to be involved. We’ve even delivered flyers to the local nursing home and retirement village, in case they want to take the bus out for the day.
“If grandparents want to take their grandkids or parents, or they even want to split up and take more than one vehicle or walk more than one track, then that’s a great idea. We’re not targeting anyone in particular, it’s literally an open town thing.”
The Cootamundra Public School P&C said that registration details for the event will be coming out in the next few weeks, prior to the event.
“We’re thinking most people may just turn up on the day, so we’re not too worried about pre-registration if people don’t want to. We’ve picked a weekend when there’s no football or soccer on, so there should be enough people free around town.
“All money raised will go back to the school. Anything that we fundraise on the day through the barbecue and also entry fees actually goes back into the school to purchase things that the schools need.
“For example, this year we’ve purchased two packages of decodable readers. So, we try and help with anything the school needs.
“I encourage the community to have a family day out. These days are so busy, and I think spending time with your family is so important. If you can learn about our town and history at the same time, that’s a bonus.”
If you or your family is interested in the Cootamundra Public School P&C scavenger hunt, make sure to keep the date free.
Tim Warren