Fun and games welcomed at school galas

Pavlovas were mushed into teachers’ faces, Principals were dunked and children raced around, playing games, eating treats and purchasing toys. Yes, it was Gala time again.

The organisers of Whangaparāoa School’s gala, on Saturday, March 18, thanked the weather gods for a fine day, which helped to bring in big crowds.

Among the most popular activities was watching Manly firefighters demonstrate what to do when a cooking pot catches fire, as well as a chance to duck down and crawl out of a dark space as you might have to in a household fire.

There were queues for food and games, and also for the chance to dunk a teacher.

Pie face – where the winner got to mush a cream-covered pavlova into a teacher’s face – was held for the first time. There were a lot of entries for this, and the winners enthusiasm for the task was high. Principal Kevin Cronin had just dried off from being dunked before Pie Face began.

The gala raised around $37,000 – a sum that gala project managers Alannah Elliot and Debbie Pincott were thrilled with. “The school community and staff have done us proud yet again with their generosity and determination to make it an enjoyable event. We cannot thank everyone involved enough for their energy and sacrifices that made this day possible,” they said.

Red Beach Twilight Gala on Friday, March 17, also featured a crowd of children and adults having fun as rain came and went. The 45 Kids Inspirational Stalls were a highlight, and included art and crafts, jewellery, sweet treats, toys and games made by the children themselves. There was also live entertainment and a wide range of food to suit the dinnertime twilight event. The numbers are still being crunched to determine how much was raised.