The event is on Sunday, August 20 at the Hannam Vale Recreation Reserve. It is open to the whole community including local dairy farmers and their families.

Dairy Australia’s award-winning LEGENDAIRY Capital program is a nationwide celebration of Australia’s regional communities, designed to instill pride, recognition and put regional and rural towns ‘on the map’. 

An independent panel of representatives from Australia’s State Dairy Farmer Organisations are appointed to assess each nomination and grade finalists against set criteria.

Each of the eight state finalists will receive $2,500 for a project that will benefit the local community. 

The Hannam Vale Recreation Reserve Trust will use the $2,500 prize money to construct permanent seating and picnic tables at the Hannam Vale Recreation Reserve.

In September, one of the eight state capital finalists will be announced as Australia’s LEGENDAIRY Capital for 2017.

In 2016, in response to disruptions in the dairy industry, the local community held a dairy farmer’s picnic at the reserve, supporting farmers and informing the community about the industry. 

The picnic was such an outstanding success that the Hannam Vale Recreation Reserve Trust, supported by Mid Coast Women in Dairy decided to hold the event again in 2017.

The reserve provides the only public toilets, picnic facilities and recreation space in the local area.

It is regularly used by community members for family picnics, by school students for sporting events and by tourists visiting the valley.

Over the past few years the Hannam Vale Recreation Reserve Trust has overseen a range of major improvements to the reserve.

Improvements include an additional toilet, extension to a pavilion, construction of a bridge linking the school to the reserve, road improvements and the erection of water tank.

The picnic on August 20 will start at 11am and finish at about 2pm.

Food and refreshments will be available for purchase. People are also welcome to bring their own picnic lunch if they prefer.

For more information please contact Hannam Vale Recreation Reserve Trust chairperson and dairy farmer Graham Bird on 0403 447 042 or email mossmead@bigpond.com