NARRAWONG’S largest community event is going back to its roots in the New Year.
Organisers of the Mouth2Mouth festival have decided to drop the running events from the festival after the task of organising them became too much for the small team that oversees it.
Mouth2Mouth chairwoman Kathy Taylor said a meeting in Narrawong last week explored what could be done, with another meeting due to be held next month expected to decide on the final make-up of the 14th running of the event, to be held on Sunday, January 8.
“As with every other group we’re struggling to get involvement,” she said.
“We have decided we’ll be holding a walk only.”
The Portland Runners Club has traditionally co-ordinated the runs but was also struggling with numbers – a familiar refrain from many local groups in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“They’ve always been willing to help out but it is a huge set up,” Ms Taylor said.
“I think after the 3Bays (running festival held recently), again it falls to the same people and they’re tired.
“It’s a huge thing to set up the timing equipment and the course.”
Ms Taylor said it was probably time for Mouth2Mouth – run under the auspices of the Narrawong District Association – to “go back to our roots” to ensure the event survived in some form into the future.
“We are looking for younger members of the community to take it over,” she said.
“There’s an opportunity – it’s great that we’ve got the money (the vent has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the community since first being held in 2008) but if the community want to come in and do some other sort of fun day it’s up to them.
“There were suggestions of a colour run – that’s fine if they want to do that.
“I think COVID has had an impact on a lot of things, but maybe if not much else is on people will want to organise things.
“But people are also busy.”
There would be a 14km walk where entrants are bussed to the Fitzroy River mouth near Tyrendarra and walk back to the Surry River mouth, with an option to walk out and back from Narrawong for a 7km walk and perhaps even a shorter walk.
There would also be a barbecue and coffee van at the Narrawong Recreation Reserve, with plans also for a children’s lap of the oval as in the past.
One of Mouth2Mouth’s spinoff successes has been the establishment of the Narrawong Nippers program run in early January.
Run by Lifesaving Victoria, the program is subsidised by the NDA through proceeds from the Mouth2Mouth event and will be on again from January 3-7 at Narrawong beach.
Ms Taylor said there would again be two timeslots each day for the program, which has proved extremely popular.
The program was initially developed to allow Narrawong children to learn lifesaving skills at their local beach.
