The Rotary Club of Wynyard Tulip Farm Project began approximately 30 years ago, when a local sheep farm was converted to a tulip farm. Charter member and farm owner Eric Roberts-Thomson offered the club the chance to man the gates and provide food for visitors to the farm, while the tulips were in bloom, as a fundraiser for the club. For the first 25 years, they provided Devonshire teas and cakes etc.
The opening of the tulip farm saw the commencement of the Tulip Festival in the township of Wynyard, which has been an annual event ever since, apart from several years due to COVID restrictions.
As patronage to the farm increased, so did the club’s commitment to the farm.
“The festival has been very beneficial to Wynyard and its economy, drawing in thousands of tourists, locals and, most years, visitors from overseas.”
“We have been responsible for managing the car parking for the past 15 years and, in really busy times, have been parking cars into a fourth paddock. We have had 3,000 patrons through the farm on a single day several times in the past three years,” Rotary Club of Wynyard President Graeme Saward says.
“In more recent years, we have progressed to using our barbecue trailer under a large marquee, now selling sausages, hamburgers, and soft drinks to give the many patrons another option for food at the farm. This service also gives us a much larger profile in the community.”
The Tulip Festival at Table Cape is open to the public for all of October. The festival has been very beneficial to Wynyard and its economy, drawing in thousands of tourists, locals and, most years, visitors from overseas.
Over the past 10 years, the project has been the major fundraiser for the club and over the 30 years has raised nearly $200,000 to fund community, international and vocational projects, as well numerous youth programs.