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There were three new members on the committee that organised the 1980 festival, Rosena Capewell, Helen Delle Vergin and Frank Nott (see Photograph 6.1).
The activities planned for the festival, which commenced on the evening of Wednesday 2 April and concluded on Sunday 13 April 1980, were similar to 1979, as was the logo (see Image 6.1).
A caricature of an oyster called ‘Merv’ the Merimbula Oyster, the name the monument later acquired, and a depiction of the monument and Sybilla Schmitz, were used in the promotion of the festival (see Images 6.2 and 6.3).
6.1 Merimbula Oyster Festival Committee 1980.[106] – Back: Frank Langenhorst, Frank Nott, Glenn Cox, Conrad de Zwart, Howard Wakeling – Front: Helen Delle Vergin, Rosena Capewell, Susan Fane
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Image 6.1 1980 Merimbula Oyster Festival logo.[107]
Image 6.2 Caricature of oyster ‘Merv’ the Merimbula Oyster, used in promotion of 1980 festival.[108]
Image 6.3 Depiction of the monument and Sybilla Schmitz, used in promotion of 1980 festival.[109]
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The main changes to the activities were: the oyster opening record attempt that would replace the oyster eating competition; the addition of a junior section, male or female, to the sportsperson of the year award; roller skating and squash competitions added to the sporting events; a Gala Mardi Gras with late night shopping on Thursday night, Good Friday eve; a ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ fashion parade and ladies show, organised on behalf of the Oyster Festival Committee; the award of a Teen Queen to replace the Oyster Pearl award; and the Oystermen’s Association Dinner was replaced by a Special RSL ‘Oysteriffic’ Dinner.[110] Oyster Festival souvenirs sold to raise funds included tee-shirts, flags and wine glasses (see Photograph 6.2).[111] A sixteen-page Merimbula Oyster Festival Supplement was in local newspapers during the week prior to the festival.[112]
6.2 Merimbula Oyster Festival 1980 wine glass.[113]
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The festival began with an official opening dinner at the Hillcrest Motel (see Map 7.3) on the Wednesday evening, followed by a function at the RSL Club later the same evening where Glenn Cox, Chairman and Coordinator of the Oyster Festival Committee, officially opened the festival.[114]
At this function Ron Knox was named Merimbula Oyster King and was presented with his regalia by Federal member for Eden-Monaro Murray Sainsbury (see Photographs 6.3 and 6.12).[115]
Suzanne Jones was awarded the title of Festival Queen. Michelle Whelan was also an entrant for Festival Queen (see Photographs 6.4, 6.8 and 6.12).[116]
Dolly McCulloch was congratulated by Frank Scott from Peters Ice Cream and Ray Rumble from radio station 2BE when awarded the title Oyster Festival Mother of Pearl (see Photographs 6.5 and 6.6).[117]
The Festival Teen Queen title was awarded to Debbie Schaefer. Other entrants for Teen Queen were Tracie Casbolt, Sandra Ingram and Patricia Whant (see Photographs 6.7 and 6.9 to 6.12).[118]
6.3 Ron Knox (right) crowned 1980 Merimbula Oyster King by Murray Sainsbury.[119]
6.4 Suzanne Jones 1980 Festival Queen.[120]
6.5 Dolly McCulloch 1980 Oyster Festival Mother of Pearl.[121]
6.6 Dolly McCulloch being congratulated by Frank Scott (right) and Ray Rumble (centre).[122]
6.7 Debbie Schaefer 1980 Festival Teen Queen.[123]
6.8 Michelle Whelan, entrant for Festival Queen.[124]
6.9 Tracie Casbolt, entrant for Teen Queen.[125]
6.10 Sandra Ingram, entrant for Teen Queen.[126]
6.11 Patricia Whant, entrant for Teen Queen.[127]
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6.12 1980 award winners Suzanne Jones Festival Queen, Ron Knox Merimbula Oyster King and Debbie Schaefer Festival Teen Queen.[128]
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Phil Coles, Manager of the Australian Olympic team for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, presented the Oyster Festival-Lakeview Hotel Sportsman of the Year award to Gordon Radford, a versatile Pambula sportsman. He also presented the Junior Sportsperson of the Year award to Patricia Whant, an outstanding golfer (see Photograph 6.13).[129]
Newspaper accounts of the main day of the festival, Easter Saturday, described how a ‘very big crowd, at least equal to last year’, had gathered to watch the Peters (Ice Cream) street parade of some thirty floats (see Photographs 6.14 and 6.15). The crowd followed the parade down Market Street and along Beach Street to the school grounds to enjoy the activities there, and later moved on to Spencer Park. There was a parachute drop by two skydivers, sideshows and activities for the children (see Photographs 6.16 and 6.17), food stalls, oyster bar, barbeque, beer festival, band recitals, and the oyster opening record attempt.[130]
6.13 Patricia Whant 1980 Oyster Festival-Lakeview Hotel Junior Sportsperson of the Year being congratulated by Phil Coles.[131]
6.14 Pambula Pre-School float.[132]
6.15 Mack Trucks float.[133]
6.16 Skydiver makes his parachute landing.[134]
6.17 Children enjoying a ride on the Rotary Rocket.[135]
The attempt at the oyster opening record, which stood at 100 oysters opened in 3 minutes 1 second set in Christchurch NZ in 1974, was unsuccessful as the number of oysters opened by Wayne Hoyle, the winner of the competition, was 50 in 3 minutes. He received his trophy from Glenn Cox, Chairman and Coordinator Merimbula Oyster Festival Committee (see Photographs 6.18 and 6.19).[136]
6.18 Wayne Hoyle 1980 oyster opening winner receiving trophy from Glenn Cox.[137]
6.19 Wayne Hoyle engrossed in his attempt at the world oyster opening record.[138]
The remainder of the week’s activities included art and craft exhibitions, children’s fancy dress parade, Spectrum Junior Theatre Group show, and ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ fashion parade. Festival sporting events included the Oyster Festival-Taubmans golf tournament and the Oyster Festival-Harris-Daishowa wood chopping competition.[139]
Other sporting events on the programme featured tennis, bowls, squash, surfboard riding and roller skating, as well as a fishing competition and fish auction and a little athletics carnival.[140]
The programme for the Imlay Racing Club meeting at Pambula Racecourse included the Merimbula Fest Maiden and the Oyster Festival Farmers Country Stakes. There was also a trade fair, an emergency services display, and an exhibition of plant, machinery, vehicles and boats.[141]
The monument had been removed from Ron Archer’s mini golf complex and was on display inside the Rural Bank during the 1980 festival.[142] Kim Martyn, Manager of the bank at the time, recalls that people would go into the bank to have a closer look at the monument and ask the staff if it was a real oyster, saying that they did not realise that oysters grew so big.[143]
When announcing the upcoming annual post-festival public meeting, to be held on 26 May 1980, the committee expressed its appreciation to those who helped to make the festival ‘the success it was’.[144]
At the public meeting the Chairman and Coordinator of the Oyster Festival Committee, Glenn Cox, said that the committee ‘unanimously feel that the festival is heading in the right direction’ and that the committee ‘is wholly satisfied, in general, with the progress of the festival’, even though the committee ‘suffered disappointments, disasters and upsets’, some of which were ‘through lack of attention by the committee, others through natural causes, but sadly, several through apathy in the community’, and asked for ‘more dedicated back-up from the community’.[145]
Oysters were again promoted during the festival. Restaurants and clubs had special oyster dishes on their menus and specific restaurants were mentioned in the Oyster Festival Programme.[146] The committee handed out free fresh Merimbula oysters and Oyster Festival wine during the Gala Mardi Gras late night shopping on Thursday night, Good Friday eve, and oysters were sold from an oyster bar at other events.[147]
The Pambula Beach Bowling and Recreation Club (see Map 7.3) reported that a happy holiday crowd brought to the area by the Merimbula Oyster Festival enjoyed themselves, and the oysters and food, at the Club on Easter Saturday night.[148]
