Source : Perth Now news
Battling for a park at a shopping precinct on a busy weekend is enough to frustrate even the most patient of drivers.
But for 50 years, locals in Melbourne’s bustling inner-east have happily traded hundreds of in-demand spots for a place to host an eclectic community-run market.
Antique dealer Victor Aspiridis is one of more than 350 stallholders who roll into the outdoor concrete lot in Camberwell before dawn every Sunday.
There, they unpack carloads of items carefully curated across the week for thousands to filter through across the morning.
A Camberwell Sunday Market stalwart, the Northcote grandfather first caught wind of the new open air bazaar launching in an under-utilised car park in 1976.
Founding traders paid 50 cents each to transform the lot into a bustling trading hub filled with antique furniture and art deco collectibles.
‘We used to put trestle tables in the car spots the night before after the shops had closed and you’d rock up the next morning and set up,” Mr Aspiridis tells AAP.
“I remember Kylie Minogue used to run around here with Jason Donovan in the 80s, holding hands.”
Today, $70 stalls are sold out weeks in advance, with as many as 7000 visitors snaking through the stands every weekend.
The Rotary-run market, which blows the candles out on half a century on Sunday, is an institution that has become part of the family’s DNA, according to stallholder Adam Griggs.
“Every Sunday, rain, hail or shine, that’s been our life … it is a market family” he says.
“I’ve found some amazing things over the years and even when we’ve had family functions we still end up going to the market beforehand.”
Mr Griggs’ son Ruben, 21, has sold LEGO Minifigures alongside his dad’s antique stall every Sunday for 13 years, earning him the affectionate nickname “The Lego Man”.
“I have around 1200 figures on a Sunday … people loving taking photos of them, it takes hours to set them all up,” he says.
Coffees in hand and dogs on leads, the market’s charm lies in shoppers digging through second-hand clothing racks for designer items, while others sift through table spreads of rare keepsakes and handmade goods for one-of-a-kind objects.
Bagging a bargain is a right of passage, local and market veteran Leah Annetta beams.
“It’s a terrific opportunity to get really great bargains because it’s like a big garage sale.
“You’re going to see the most eclectic mix of stuff and most if it is only there for one week … that’s the thrill of the chase really.”
The lawyer and writer, who penned a book celebrating the renowned Melbourne mainstay in 2011, is reflective of the treasured Sunday ritual’s immense volunteer legacy.
“The title of my book, Sunday Service, is sort of a reference to, you know, the religiosity of going every week, almost like going to church,” she says.
“But it’s also a reference to the fact that it’s a community service the Balwyn Rotary Club are doing because they raise an extraordinary amount of money from the market.”
Rattling tins every week for 50 years has helped Rotary Balwyn volunteers raise more than $20 million for charities local and international, making it one of Victoria’s most successful volunteer-run community enterprises.
“It’s really quite uplifting to think the couple of dollars you give at the gate or the money you pay for running a stall goes to support woman and children overseas or Indigenous education,” Ms Annetta says.
More than $4.7 million has been raised for international humanitarian projects.
Nepal and Turkey earthquake recovery efforts, community development projects in East Timor and human trafficking rescue programs for girls in Nepal have all benefited.
Closer to home, more than 1800 local organisations have received nearly $8 million from market donations and stallholder fees.
That includes Rotary’s own emergency relief network, which accepted funds to purchase a furniture truck to collect and distributes donated appliances and homewares to Melburnians in need.
“We’re very grateful to the Rotary Club of Balwyn and to the patrons from the market for enabling us to put wheels under our bus and head around town to pick up all the goods we need,” RIMERN chair Susie Cole says.
As they celebrate the milestone, stallholders are are optimistic the market’s future is bright.
“My son has sold here over the years,” Mr Aspiridis says proudly.
“One of my grandkids, he’s 13 and he’s held stalls here with his dad, so that’s three generations of just my family.”
“Long live the market!” Mr Griggs adds.
The Camberwell Sunday Market is celebrating its 50th anniversary on August 30 from 7am to 12.30pm.
