Archive Article: Mission’s Spring Fair. 11 Oct 02.
December 29, 2008

Wesley Mission has had another very successful Spring Fair. It is worth looking at this well known Sydney institution in a larger historical and social context.

The Mission’s Spring Fair began in 1914, around the time of the onset of the First World War. It is therefore one of the longest running church fetes in Australian history. Over a third of a million dollars was again raised this year – and so this makes the Spring Fair also the largest church fete in Australia.

The Spring Fair is the continuation of a tradition going back for many centuries in Europe, when the local church was the centre of a village’s economic life. That tradition changed in 19th Century Victorian times, when the church’s social and economic involvement in local life was reduced. But for centuries prior to that time, all the fairs had been based on church grounds. To this day, all the major trade fairs in western Europe are held in cathedral locations.

Also, church officials created the rules for running those fairs. For example, we now use the word “forestalling” to refer to the way in which a person acts quickly ahead of others. The origins of this word go back to church officials regulating the hours of trade. They wanted to ensure that all traders had the same opportunity to sell their goods, and so they banned “forestalling” by greedy merchants who wanted to open up for customers ahead of the competition.

Thus, Wesley Mission’s hosting of Spring Fair is a direct continuation of that very old tradition of the church’s being involved in the social and economic life of the local community.

Meanwhile, looking to the future, with the growing concern over the decline in the environment, there will be greater emphasis on “re-use and re-cycle”. Here Spring Fair is running ahead of the trend. Some of the goods sold at Spring Fair had had previous owners. For example, I am addicted to buying books and so there were, as usual, plenty of second-hand books to buy. Thus, the Spring Fair represents a contribution to the evolving culture of recycling goods.

A third feature is the scope that the Spring Fair gives to enable people to take part in a community activity. Not all of the Spring Fair’s activities are done in the three days of the Fair itself at Wesley Centre. Some of the fund-raising activities are spread over the preceding months.

All of these activities provide opportunities for people to take part in the community. There are various health benefits from these activities. In so far as they involve physical activities, then they are in keeping with the government’s encouragement for people to get more physical exercise – and spend less time just sitting around and watching television.

Meanwhile, the activities also reduce social isolation. They are (to use the jargon) helping to build up Australia’s “social capital”. People are working with other people in a cause greater than themselves. They are putting something back into the community. They are getting away from the self-absorption that characterizes so much of contemporary life.

To sum up, Wesley Mission’s Spring Fair is a continuation of a very old tradition, it is on the leading edge of the evolving “re-use and re-cycle” culture, and it contributes to the health of the participants. On top of all this, it also raises money for a very good cause.

Broadcast On Friday 11th October 2002 On Radio 2GB’s “Brian Wilshire Programme” At 9pm.