Canberra’s Trash and Treasure market celebrated 50th anniversary

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Heading to the markets is a weekend ritual for many Canberrans eager to hunt for a bargain. The city’s beloved trash and treasure market is celebrating its 50th anniversary, having raised millions of dollars for charity in the past 50 years.

Transcript

00:00Whether it's fresh produce or pots and pans, plants, page turners, or even live poultry,

00:13there's something for everyone at the trash and treasure market.

00:20This month marks five decades of the Rotary Run initiative.

00:24We've missed one week in our 50 years and that was because of COVID.

00:28Inspired by garage sales of the 1970s, the weekly fixture at Jamieson collects money

00:35for various causes.

00:38It's around about $7.2 million that we've raised over the 50 years that we've been here.

00:43For farmers, it's a chance to sell directly to their customers.

00:47People will say, where do you buy these from?

00:49I say, we grow them.

00:50Brendan Adams has been making the eight hour round trip here from Leighton each week for

00:5512 years.

00:56To get away from the farm, this is a holiday for me.

00:59I love it.

01:01And in a cost of living crisis, the buyers are grateful.

01:05It's fresh, it's cheap, it's, yeah, I think half the price than what you get in coals

01:11and woolies.

01:12There's a bounty of bric-a-brac to reel in too, if you're willing to search for it.

01:19Some people, they don't have much money, so they come here and shop.

01:24And sometimes they find a treasure.

01:27I got a LA Dodgers jersey and it cost $10.

01:31I got an oil painting, it cost $15.

01:34And I got a beach print for $10.

01:37There's no doubt the markets have become a Canberra institution, but it's not just about

01:42snagging a bargain.

01:44Customers and stallholders say it's the sense of community that keeps them coming back.

01:49A Sunday service of sorts.

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