Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Matt Hepworth spoke with Mindil Beach Markets General Manager Peter Ayre

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Matt Hepworth spoke with Mindil Beach Markets General Manager Peter Ayre · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Hundreds have flocked to Mindle Beach for the final sunset
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: markets of the year. It's been a shorter season, with
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: a later start and only operating on Sunday nights due
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: to coronavirus. There's also been a small number of smaller
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: number of stallholders. Nevertheless, organizers hope to be back again
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: next year. To talk more about it is the general
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: manager of the Mindle Beach Sunset Markets, Peter Air.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Morning, Peter, good morning, maw are good thanks, Peter Gee.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: I tell you what, it's been a disruptive year, but
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: we made it.
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: It's been a very interesting year, to say the least,
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: that's for sure, in every way possible.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Let's give we just go back six months ago.
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: Now.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: The start date had to be knocked back a couple
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: of times when we were in the height of the
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: pandemic back in March and April.
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: Did you ever consider canceling all together?
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: Oh, you know, it was always a possibility. It was
• 0:55
  Speaker 3: very doubtful there for a little while. But everyone worked
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: really well together. You know, we worked with the health
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: department quite extensively. So eventually we got there two months late. Unfortunately.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: Yes, what measures did you have to put in place
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: to get it over the line.
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: You know, we just had to make sure all our
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: storeholders were aware and had their COVID plans in place.
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: All the storeholders had hand sanitizer and that sort of thing.
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: We had hand sanitizer stations all throughout the market. Yeah,
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: there was quite a bit of work.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: Went into it, and I was understand that.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: Unfortunately, you couldn't have as many market stallholders compared to
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: previous he is.
• 1:43
  Speaker 4: Now.
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: We spaced our storeholders much further apart than normal to
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: comply with the COVID restrictions. We also gave our storeholders
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: the option of not trading because it was a very
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: unknown year. So yeah, we ended up with about fifty percent,
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: probably fifty five sixty percent of a normal amount.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: Of skills and how are visited numbers.
• 2:14
  Speaker 4: We were very.
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: Well supported and we're eternally grateful for the Darwen population.
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: You know do and people are very good at supporting events.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, they certainly are.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: Hey, Peter, we spoke earlier this year and you dropped
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: a little bit of a bombshell on us. I've actually
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: got that audio. This is what happened last time we spoke.
• 2:33
  Speaker 4: We operate independently. We're not funded, and this year has
• 2:38
  Speaker 4: just been obviously very difficult because there's wider costs outside
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: of the market itself. To be perfectly honest, we're in
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: dire straits without some assistance. It's a very real possibility
• 2:50
  Speaker 4: that the market may not exist.
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: So Pete that.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: That's what you said last time we spoke. Where are
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: things at now?
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: Oh, look, you know we've We've done it very tough.
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: Financial The market was quite good for the storeholders, but
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: for the association, the reality was we have half the
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: stores on half the number of nights, and our revenue
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: comes from rent from storeholders. So financially it's been very
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: difficult and we've been fortunate. Counsel has helped us out
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: quite a bit within kind support. Hopefully the NT government
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: are looking at helping us out a little bit too.
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: To Getting over the wet season is a very difficult thing.
• 3:38
  Speaker 3: Under normal circumstances, we're able to generate enough income to
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: put money aside to get us over that six month period.
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: So difficult times, but I'm very confident we'll be back
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: in twenty twenty one and hopefully with both nights operating
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: and all our.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: Store that would be wonderful to see you mentioned there
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: that that wet season period is a big off time
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: for you guys, around six months. I know some other
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: markets across Darwin are able to operate in the wet season,
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: and I mean, is that even practical at Mindle Beach
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: for you guys to operate in.
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: The wet It's very difficult for us. You'll notice the
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: ones that do operate in the wet season operate in
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: shopping centers, so they do have a little bit of shelter.
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: You can imagine being on the beach when those storms
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: roll in it gets very windy and the horizontal rain,
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: it would be very difficult. And they do often occur
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: at night or in the late afternoon, so it would
• 4:44
  Speaker 3: be very difficult for us because we are.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: Would there be an option to perhaps find I mean,
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: it would take away from the fact it is the
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: Mindle Beach sunset markets, but I know, I think the
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: Fred's past markets they operate inside the cooler Linger shopping
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: center one day a week. Would it be possible to
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: operate a much more scale down version of the markets
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: in an indoor facility during the wet Oh?
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: Look, you know that's certainly a possibility, and you know
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: it's something we wouldn't rule out in the future. The
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: thing that makes middle beach markets especially is that un
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: said on the beach, So it's a it's a tricky one.
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: Yeah, And as you're well aware, during the wet season
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: the tourist numbers drop off, so yeah, you know, and
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: we do rely on them quite a view.
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess I was just wishful thinking that, you know,
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: I might be able to get my my year ross
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: and my smoothie in the middle of March or something
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: like that.
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: We are very fortunate we do have our lovely local
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: markets as well, Nightcliff for Rubbid Creek, so and that
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: do operate all around, so that is a good thing. Yeah.
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: I think with the sheer number of store as we
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: have as well, it would be quite difficult to fit
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: them in anywhere. As you well known, we take up
• 6:05
  Speaker 3: quite a bit of space.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's very true.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: Well, Peter, with the finale last night, what's next for
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: you guys?
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: Now, Oh, we need to manage the start of next year.
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: Really everything begins, you know. We have to have all
• 6:24
  Speaker 3: our plans in place to make sure we operate next year. Again,
• 6:30
  Speaker 3: it'll be a little bit tricky because everything's still a
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: little bit unknown. The COVID problem seems to be persisting
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: a little bit, so again we'll have to basically play
• 6:43
  Speaker 3: it by ear and see how we go. But we're
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: very confident, very hopeful that we'll have two nights and
• 6:51
  Speaker 3: everything will be pretty much as normal our ideal.
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: My finger is entosed across to I hope that's the way. Well, look, Pete,
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: it was yeah, look it was touch and go for
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: a while there. It's really great to see that you
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: guys were able to get the markets up and going again.
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: And look, hopefully we'll see you back bigger and better
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: again next year.
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: I have every confidence that that will be the case. Excellent,
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: we'll look forward to talking to you then.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: Good on you, Peter, thanks for your time this morning.
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: Thanks Matt.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: That's the Middle Beach Markets general manager, Peter Air with
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: the finale last night.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: As we said, touch and go for a while there.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: But thanks to the team at the Middle Beach Markets
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: there and all those operators and the stallholders, they are
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: able to get together, get a COVID safe plan done
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: and still get it operating for a few months as well.