Nambour club set to host Australian Gemboree
Nambour Lapidary Club members Trevor Renshaw, Stewart Warboys, Keith Millington and Earl Erlangsen at the Nambour Showgrounds clubhouse.
Nambour Lapidary Club has been chosen to host the Australian Gemboree in 2026, 65 years since the town last hosted the event. That 1974 occasion represented the first Gemboree held in Queensland.
Coming from interstate, overseas and locally, dealers, gem enthusiasts, silversmiths and fossickers all gather to show off their skills and sell beautiful gems and jewelry at Gemborees which are held in a different state each year.
The event is held over the Easter weekend and will be a major attraction for Sunshine Coast locals and visitors.
With three years to go the Nambour Lapidary Club has plenty to do, and plans are afoot to enlarge the existing clubhouse.
“With increasing membership, we are often pressed for room,” said club President, Keith Millington. “The proposed club extension plan has been given “approval in principle” by the Sunshine Coast Council.
“Although Nambour Lapidary has been appointed to host the Gemboree, the Qld Gem Club committee members were somewhat disappointed in the facilities that Nambour Showground has to offer and said a lot of the infrastructure was dated,” Mr Millington explained.
“A new multipurpose building was included in a major redevelopment that was prepared nine years ago but nothing has eventuated. The Lapidary Club and other clubs that also use the showground sense the focus of the Sunshine Coast Council is towards the Coast. It would be great to see all levels of Government focus more on the Hinterland,” he said.
“As the existing pavilion is well past its “use by date” and the proposed multipurpose building is not progressing, an alteration to the Ray Grace building may satisfy the needs of the showground community in the near future.”
An ex-builder himself, Mr Millington has suggested that if the Ray Grace structure was fitted with sliding/operable walls which could incorporate doors and windows, it could provide a secure structure to house exhibitors’ valuable items, offer a suitable operating space for the Nambour Show, the Garden Expo, Art Show, Swap Meet, Collectorama, and Nambour Lapidaries own Gemfest will have a more suitable building to operate from.
“If altered, the building would become a tremendous asset in the event of emergency accommodation or disaster needs,” Mr Millington explained.
“An indoor stage could be set up at the Northern end for a variety of activities and performances, and sporting activities such as Pickleball, Basketball, Indoor Cricket and more could be catered for in the pavilion.
“This modification to the Ray Grace structure could be an interim quick-fix without spending the millions that the proposed multifunction building is going to cost,” he said.
“The Gemboree, Gemfest and other events attract a large number of participants who need sites for their caravans and campervans. The provision of power sites with access to water, toilets and a dump point would be of great value. Most towns cater for the grey nomads in their showgrounds and this provides an ongoing income source for the Sunshine Coast Council. I will gladly welcome the feedback from all Showground groups to these proposals,” said Mr Millington.
The club is now conducting silversmithing courses and welcomes new members. For further information contact the club at nambourlapidary@hotmail.com