Hundreds of bright and bedazzled carrots stole the show at the Gippsland Lakes Complete Health (GLCH) marquee during this year’s East Gippsland Field Days, thanks to the hugely popular Bling My Carrot competition.
Children were invited to decorate a carrot using an assortment of colourful craft supplies before giving their veggie masterpiece a name and entering it into the contest.
Thanks to the generous donation of 15kg of carrots from Ritchies Paynesville, all entries were either proudly displayed –
or happily eaten.
Six-year-old Penny Davidge, from Bairnsdale, was so taken with the activity she entered twice. Her first creation was named Carrotie, and her second, more abstract entry? Simply called Banana.
“I liked all the different decorations,” Penny said.
“Decorating was the best part of the whole Field Days.”
The winner of the inaugural 2025 Bling My Carrot competition was Paddy Merante, who spent a lot of time on his amazing entry.
Running alongside the carrot chaos was a fun five-question Field Days Quiz, where participants had to explore the marquee to find answers hidden on signage and around displays.
The quiz winner, Sue Fraser, is no stranger to GLCH – she’s been a dedicated Meals on Wheels volunteer for 12 years.
Across the two days, GLCH staff were on hand to answer questions about Home Care Packages, Allied Health services, volunteering, and our wide range of health promotion campaigns.
GLCH Communications Manager Laura Poole said the event was a wonderful opportunity to connect with the community.
“The Field Days were a great opportunity to talk about our services, meet people face-to-face, and share our story,” she said.
“It was also the perfect warm-up for our 50th anniversary celebrations in October, where we’re planning a big community fun fair at our Lakes Entrance site on October 11.”
