General News
10 March, 2026
Snake Valley supports Carranballac recovery
SNAKE Valley’s Royal Hotel hosted a special fundraiser recently to support the Carranballac Cricket Club community following the Skipton–Streatham bushfires which destroyed the Carranballac clubrooms. The fire recovery fundraiser, with special guest cricketer Merv Hughes, was held on February 27th and saw around 100 people gather at the hotel for an afternoon aimed at raising money and bringing the community together.
Co-owner of the Royal Hotel Simon Wylie said bringing people together during difficult times was an important part of running a local hotel.
“In the end running a hotel is about bringing the community together and in an event like that, well it’s the perfect opportunity to do what we did.”
Mr Wylie said the night exceeded expectations.
“We are waiting for a number back, but I think we raised in between $33,000 and $34,000,” he said.
The initial goal for the event had been $20,000 for the Carranballac Cricket Club, but due to the outpour of support and raffle items gifted the goal was achieved quickly.
“It’s one of those things, the amount of gifts you get,” he said.
Mr Wylie said the event was particularly meaningful for those who had been directly impacted by the fires.
“There were actually quite a few people out there that had come to the event that were affected by the fires. That area doesn’t have a hotel to support them and do that sort of stuff. They all had a feed and Merv floated around having a chat with everyone,” he said.
“I think it was more of a debrief scenario and get the boys together and have a drink. Sometimes they just need to remove themselves from the situation that they’re living day to day.”
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