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Speaker 1: Hundreds have flocked to Mindle Beach for the final sunset

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Speaker 1: markets of the year. It's been a shorter season, with

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Speaker 1: a later start and only operating on Sunday nights due

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Speaker 1: to coronavirus. There's also been a small number of smaller

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Speaker 1: number of stallholders. Nevertheless, organizers hope to be back again

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Speaker 1: next year. To talk more about it is the general

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Speaker 1: manager of the Mindle Beach Sunset Markets, Peter Air.

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Speaker 2: Morning, Peter, good morning, maw are good thanks, Peter Gee.

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Speaker 1: I tell you what, it's been a disruptive year, but

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Speaker 1: we made it.

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Speaker 3: It's been a very interesting year, to say the least,

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Speaker 3: that's for sure, in every way possible.

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Speaker 1: Let's give we just go back six months ago.

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Speaker 2: Now.

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Speaker 1: The start date had to be knocked back a couple

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Speaker 1: of times when we were in the height of the

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Speaker 1: pandemic back in March and April.

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Speaker 2: Did you ever consider canceling all together?

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Speaker 3: Oh, you know, it was always a possibility. It was

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Speaker 3: very doubtful there for a little while. But everyone worked

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Speaker 3: really well together. You know, we worked with the health

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Speaker 3: department quite extensively. So eventually we got there two months late. Unfortunately.

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Speaker 1: Yes, what measures did you have to put in place

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Speaker 1: to get it over the line.

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Speaker 3: You know, we just had to make sure all our

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Speaker 3: storeholders were aware and had their COVID plans in place.

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Speaker 3: All the storeholders had hand sanitizer and that sort of thing.

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Speaker 3: We had hand sanitizer stations all throughout the market. Yeah,

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Speaker 3: there was quite a bit of work.

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Speaker 2: Went into it, and I was understand that.

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Speaker 1: Unfortunately, you couldn't have as many market stallholders compared to

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Speaker 1: previous he is.

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Speaker 4: Now.

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Speaker 3: We spaced our storeholders much further apart than normal to

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Speaker 3: comply with the COVID restrictions. We also gave our storeholders

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Speaker 3: the option of not trading because it was a very

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Speaker 3: unknown year. So yeah, we ended up with about fifty percent,

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Speaker 3: probably fifty five sixty percent of a normal amount.

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Speaker 1: Of skills and how are visited numbers.

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Speaker 4: We were very.

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Speaker 3: Well supported and we're eternally grateful for the Darwen population.

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Speaker 3: You know do and people are very good at supporting events.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, they certainly are.

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Speaker 1: Hey, Peter, we spoke earlier this year and you dropped

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Speaker 1: a little bit of a bombshell on us. I've actually

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Speaker 1: got that audio. This is what happened last time we spoke.

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Speaker 4: We operate independently. We're not funded, and this year has

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Speaker 4: just been obviously very difficult because there's wider costs outside

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Speaker 4: of the market itself. To be perfectly honest, we're in

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Speaker 4: dire straits without some assistance. It's a very real possibility

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Speaker 4: that the market may not exist.

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Speaker 2: So Pete that.

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Speaker 1: That's what you said last time we spoke. Where are

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Speaker 1: things at now?

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Speaker 3: Oh, look, you know we've We've done it very tough.

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Speaker 3: Financial The market was quite good for the storeholders, but

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Speaker 3: for the association, the reality was we have half the

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Speaker 3: stores on half the number of nights, and our revenue

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Speaker 3: comes from rent from storeholders. So financially it's been very

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Speaker 3: difficult and we've been fortunate. Counsel has helped us out

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Speaker 3: quite a bit within kind support. Hopefully the NT government

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Speaker 3: are looking at helping us out a little bit too.

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Speaker 3: To Getting over the wet season is a very difficult thing.

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Speaker 3: Under normal circumstances, we're able to generate enough income to

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Speaker 3: put money aside to get us over that six month period.

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Speaker 3: So difficult times, but I'm very confident we'll be back

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Speaker 3: in twenty twenty one and hopefully with both nights operating

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Speaker 3: and all our.

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Speaker 1: Store that would be wonderful to see you mentioned there

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Speaker 1: that that wet season period is a big off time

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Speaker 1: for you guys, around six months. I know some other

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Speaker 1: markets across Darwin are able to operate in the wet season,

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Speaker 1: and I mean, is that even practical at Mindle Beach

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Speaker 1: for you guys to operate in.

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Speaker 3: The wet It's very difficult for us. You'll notice the

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Speaker 3: ones that do operate in the wet season operate in

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Speaker 3: shopping centers, so they do have a little bit of shelter.

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Speaker 3: You can imagine being on the beach when those storms

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Speaker 3: roll in it gets very windy and the horizontal rain,

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Speaker 3: it would be very difficult. And they do often occur

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Speaker 3: at night or in the late afternoon, so it would

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Speaker 3: be very difficult for us because we are.

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Speaker 1: Would there be an option to perhaps find I mean,

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Speaker 1: it would take away from the fact it is the

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Speaker 1: Mindle Beach sunset markets, but I know, I think the

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Speaker 1: Fred's past markets they operate inside the cooler Linger shopping

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Speaker 1: center one day a week. Would it be possible to

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Speaker 1: operate a much more scale down version of the markets

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Speaker 1: in an indoor facility during the wet Oh?

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Speaker 3: Look, you know that's certainly a possibility, and you know

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Speaker 3: it's something we wouldn't rule out in the future. The

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Speaker 3: thing that makes middle beach markets especially is that un

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Speaker 3: said on the beach, So it's a it's a tricky one.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, And as you're well aware, during the wet season

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Speaker 3: the tourist numbers drop off, so yeah, you know, and

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Speaker 3: we do rely on them quite a view.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess I was just wishful thinking that, you know,

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Speaker 1: I might be able to get my my year ross

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Speaker 1: and my smoothie in the middle of March or something

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Speaker 1: like that.

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Speaker 3: We are very fortunate we do have our lovely local

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Speaker 3: markets as well, Nightcliff for Rubbid Creek, so and that

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Speaker 3: do operate all around, so that is a good thing. Yeah.

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Speaker 3: I think with the sheer number of store as we

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Speaker 3: have as well, it would be quite difficult to fit

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Speaker 3: them in anywhere. As you well known, we take up

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Speaker 3: quite a bit of space.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's very true.

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Speaker 1: Well, Peter, with the finale last night, what's next for

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Speaker 1: you guys?

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Speaker 3: Now, Oh, we need to manage the start of next year.

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Speaker 3: Really everything begins, you know. We have to have all

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Speaker 3: our plans in place to make sure we operate next year. Again,

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Speaker 3: it'll be a little bit tricky because everything's still a

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Speaker 3: little bit unknown. The COVID problem seems to be persisting

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Speaker 3: a little bit, so again we'll have to basically play

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Speaker 3: it by ear and see how we go. But we're

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Speaker 3: very confident, very hopeful that we'll have two nights and

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Speaker 3: everything will be pretty much as normal our ideal.

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Speaker 1: My finger is entosed across to I hope that's the way. Well, look, Pete,

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Speaker 1: it was yeah, look it was touch and go for

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Speaker 1: a while there. It's really great to see that you

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Speaker 1: guys were able to get the markets up and going again.

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Speaker 1: And look, hopefully we'll see you back bigger and better

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Speaker 1: again next year.

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Speaker 3: I have every confidence that that will be the case. Excellent,

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Speaker 3: we'll look forward to talking to you then.

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Speaker 2: Good on you, Peter, thanks for your time this morning.

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Speaker 3: Thanks Matt.

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Speaker 1: That's the Middle Beach Markets general manager, Peter Air with

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Speaker 1: the finale last night.

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Speaker 2: As we said, touch and go for a while there.

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Speaker 1: But thanks to the team at the Middle Beach Markets

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Speaker 1: there and all those operators and the stallholders, they are

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Speaker 1: able to get together, get a COVID safe plan done

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Speaker 1: and still get it operating for a few months as well.