Green light for love at Colac date auction
THERE’S light at the end of the tunnel for Colac’s love crisis, and it’s shining from the Farmers Arms Hotel in Beeac.
The country pub will be hosting a “Traffic Light Party” to help connect singles in the region, where it will even auction off dates with eligible bachelors and bachelorettes.
The party comes after census data last month showed Colac’s dating scene for men in their early 30s was the most competitive in the country. The data found there were just 1.6 single men for every single woman aged 30-34 in the town.
One of the Western Districts’ eligible bachelors up for auction from 6pm on Saturday, October 13, is merino sheep farmer Bill Alston.
When not tending to his 6500-acre Beeac farm, Bill enjoys a hit of tennis and having a laugh — but has not had a girlfriend in three years.
Bill said he was “a bit nervous” for the auction, but looking forward to the night and the chance to take the auction winner out on a nice date.
The farmer has previously told the Geelong Advertiser the isolated nature of rural living had been a barrier to finding love.
“Basically when you’re on the farm you’re not exposed to the same social situations — it’s harder to get out there,” he said. “I’m looking for a spark and I’m looking for the right person to be able to settle down.”
The Beeac Hotel’s Traffic Light Party will charge $5 at the door and give punters the choice of coloured wristbands — green for those who are “single and ready to mingle”, orange for anyone who “may not be looking right now but can be persuaded” and red for anyone “in a relationship, not keen as a bean”.
Money raised through wristband sales and the auctions will be donated to the Buy a Bale fundraiser to assist drought-stricken farmers in Australia’s north.
Lucky auction winners will receive a dinner for two and drinks with their bachelor or bachelorette at the Farmers Arms Hotel.
For more information visit facebook.com/FarmersArmsHotel