Jacaranda guest relishes honour

Mike Dougherty is this year's guest of honour at the Jacaranda Festival.

Daily Examiner

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MIKE Dougherty might never get to become a Jacaranda Queen, but at least now he gets the chance to crown one.

Mike, a successful Grafton businessman, has just been named the Jacaranda Festival's guest of honour and in typical self-deprecating style, said: “I reckon they could have done a lot better.”

But Mike is Grafton and Jacaranda through and through.

Born at Runnymede, he remembers as a child sitting in his home above the shops in Prince Street, Grafton, watching the Jacaranda Saturday street procession and the madcap antics of Jacaranda Thursday.

He remembers being involved in the Jacaranda Schools' Display, where children wore crepe paper and it almost invariably rained.

“I've been involved as a child right through to an adult,” he said.

“In the old days at 2GF we'd put a lot of effort in and have a great time.

“It was a great honour to be asked to be the official guest ... I'll be one of only 75 to have that honour.

“This is a big year to get that title.”

Mike said he believed the Jacaranda Festival was great for the business community, but sometimes they didn't recognise it.

“I hope they really get behind it,” he said.

“It's important the whole town supports it.

“So many festivals have failed, but this one has kept going because of the support it has received. Past and present Jacaranda Festival committees have done a great job, but they need support,” he said.

• Footnote from author: my favourite piece of Mike Dougherty in Jacaranda was when Westlawn Investments, as it was then, dressed in something like grey nurse outfits and were the 'loan sharks', and I seem to remember them as Westlani Investments - apologies to Gough Whitlam.