Winners Event Wrap-Up

A Night to Celebrate Community & Creativity

Our inaugural Photo Competition Winners Event was held on Wednesday 17 September 2025 — and what a wonderful night it was!

With around 30 attendees joining us at the Lara Sporting Club, the evening was a celebration of local creativity, community connection and the beauty of the Kevin Hoffman Walk.

Highlights of the Night

A warm official welcome from our President, Greg Wilson, who shared a brief history of the Walk, including key milestones like floods, sewer connection works, and the sealing of Wingara Drive — none of which deterred Kevin from pursuing his vision of creating this lasting legacy for the Lara community
A relaxed “in conversation” session with guest speaker Elisa Banas from Banas Photography, who generously shared her photography journey, offered practical tips for budding photographers, and deeply connected with guests through her reflections on the link between photography and mental health.
The exciting launch of the 2026 calendar, with 12 stunning images revealed one month at a time
Presentation of prizes to our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners, as well as acknowledgement of all featured photographers, including those whose images appear in our brand-new blank greeting card range
An announcement of our next competition theme — “The Magic of the Walk” — and an invitation to continue capturing its beauty from now until the June 30, 2026 closing date
Guests also enjoyed viewing a small selection of Kevin Hoffman’s own photographs, displayed from his personal collection — a special glimpse into the creative eye behind the Walk itself

We also took the opportunity to acknowledge the original FKHW Committee from around 2017, who first proposed the idea of a community photo competition. Eight years on, we’re proud to continue that tradition with a calendar that now serves as our major fundraiser.

Community Response

We’ve received some truly lovely feedback following the event, with many guests commenting on the warm, welcoming atmosphere and the inspirational photography. Elisa’s relaxed and engaging “in conversation” session was especially well received, sparking meaningful reflection and plenty of smiles. We’ve even been encouraged to consider making this an annual event — how amazing is that?

Our Thanks

A heartfelt thank you to:

All our photo competition entrants, whether featured or not
Everyone who attended and contributed to the evening’s warm, celebratory atmosphere
Our 2025–2026 committee members, for their tireless work behind the scenes
The Lara Sporting Club, for kindly providing the venue for our event
And special thanks to our 3 sponsors who generously provided gift vouchers for our first 3 placegetters —
- 1st Prize: $50 Voucher – Lara Sporting Club
- 2nd Prize: $50 Voucher – The Produce Corner
- 3rd Prize: $25 Voucher – Anna’s Cafe in Lara

We also acknowledged:

Our outgoing sponsors, The Produce Corner and Kardinia Osteopathic Clinic, for their past support
Our new Silver sponsor APCO, for joining the FKHW community
And all current sponsors, whose support now spans from 2 to 8 years — an extraordinary show of loyalty that we are deeply grateful for.
- Platinum: Community Bank Lara District, Lara Sporting Club, Lara Smile Group
- Gold: Lara Window Shutters
- Silver: Ray White Lara, Anna’s Cafe, Lara Quality Meats, Lara Health & Fitness Centre, IDAWS, APCO

Calendars & Cards Now Available

Our 2026 Kevin Hoffman Walk Calendars are now available for purchase from NewsXpress Lara and via our online shop.

Our A6 blank card packs, featuring selected calendar images, are available exclusively at our online shop through our website.

Every purchase supports the ongoing care and preservation of the Walk — thank you for your support!

We’ll be sharing a second blog soon specifically about the photo competition and 2026 calendar, to highlight this year’s winning images and featured photographers — stay tuned!

Thank you again to everyone who contributed to making our first Winners Event such a wonderful success. We look forward to seeing your entries in 2026!

Friends of Kevin Hoffman Walk Committee