There's a new face at the helm of the Ulladulla Blessing of the Fleet Princess Ball this year but she's already a well-known figure around town.
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Clare Nyholm grew up in Ulladulla and remembers fondly the many Easter Sunday's spent with her family watching the Blessing of the Fleet parade.
After holding the position for 12 years, Rotarian Brian Morrison has handed the reins to Clare, a fellow Rotarian. Clare's looking forward to helping create special memories for this year's princesses, their partners and their families. With 35 applications already received, this year is set to be a record event.
"It's such a wonderful tradition and for many of these girls, their parents have also been princesses and it's nice to be able to carry this one," Clare said.
"When you go to the dance practices and see how engaged the princesses are their partners are, it's really special to see."
Clare attributes a tough 2020 that saw so many events being cancelled with this year's spike in interest. While numbers have to be capped at 50, Clare said she'll do whatever she can to include princesses in the 2021 event.
"it's all about inclusion and making sure whoever would like to participate can and find a way to make that happen," she said.
While Clare's new to the role, she's had plenty of support from Brian and his wife Denise, and also brings to the table more than 10 years experience in wedding planning.
After moving to Sydney following her schooling, she worked as an advertising producer in a range of roles. When she moved home 13 years ago it quickly became apparent there was a gap in the market for event planning and she soon found herself working in the wedding industry.
These days she works at OPSM fulltime and manages three stores. Clare's husband Doug is also on the committee for October's Triple 000 Ball so between the two of them, they're a busy, community-minded pair.
Festival Chair Leonie Corrin-Smith congratulated Clare on taking the reins.
"Clare's a great role model. She is a community minded person, who has a soft spot for the Blessing of the Fleet Festival and ball and is interested in it's continuation as a local tradition for Year 10 girls," she said.
Applications are open now for 2021 princesses. Numbers will be capped at 50 due to COVID regulations on numbers inside a venue. Application forms can be found here: blessingofthefleet.info
