Over 500 times during Festival week, the bell rings in INFOlogy to celebrate the small moments of joy when someone is reunited with something they feared they’d lost forever.  

But after the festival closes, the bell falls silent. The office mezzanine fills with abandoned treasures: water bottles, hats, towels, umbrellas, sarongs, wallets. The piles grow. So does the question of what comes next. 

The front of house team holds true to their commitment for weeks, even months, returning what they can. But eventually, the effort turns toward something larger: how to give purpose to what remains. 

This year, the Woodford Lions saw possibility where others might see loss. They collected a trailer load of forgotten items, cleaned and sorted the salvageable pieces, and with the help of a Lions family member, had six moving boxes delivered to Euroa Lions in Victoria at no cost. Through Blaze-aid, these gifts reached families devastated by bushfires, helping them reclaim a sense of normalcy after unspeakable loss. 

The Lions had already pledged financial support, knowing money was the fastest way to help the more than 350 families facing ruin. But the donated items offered something different: a tangible kindness. A sewing machine was given to one mother who had lost everything, including her organic farm, and being able to sew again helped sustain her spirit. 

Some of the lost property was kept here in Woodford, with kids’ hats and clothing distributed to vulnerable local families. The box of prescription glasses was given to the Morayfield Lions who then sent them around the state to help disadvantaged people in need of glasses.  

So while reuniting people with their lost property is always a joyous event, know this: what remains behind finds its way to those who need it most.