WHAT began as a competition between friends to see who could grow the city's first ripe tomato of the season has now become a hotly contested title within the community.
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Over 120 people entered Bathurst East Rotary's "first ripe tomato" competition this year, with Marlena Welch taking out the honour. Her efforts have won her a $2 lottery ticket.
Robin Price, who is a member of Bathurst East Rotary said the aim of the competition is to see who can grow the first ripe tomato in Bathurst.
He said the competition has been open to the public for the last four years.
"We actually started it about 20 years ago, when a group of Rotary club members were sitting around a table discussing what they were going to do when they got home from skiing.
"Someone said they were going to plant tomatoes, so we made it a bit of a competition."
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"We ran it for years among friends, then someone suggested we "open it up to the public with an entry fee of $5 donation to Daffodil Cottage."
Mr Price said he has been overwhelmed by the community's generosity and enthusiasm to take part in the competition since it first kicked-off in 2016, and what made it even better is the fact Bathurst East Rotary match the final donation raised for Daffodil Cottage.
"This year had 121 entries, which is a lot more then last year's 80. It's typical of Bathurst, give people the the opportunity and people will get behind you. People love supporting Daffodil Cottage, I think it's the city's favorite charity," he said.
