Alexandra Rotary book sale spokesman Kevin MacKenzie said he arrived at the agreed time on Friday morning to clean up the Memorial Hall after this year’s sale to find several of his colleagues had things well in hand.
"I don’t think they can tell the time," Mr MacKenzie joked.
The annual four-day sale last week raised more than $31,000 to be given away in the next year. It was the most successful sale to date, he said.
A minimum of $5000 was once again earmarked for the Otago Helicopter Rescue Trust — a commitment the club had made for three years — and the balance would be donated within the Alexandra community.
The book sale was a tradition that many people included in their Central Otago holiday, he said.
"The trots, the book sale ... people do them every year. It’s part of their holiday."
Help from not just Rotarians but their partners, family and friends made the sale possible. From providing trailers to vacuuming the floors, there was a task for everyone.
"I don’t know some of the people helping here today," Mr MacKenzie said as a young man walked past carrying a table to a waiting trailer.
Left-over books were stored or culled, depending on how long they had been around, and sorting donations for next year’s sale would begin after Labour Weekend, he said.
If people had large collections of books to be donated during the year there were contact details on the Alexandra Rotary website.
