Lyndoch Living chief executive Rhys Boyle said the decision was made last year not to run the raffle in 2012.

“There were a couple of reasons — declining profitability, declining public interest and a dramatic decline in the number of sellers we actually had for the tickets,” Mr Boyle said.

“Over the last few years there’s been increasing competition in town for similar raffles from national organisations so the decision was made.

“The prizes aren’t donated. We have to buy the major prize and it’s just become financially unviable to continue.”

The facility’s major fund-raiser was run by the Lyndoch Auxiliary and raffle proceeds contributed to various Lyndoch projects.

“We did very well and it certainly assisted us over the years,” Mr Boyle said.

The raffle ran for about 40 years, Mr Boyle said, and was unlikely to be reinstated or rejuvenated.

“Over the last six or seven years we have changed the (raffle) format, changed the prizes (and) all has made little difference. There is a changing demographic in Warrrnambool and while it’s served us extremely well over many, many years, tastes change and we have to move with the times.”

Mr Boyle and board members thanked the “very small but loyal band” of volunteers for their contribution at a recent dinner.

“They are getting older. It is a massive ask for those ticket sellers to be selling down the street day in and day out, irrespective of the weather,” he said.

Mr Boyle said the raffle had slipped away without any enquiries from the public.

“In actual fact, there has been no comment at all and I think that, most probably, it is an indication of the community moving forward and looking for alternatives.

“Publicly I would like to thank the volunteers and over the years there has been clearly hundreds of them.

“I also thank the Warrnam-bool community for putting their hand in their pocket and putting their two dollars in. Many of them said ‘this is a donation to Lyndoch’ and it’s been fantastically received.”

mmcneil@standard.fai rfax.com.au