Ron Swan is determined to keep the culture alive. In full regalia and in defiance of the cancer he has been battling for more than two years, the former cop and one-time mayor surveyed the field at Raymond Terrace on Saturday afternoon as the band played the day to a close with the blaring rhythm of the pipes and drums.
"It was an excellent day," he said.
The 15th Clans on the Coast meeting - a mix of cultural celebration and highland games recognising the region's ties to its Celtic roots - was blustery affair but, as Mr Swan said, no one went wanting for anything.
The program included performances by eight pipe bands, highland and Irish dance, strong man and caber toss, tug of war, and more than 40 stalls and displays, wines and spirits, and more.
Mr Swan founded the annual event to recognise the Hunter's Celtic heritage after a visit to Culloden, in the Scottish Highlands. Culloden was the site of a historic defeat of the Jacobites in 1746, the subsequent consequences of which arguably spelled the end of Highland culture and the heyday of the Scottish clan tradition.
"I took it as a personal insult and an affront to the culture," he told the Newcastle Herald last year. "So, I started Clans on the Coast at Nelson Bay."
At 78, and as he continues to battle his illness, Mr Swan has delegated much of the running of the annual event to a close team of organisers and stalwarts who share his vision, but he says volunteers are needed to keep the event going.
Like many community organisations, a dwindling old guard of community-minded volunteers needs support.
"It's slowly getting bigger and bigger, but we're in desperate need of volunteers and sponsorships to keep running the event annually," organiser Adam Nicholas told the Port Stephens Examiner in the lead-up to the event. Those interested in volunteering can contact the organisers via the event website.
In addition to the schedule of events, the annual Celtic festival raised funds for the Starlight Children's Foundation.
