The pin has had to be pulled on the Monster Garage Sale after 12 consecutive years.
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"Back in July we needed to make the decision because there's a long lead up to these sorts of things," said organiser Janine Menzies.
"We couldn't see how we could cope with such a large number of customers and keep our helpers - who are mostly older - safe."
Always scheduled for the final weekend in February, last year the sale went ahead just a couple of weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the state to cancel all other large-gatherings.
But this year, it was not so fortunate to avoid the pandemic's restrictions.
"It's always on people's calendars, thousands of people come to it each year," Mrs Menzies said.
"There will be a lot of shoppers who will miss it this year."
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In more than a decade running the event, Mrs Menzies and the team of volunteers have managed to raise more than $250,000 for Wagga Inter-church Christian Education Team (WICCET) and LifeFM.
In the absence of the sale this year, Mrs Menzies is hoping the long-term supporters will be able to sell their bric-a-brac online and donate the proceeds to the causes.
"People with major items can sell them online themselves and donate it," Mrs Menzies said.
"A lot of organisations have had to stop fundraising events last year [and] they still need support."
With the momentum lost this year, Mrs Menzies said it is "undecided" whether the Monster Garage Sale will return in 2022.
In saying so, Mrs Menzies also thanked the many years of support the community has given the event since it started.
"The event relied heavily on the many faithful helpers who have given hours and hours [of their] time and energy," Mrs Menzies said.