It's been a chaotic month for Bellbird resident Brandi Livermore and her family, as they prepared their backyard for what's possibly the most elaborate Halloween display in the Hunter region.
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In what could be described as a Halloween nightmare for the Livermore family, they are now in the process of rebuilding the maze after their first structure had to be shut down by Cessnock City Council due to a safety risk.
A spokesperson for Cessnock City Council said following receipt of the complaint, council undertook an inspection on October 14.
"Council identified the works did not comply with Development Standards and posed a potential safety risk to members of the public. Council subsequently issued a notice of intention to commence compliance action."
Community members have since helped the Livermore's to put together a new maze so they can go ahead with their charity event, which has been approved by council.
Team Leader Development and Environmental Compliance Peter White said council is pleased to have been able to identify a workable solution that allows the positive community initiative to proceed without posing a safety risk.
"Council is always ready to support community members to navigate legislative and regulatory requirements and encourage any residents planning similar activities to reach out to us beforehand," he said.
The Livermore's now have 50 temporary fence panels and are currently in the process of rebuilding and hope to be back up and running by this Saturday.
"It's all thanks to Daniel Yang the owner of Kearsley pub," Brandi said.
Brandi who moved to Australia from the United States 20 years ago set up her first Halloween maze at her Bellbird home in 2018, after running out of candy in the years beforehand.
It was Brandi's grandson Chayton's idea to turn the Halloween maze into an opportunity to raise money for charity.
Chayton who is now 10-years-old said he thought the maze would be a fun way to raise money for charity.
"Our Halloween maze this year is our biggest yet," he said.
This year's charity is close to the hearts of the Livermore family with Brandi's son Michael (Mikey) Livermore currently on the waiting list to receive a kidney transplant and pancreas transplant.
The family wanting to give back to the Wansey Dialysis Centre.
"The Wansey Dialysis Centre have done so much for Mikey, they do everything he needs for his dialysis and we wanted to give back to them," Brandi said.
Brandi said this is the family's fourth charity they have raised money for - each charity having special significance for the family.
"We've done one for the Jump Rope for Heart for Bellbird Public School and the John Hunter Children's Hospital for the past two years," she said.
Raffle tickets are also available for purchase at the Bellbird Metro.
Brandi said a number of local businesses have gotten on board and helped the family bring the Halloween maze to life.
"Metal mates were amazing, I'd really like to give them a shout out," she said.
"Domino's and KFC have also been great with supporting us."
The Halloween charity maze at 8 Kearsley Street, Bellbird will be back up and running by October 21 and will be opening the maze to the public on both the Saturday and Sunday night (October 21 and October 22).
It will also be open the following weekend on Saturday, October 28 and Sunday, October 29.
"On Halloween night (October 31) we have decided to do a kids walk through with games and candy for a gold coin donation," Brandi said.
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Laura Rumbel
Laura Rumbel is a journalist who has always called Maitland home. She has been with the Maitland Mercury since 2022, and is passionate about all areas of local news.
Laura Rumbel is a journalist who has always called Maitland home. She has been with the Maitland Mercury since 2022, and is passionate about all areas of local news.
