The annual Ashhurst Pohangina Lions Club Small Holders Auction draws thousands to the McDonalds farm in Pohangina Valley every year.

The Ashhurst Pohangina Lions Club Small Holders Auction started as a handful of guys looking to shift some unwanted farming gear and raise a little money for charity in the process.

Now, 40-years later, it's a major community event that is expected to draw thousands of people to the MacDonald farm in the Pohangina Valley, north of Ashhurst, this Saturday.

The range of goods up for sale has grown over the years, and now you can bid on everything but the kitchen sink - and some years you can get even that.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary, the organisers were putting together a display on the auction's history, and encouraging people to come share their old photos and stories about the event, lead-organiser Ron Farrugia​ said

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Tony Parkes, an auction volunteer since the1980s, said in the early days everything was run by the Lions Club members and their partners, all centred around a single small tent - but it quickly grew to big for the Lions to handle themselves.

The team's since grown to include over 100 people, with Scouts, sports groups and schools all chipping in - based in the farm's woolshed and a cluster of marquees.

The auction's become a colourful family event, with a fair few memorable moments over it's history - such as a man who auctioned off a few homing pigeons, being surprised to find them waiting for him when he got home the next day, he said.

And long-time volunteer Perce Bydder recalls one unusual, half-joking, auction controversy - where a ventriloquist made a parrot appear to talk to get some higher bids in on it.

Malcolm Plimmer, one of the original organisers, said it was great to see the auction is still bringing people together, and raising money for good causes.

Plimmer and his friends started it to help a fundraising country fair, which was struggling to collect enough money.

"So two or three of us decided to hold an auction, since we all had sheds gear that we didn't need."

The auction raises close to $2000 a year on average, which goes to a different charity each year - this weekend's proceeds will go to Diabetes NZ.

The auctions will start at 10am on Saturday January 26, and admission is by donation at the gate.