The gathering was to celebrate the first anniversary of Bundy on Tap and a huge year for the community.

The hall took on a party atmosphere with a stirring slideshow recounting the journey of the last year, as musicians Kell Goyer and Phil Beasley played water-theme music.

Children as young as eight from Year 4 at Bundanoon school joined Serendipity-The Choir to sing

Bundy Fantastic, which has become the project’s theme song.

A special feature of the celebration was a roving mike session with MC Tony Coyle, during which people were invited to share their own stories and those that had come to them from around the world about the impact of Bundy on Tap.

“We know from the hundreds of emails of support that Bundy on Tap struck a chord with many people,” said project manager Sandra Menteith.

“It has had an amazing ripple effect. There is a Belgium Facebook page with thousands of members, which plans to make the word ‘bundanoon’ a new verb in the Flemish speaking language – meaning to ‘not drink bottled water’.

“The ripple effect of this local action continues and as a result, more and more communities are taking a stand on this important issue.

“We have been contacted by dozens and dozens of towns and municipalities in Australia and overseas that are keen to reduce bottled water consumption.

Mr Coyle said sharing personal stories of what Bundy on Tap meant to residents, together with hearing tales from every region of the world, had laid open the size

and scale of what was achieved in Bundanoon.

“Through stories, people learn and come to understand the many levels of meaning of an initiative like this,” he said.

Huw Kingston, instigator of the project, shared with the gathering that it was letters of thanks from children, some as young as four, that gave him a real sense of pride and commitment to the campaign.

“Little did we realise the impact our community action would have when it all began 12 months ago,” Mr Kingston said.

“Our town can rightly be proud of being a key part of a change in people’s thinking across the world.

Bundy on Tap had struck such a deep chord of community feeling on environmental issues that the world continues to beat a path to Bundanoon.

Most recently a French documentary crew spent a few days in the village. Their visit followed in the wake of crews from locations as diverse as New Zealand, Taiwan and the Netherlands.

And what did the guests drink at the anniversary party on Tuesday night in Bundanoon?

“We drank beautiful Bundy on Tap water (our municipal supply), good wine and beer,” Mr Kingston said