A grand total of over $95,000 has been injected into the Whitsunday community through Airile Beach Rotary Club’s 2011 community raffle.
This fabulous achievement was announced on Monday night to the 165-strong crowd of passionate fundraisers and sponsors who enjoyed a delicious meal at the Reef Gateway Hotel.
While superstition might make the number 13 unlucky in some cultures, it certainly didn’t have that effect on the club’s 13th annual fundraiser which turned out to be their biggest yet.
Neil Cawthorne, head organiser of the enormous raffle, said ticket sales were almost $20,000 greater than last year which was a quantum leap from 2009.
“At a time when the economy is doing it tough, it is great to see so much support from locals. Proserpine again sold the most tickets, but they were only 300 ahead of Airlie Beach,” Mr Cawthorne said.
With a big thank you to the Guardian and Times for promoting and covering the fundraiser, Mr Cawthorne said without sponsorship from nine major organisations, the raffle would not have been so successful.
To top off the hugely successful fundraising event, Mr Cawthorne said the fact the major prize was won by a local man who does so much for the community was a true reflection of Rotary’s core beliefs.
Local police officer Steve O’Connell wasn’t at the dinner but turned up a few minutes after his winning ticket was drawn from the barrel.
“I have never won such a great prize in my life. I bought two books of tickets, because I support everything Rotary does for the community. They are such a great organisation.
“And the calibre of the prizes have made the event all the more successful. A very big thank you to Kimberly Discovery Cruises,” Steve O’Connell said.
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