Port Nicholson Charity Auction
4 May 2018
A record number of guests and Rotarians attended our annual Charity Auction on Friday. More than 200 people attended, many friends of the club, spouses and partners of club members were there along with two tables each of guests from the Malaghan Institute and Wellington Free Ambulance.
The InterContinental Hotel and Executive Chef Ed Weicherding managed to produce another fantastic meal with the highlight being a perfectly cooked steak. Big thanks also go to Peter Whittington who again generously provided an almost endless selection of excellent Brookfield wines.
Jay Harvie of Newstalk ZB led the proceedings with his usual mix of humour and good spirits and was followed by presentations and updates from Professor Graham Le Gros of Malaghan and the Chair of Wellington Free Ambulance, Ross Martin.
John Bishop challenged us all with the quizzes and despite some alleged uses of “Mr Google” most tables were tested. The winners received either a bottle of wine donated by Spy Valley or a wonderful pair of gum boots provided by our very own Jeff Lee.
We then went on to the main part of the evening, the auction. Again, led by the inimitable Ian Paterson and Charles Morley-Hall the auction turned into a huge event raising close to $75,000.
Ian has stated earlier that this was positively his last auction. To recognise this and the incredible contribution Ian has made, not only to our Rotary Club but also charities throughout Wellington, John Bishop provided a very eloquent, fitting and moving tribute to Ian for all his work over the years.
The entire event was a huge success and particularly thanks go to the all the Rotarians who generously gave donations, support and help. A special mention should go to the Auction Committee without whom the event would not have happened. So big thanks to Rick Hughes, Ian Paterson, Ros Fogel, Paula McKnight, Bill Day, Tony Robinson, Charlie Holland from Malaghan and Rachel Carr from WFA.
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