[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I attended what I think is my 22nd Gold Dinner last night – seems an eternity – when it was first called the Gold Ball.
A major fundraiser gold ball for the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation, over 3 million bucks was raised to help the trauma departments at the hospital (Westmead too is a beneficiary of the ‘Gold’.) Take a read of this to find out what the Gold Dinner is all about.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”65834″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][vc_single_image media=”65836″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Highlight must be an exquisite country family – a beautiful young man named Charlie (I would guess he’s around 19 now) and his mum and dad got up to tell us their experience, when Charlie had a brain trauma at school (it had been laying dormant since birth) and the unbelievable support, treatment and rehab he went through. He was in hospital for 7 months.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”65846″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][vc_single_image media=”65847″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]There was not a dry eye in the room as this articulate, beautiful, incredibly tall and dare I say, handsome young man made his way up onto the stage – with the help of a walking stick – but the words that came out of his mouth were heartfelt and joyous.
This is reality. This is real life.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”65835″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”65838″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Gold Dinner has had many incarnations & has raised over $25 million in its existence.
This year’s committee chair is Monica Saunders – her late dad co-founded Westfield. She is an absolute, rolled gold, flies under the radar delight. Yes, she is seriously rich, as were most in the room.
Umm, bar a few. Hi!!!! 👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”65844″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”65849″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of the big fundraising elements of the Gold is pledging. So, lights came up and Julie Bishop and Karl Stefanovic worked the room as the incredible Justin Miller wrangled the crowd.
Whether it was for an incubator, a $30,000 hospital bed, or a new neonatal crib, every cent you pledge goes on that item.
Such is the emotion of the night when they came around to the pledges, I remember when our beautiful son Connor was born.
His oxygen saturation levels weren’t great and he was rushed to the special care unit before going downstairs to ICU for a couple of days at the hospital.
I remember going downstairs in my wheelchair – I’d had a caesarean, so there was a little bit of pain – but nothing like the little struggle he was going through until he was well enough to come up and be back with me, in my hospital room and next to me in my bed.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”65848″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”65845″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The medical fraternity is made up of gods, ‘fixing’ children – small, medium and large – through the most hard of times that none of us could imagine.
In I roomful of millionaires and billionaires, I was incredibly happy to play just a tiny role in buying a new little crib for a child to help what my beautiful boy went through for those couple of days.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”65851″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image media=”65850″ media_width_percent=”100″ alignment=”center” img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The whole night was exquisite and as I looked around the room I wondered about the mill & billionaires, I thought if I was a billionaire I’d be giving millions. What price do you put on a child’s life?
To give back and be grateful about our medical fraternity is so important and boy, in our humble situation, it certainly gave our kid the best kickstart ever.
Thanks for a wonderful night for a great cause.
By Melissa Hoyer[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
