Dookie and Devenish District celebrates appeal fundraiser

By Nicola Ceccato

Aug 23, 2023

A group effort: Dookie community members stand with Dookie and Devenish District Good Friday Appeal volunteers and the Royal Children’s Hospital fundraising team to celebrate their efforts in this year’s Good Friday Appeal. Photo by Nicola Ceccato

It was all beers and cheers at the Gladstone Hotel in Dookie last Wednesday and for a good reason.

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The Dookie and Devenish District Good Friday Appeal team raised $120, 248 for the appeal earlier this year, placing it second on the regional ladder as of Good Friday.

And on Wednesday, August 16, the team received a visit from a Royal Children’s Hospital team to thank them for their fundraising efforts officially.

Paul Durden, president of the DDDGFA, said it was an honour to have them visit Dookie, and added that their success was thanks to the efforts of their volunteers and the community.

“We’ve got a lot of little towns that involve themselves, and when you look at what this community does and what we raised to be second on the regional tally board, that’s something for Dookie and Devenish District to be really proud of,” Mr Durden said.

“For the Royal Children’s Hospital to come up here tonight and recognise this is fantastic.”

When asked what their secret to success was, Mr Durden said it was the volunteers’ and community’s hard work and efforts.

There’s no doubt this would be the case with fundraising efforts including a lamb drive, show and shine, a very successful online auction and yabby races leading up to Good Friday.

RCH head of fundraising and communications Simone Dalla Riva said it was great to visit Dookie and was amazed to see their community spirit shine through in the appeal.

“The effort of this area is incredible, and what is amazing is sometimes it’s the smallest towns that raise the biggest amounts of money,” Ms Dalla Riva said.

“What strikes me is how generous people are with their time, how creative and innovative they are and those connections they have with each other, with the hospital, with patients or their families in their towns that have been impacted or cared for by the hospital.

“The generosity is just so amazing.”

Throughout the night, volunteers and community members celebrated their achievement with dinner and drinks, taking a moment to snap a picture with cardboard cheques of their total funds raised.