St Patrick's Day may not have brought any leprechauns to Gloucester Bowling Club, but it did produce a charitable pot of gold.
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The occasion was the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Gloucester Support Group's annual trivia night fundraiser, held at the bowling club on the evening of Saturday, March 16.
Attended by 110 people, the evening was a great success with all present having a fun night while raising more than $2000 to support the helicopter rescue service.
"It was a really good night with a lot of fun and laughter," support group secretary treasurer, Jo Fitzpatrick said.
The trivia night was the first in a series of four main fundraisers the support group runs throughout the year.
Next up will be the annual golf day, to be held on June 29. This will be followed by the dinner auction held in September, before the end of year Christmas toy raffle.
Last year the group raised $85,000 for the helicopter service through their fundraisers and donations.
We need to know that if something goes wrong it's backing up our health professionals here and they know that with a phone call the 'bird' is up in the air within minutes and help is on its way.
- Support group secretary treasurer, Jo Fitzpatrick
Key to the success of their fundraising has been the donation of prizes and services provided by individuals, businesses, and community organisations to help cover the cost of these events.
Their donations ensure that all money raised goes directly to the helicopter service, without needing to deduct expenses associated with staging the fundraisers.
The support group has been active for more than 25 years and estimates to have raised more than $1 million during that time.
According to Jo Fitzpatrick, it is a necessary investment in a service which, due to its distance from both Taree and Newcastle, is essential to the Gloucester community.
"We have fantastic paramedics and we have a really, really good hospital and brilliant doctors, but they're limited because of the location and so we need the helicopter.
"We need to know that if something goes wrong it's backing up our health professionals here and they know that with a phone call the 'bird' is up in the air within minutes and help is on its way."
"I think with a lot of support groups their volunteers are there because someone they know, whether it's a family member or themselves or a friend, has used it and it's their way of giving back - it's their way of supporting their community."