It all started as a suggestion during a barbecue with neighbours - to hold a fundraiser in order to support a good community cause.
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And so, the Bakers Creek Charity Ball was born.
The inaugural event was held on Saturday, August 24 on a property on Bakers Creek Road with 120 people attending.
In order to get the idea up and running, the residents formed an organising committee.
"The residents of Bakers Creek are community-minded," committee member, Bob Tebbet said. "When someone comes up with a good idea the people of Bakers Creek get behind it."
United by a concern about welfare and the well-being of the people of Gloucester, it was decided to raise funds for the Bucketts Way Neighbourhood Group (BWNG), a not-for-profit organisation that prides itself on providing a quality service to the Gloucester community in the areas of aged care, disability, transport and youth.
"The BWNG is local, the chief executive officer and the management board of the BWNG are local, the employees at BWNG are local and they care for locals," Bob said. "It is a terrific organisation that does so much for the welfare and well-being of our community and it is an organisation that is worth supporting."
Bakers Creek residents were asked to gather friends for the event and fill a table at $100 per head to enjoy an evening of entertainment by The Grasscutters and fine food provided by BWNG's Blueprint Kitchen. Additional funds were raised through a series of auctions and novelty events, including "guess the weight of some of Gloucester's best bulls of the human variety", being Rodney Summerville, Troy Higgins, Les Stone and James Tranter.
"The objective of the ball was to raise money; the aim of the ball was to have fun," Bob said. "The ball was a highly successful event raising $10,000."
For the BWNG, which relies heavily on State and Federal grants, the donation is most welcome. CEO Anna Burley said group is considering a joint venture with the Gloucester Uniting Church and Uniting to establish a 120 Countdown Program in Gloucester. It's a volunteer community-based initiative designed to assist people of all ages to obtain a driver's licence.
"The ball committee intend to channel profits from the ball into this project," Bob said. "We would like to thank all of the generous sponsors who supported the event and all of the terrific, kind and generous people who attended the event and made it great."