From Hilltops Council – Tony Flanery

On Saturday night the Harden District Education Fountain (HDEF) held a trivia night at the Mechanics Institute to raise funds for local students to assist with their tertiary education needs as they move from secondary school where financial needs are minimal to university and TAFE where expenses can be overwhelming.

It was an absolutely fantastic night where everyone made a special effort to get dressed up and decorate their tables, with the theme as Aussie icons. There was a table of Dame Edna’s, The Melbourne Demons, the Wiggles, Tradies, The NSW Blues and many other classic aussie icons. David Bolger dressed as Dennis Lillee and Graham Martin Dye dressed as a Demons supporter were the best male “dress-ups” whilst Robin Lang as Dame Edna and Skie Pope as Sharon from Kath and Kim were the best female “dress-ups”.

The night was attended by 200 locals, with everyone giving generously throughout the evening to raise funds for such a worthwhile cause. Vicki Fairfield-Smith and Mary-Ann Fitzgerald (dressed as Kath and Kim) did an amazing job as compares throughout the evening with a clever mix of good humour and organisational skill in keeping the night moving along. The questions, activities and music were all particularly well done.

Congratulations to the HDEF committee on putting on such a fun night where a significant amount of money was raised. The HDEF have been fund raising for 20 years during which time they have raised over $750,000 which has helped fund some of the educational costs of local students.

The work the committee members do is to be truly admired. They organise events such as Saturday night, raise funds from corporate donors, interview students prior to granting any funds and then assess their performance to ensure there is accountability. None of the time they give is for their own benefit but purely to provide an opportunity to local children. We are all lucky we don’t live in Ukraine and even more lucky to have the opportunities we do as Australians particularly living in a wonderful community like ours.

Councillor Tony Flanery

• Topics:

• Local Council