EMOTIONS ran high at Rymill Hall on Saturday night during the special Variety SA fundraising gala dinner in support of Penola lad Max Croser.
Max suffered severe burns to his body and continues to undergo a challenging treatment process.
Throughout the journey, children’s charity Variety has supported the 10-year-old and his family.
Community members together with Variety hosted Saturday night’s gala event, which raised $32,000 for the charity through auctions.
The event not only shone a light on how the charity supports children like Max, but also celebrated 10 years of the Variety V2 Motorcycle Run.
Event manager Alex Richards said it was a special evening for all involved.
”It was great to see the kids get involved on the night with Max, Fleur and Jack up on stage assisting Anthony Toop spot bids for the auction,” he said.
“The auctions resulted in bids totalling $32,000 to assist children in need.”
More than 160 people attended the gala event which included dinner, auctions, entertainment and live music by Mount Gambier band Mischief and Mayhem.
Guests were treated to a three course-dinner prepared by chef Ian Perry and his team from TAFE SA.
During his speech, Mr Perry highlighted that almost all of the food used on the night was donated by local businesses and individuals.
“A big thank you to all of our suppliers and individuals who helped pull this together,” he said.
Mr Richards said the Variety team was in awe of the support shown by the Penola community.
”The generosity of the local community in providing most of the product for the dinner and the time donated by talented chef Ian Perry and his team from TAFE SA was heart-warming,” Mr Richards said.
Max’s mother Kirsten Croser said it was a special and touching event for her family.
She thanked the charity and event organisers for their ongoing support.
“Thank you to all the amazing people from Variety SA who attended the dinner, you are all such generous and kind people,” she said.
“A special thank you to all the people who generously donated their auction purchases to Max.
“Also a big thank you to Mardi Currie and Louise Perry who coordinated the local Penola contribution, we are so blessed to have amazing people helping us in Max’s journey.”
The annual Variety V2 Motorcycle Run finished up on Sunday with 61 entrants on 29 bikes achieving a fundraising total of $211,000.
The run is an “up-market” event designed to attract motorcycle enthusiasts who enjoy firing up their bikes for a four-day luxury cruise.
In its 10 year history, the run has raised more than $1.7m for Variety.
This year’s event featured a ride from the Adelaide Hills through Meningie to Robe before continuing to Beachport, Port MacDonnell and Penola.
