Cottage By the Sea fundraiser shines

QUEENSCLIFF”S Cottage By the Sea Fundraising branch is celebrating the success of their most recent event.

The group hosted a fundraiser evening on July 25, hosting Cate Steains as their guest speaker for the evening who works for the United Nations.

Cottage By The Sea Queenscliff Fundraising Branch president Claire Bolster said it was a very successful night.

“Cate Steains certainly enlightened the audience about the work she does as a humanitarian lawyer for the United Nations, and she gave some specific examples about the work she’s done in Darfur and Afghanistan.

“There was a lot of goodwill in the audience, lots of interest and some interesting questions were asked about the nature of her work and the success of her work.”

Ms Steains, an Ocean Grove local herself, was very well received by the audience, speaking for about 45 minutes and showing photos where there had been success in her work.

Ms Bolster said there was mixed feelings in the room throughout the night.

“There were moments when we felt great happiness and joy and there were moments of sorrow, but great admiration that there are people like Cate.

“She was driven to provide support for vulnerable people around the world, through her work with the UN.

“It’s important that the community, our local community, knows that we have people who do such important work on an international level.”

Around 50 people attended on the evening with the event raising more than $2,500 for the Cottage and its efforts in supporting children.