Geelong fundraiser raises thousands for bushfire relief

A sell-out crowd of 700 people wandered through the Geelong CBD on Saturday for the APCO Foundation’s annual Geelong Wine Walk, bringing in close to $70,000 for bushfire relief.

Hosted by seven historically significant venues in the city’s centre – including Sailors’ Rest, Fishermen’s Pier and Shorts Place Social – patrons visited each location and enjoyed complimentary tastings from 22 local producers.

Guests engaged with winemakers to learn the history of their offerings, meeting new faces along the way.

The Geelong Wine Walk is the APCO Foundation’s major fundraiser, with this year’s proceeds donated to families affected by Australia’s bushfires just days out from the event.

APCO Foundation chair Sharon Gleeson said the money raised had already been donated to three families, who were each handed $20,000.

“One family has five children. He is unemployed and lost his home on New Year’s Eve, two of his children have autism. They are really struggling as you can imagine.

“We hope to help all three families in other ways over the coming months and follow up over the next few years with them to offer further support if needed.

“We want to thank all those involved in this year’s Geelong Wine Walk for their generous support and for helping the Foundation to raise this money.

“Your acts of kindness and your support for our cause will help to leave a huge impact on the world.”