Barwon Heads leads region in Good Friday Appeal support

Barwon Heads has again topped the local Good Friday Appeal fundraising standings, raising almost $90,000 for the Royal Children’s Hospital.

The township rode a wave of community support to reach the figure, driven largely by the efforts of The Tin Shed at the Barwon Grove Golf Club.

Close to 1,000 people attended the venue’s Good Friday event, helping generate about $82,000.

Auctioneer Peter Molloyled the sale of more than 78 items across the day, while Geelong great Joel Selwood drew the major raffle prize, a $2,500 travel voucher.

Tin Shed president Jamie McDonald said the result reflected the strength of the community.

“It was close to a record year for us this year, a fantastic result in uncertain times,” he said.

“The power of our small community is just incredible and it makes us so proud to be making such a huge impact.

“[The event] is going from strength to strength, truly.”

Good Friday Appeal chair Penny Fowler said the generosity of regional Victorian communities like Barwon Heads continued to shine.

“Giving for the kids is at the heart of the Good Friday Appeal,” she said.

“Families are doing it tougher than ever when it comes to cost of living. Their unwavering support highlights the compassion and strength of our regional volunteers, donors and supporters.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone who contributed to this year’s remarkable result.”

Regional and rural Victoria contributed almost $6 million to this year’s appeal, with Geelong ranked fourth among the top fundraising areas with more than $170,000.

Across Greater Geelong and the Surf Coast, many other local towns played their part, including Torquay ($86,000), Ocean Grove ($74,000), Drysdale ($46,000), Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff ($32,000), Portarlington ($38,000), Bannockburn ($19,000), Gherang ($14,000) and Winchelsea ($8,000).