Appeal a roaring success

THE GOOD Friday Appeal is a cause locals get behind no matter what, and 2024 has proved no exception, with two groups raising over $70,000 combined.

The Ballan Group of Fire Brigades and Bacchus Marsh Lions Club, who both raise funds for the cause every year, both raised more than $30,000 this year.

The Ballan Group of Fire Brigades (Ballan, Gordon, Greendale, and Mt Egerton) raised a total of $17,776.20 from tin rattling and door knocking, which came to $34,265 when added to the area’s phone, online, and other donations.

That’s around $10,000 more than they raised last year.

Ballan Fire Brigade’s fundraising coordinator, Ian Ireland, thanked the community for digging deep, and volunteering to collect money for the Good Friday Appeal.

“It was a great effort, and a big thank you to the community for participating in such a worthwhile cause,” he said.

“We had the Scouts volunteer which we’re grateful for, and a couple of people from the community that came and helped on Good Friday. But we’d still love more volunteers to contribute a few hours in the morning.

“Some of the members who collect are getting a bit old in the tooth for walking long distances. We had a 95-year-old lady collecting at the Mobil service station on the Thursday…so don’t let age be a barrier to volunteering.”

Further east, the Bacchus Marsh Lions Club raised a total of $37,881 – a record for the club, up from last year’s tally of $34,339.

Fundraising co-ordinator David Atterbury thanked those who had supported the Lions Club’s fundraising efforts.

“We’re absolutely ecstatic. We were actually a bit down on volunteers, so we’re super excited with the support we got from people donating,” he said.

“A big thank you to all the generous contributors, the volunteers who helped us collect all that money, and the sponsors for supporting our fundraising efforts.”