The road to recovery
The fires may be out, but their devastating impact will be felt for years to come. A few months ago our offices nationwide pledged local initiatives to help bushfire affected communities in any way they can. Since then, we've held events across Sydney and Canberra, while our team in Adelaide has supported the #BookThemOut campaign by spending a weekend in fire-affected Adelaide Hills.
Our staff in Canberra held a fundraising trivia night at the Duxton Hotel. Clients, designers, and subcontractors were all urged to show off their competitive streak while raising money for the ACT RFS. Over 70 of our SA staff attended the #BookThemOut lunch at Golding Wines in Adelaide - including their partners and families. As well as being able to directly give back to the venue during its post-disaster recovery, the lunch also served as a fun day out with family and friends.
Golding Wines was directly impacted by the bushfires in SA with the fires burning the gardens and vines right up to their cellar door. While it was a fantastic family-friendly afternoon it was also very surreal driving through burnt out areas and seeing the damage and destruction - but more positively, the new regrowth occurring.
Over in Sydney, our team held a fundraising lunch hosted by Aussie legend Jamie Durie. Held at the iconic Café Sydney, the exclusive event brought together our clients, subcontractors, and friends for an afternoon of good food, entertainment, and charity. All ticket purchases and table sponsorship went directly to the RFS - before a single plate had been laid, or a glass lifted, we had already raised over $51,000. By the end of the afternoon, along with a well-fed and highly entertained crowd, auction items had raised an additional $15,000 - bringing the tally up to $66,000.
It's so important that in our busy world we remember to help our community - I had the biggest smile on my face knowing what we had achieved!
We hope that our collective efforts will provide much-needed relief directly to those who have been affected by the devastating fires and those who have worked tirelessly to protect us.