57 chairs went under the hammer, with $156.8k raised for charity
Hotham’s charity auction has raised $156,812 for local charities as guests went all out to own a piece of Hotham history and take home chairs from the Victorian ski resorts first-ever chairlift - The Playground Chair, a two-seater that opened in 1969 and was the main access lift back to the village until 1993 when the Village Chair opened.
Community spirits were high at the auction event on opening weekend, with $75,800 raised for local charities at the auction taking place at The Bird, a Mt Hotham institution. John and Lachlan Castran of Castran Real Estate auctioned off 27 of the chairs to the Hotham community on the night.
After this, an online auction took place, where the remaining 30 chairs were up for grabs, which raised an additional $81,012 for charity - $156,812 in total!
“We are so thrilled with this outcome – to be able to give back to the community and share a beloved part of Hotham’s history with the people of the mountain has been fantastic,” said Emily Smith, Mount Hotham Skiing Company’s Marketing Manager.
“It was a highlight of opening weekend with many long time Hotham skiers and riders showing up to be part of the action,” added Smith,
All proceeds from the auction will support the local community, youth and environment initiatives through Hotham’s EpicPromise Foundation.
These include: Bright P-12 + including the Dinner Plain Campus, Omeo Primary School, Tawonga Primary School, Porepunkah Primary, Harrietville Bush Kinder, Omeo Region Business and Tourism Association – Omeo Community Hub, The Hangout – Youth Program run by Omeo District Health, Disabled Wintersports Australia – Adaptive Snowsports for Kids, Hotham Free Ski, Chumpy Pullin Foundation, Bright Courthouse Committee of Management – AV upgrade to support arts at the venue, Dinner Plain Community Association – DP MTB Trail Maintenance Initiative.
ENDS
For more information visit: : Playground Chair Charity Auction | Hotham Alpine Resort (mthotham.com.au)
Images available here: 10.06.23 Playground Chair Auction - Dropbox
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