Date: Saturday, 16th November, 2002
Place: La Rustica Italian Restaurant, 435 Parramatta Rd, Leichhardt
Guest Speaker: Richard Jones, Animator
Rather than begin with immodest self-declarations of unbelievable success, I will share part of an email from Carlyle Seers, to wit:
… another outstanding dinner! It was wonderful to meet new friends & strengthen old relationships. What a treat to have Richard Jones speak for us! Where on earth do you find these speakers? It always amazes me the amount of history Australia has within the entertainment industry. The $10 dollar Lucky dip concept was fantastic. What a great way to raise some revenue for the Kiddie's Hospital. It must be a great relief to have a successful money-spinner without the hassle of constantly dipping into one's own coffers & treasure room. I keep thinking that I must have stuff lying around that someone else might like. These are the sorts of things that are best shared amongst friends, whilst raising funds for Westmead, & not sitting on eBay.
It was indeed a happy event. The venue was designed in heaven for a gathering such as ours. The hosts, Tony and Mimma, were obliging to a fault. The food was superb. The good Dr Di Dio's auctioneering and comic virtuosity not only raised hundreds of dollars but had us all in stitches.
Our Guest Speaker, Richard Jones, was a flashback into Australia's entry into the world of animation. His talk was of great interest to all cartoon and animation fans. On top of this he produced a superb artwork that raised $500 for the Westmead Children's Hospital. While not mentioned on the night, Richard had this work framed at his own expense. He is an active supporter of Westmead Children's Hospital. He also donated a T-Shirt with a print of the artwork on the chest. We decided to give this to Catherine Rees in recognition of her heroic battle in the auction against Dominic Kelly. What a riveting confrontation that was!
Catherine, by coincidence, works for a medical company and through her good offices we hope to get more value for our dollar when purchasing equipment for the Children's Hospital.
Thanks are due here to Dietmar and Richard Lindner for their continued material support.
I don't know if anyone else noticed but we were having so much fun that we forgot to order coffee! Sorry, no refunds.
Enough. Let the photos speak for themselves.