The clouds that greeted us were ominous, but a bit of drizzle couldn’t dampen the high spirits of the players who gathered at the beautiful Lynwood Golf and Country Club. They were welcomed by the Stronger Together Foundation’s CEO, Ellen Witzlsperger, and Board member Ramsay Zreikat, who expressed their gratitude for the attendees’ support and shared the impact of the funds raised. Players threw back bacon and egg rolls before a shotgun start, kicking off the Stronger Together Foundation’s Charity Golf Day for 2024!
With fully stocked golf carts, the teams made their way around the stunning course, replenishing snacks and refreshments at the halfway house. Hole 1, sponsored by JDI Services, was a competition for the longest drive, but it was no ordinary tee – players stood on a seesaw balance board to take their shot. Vestibular sensory input, anyone? Once a therapist, always a therapist! Jenny Hur from Matrix Norwest took home the honours, and the eye-catching golf bag prize. Hole 9 was sponsored by Guardian Realty and was a Hole-in-One competition for a whopping $10,000! Unfortunately, it went unclaimed. Better luck next year, everyone!
As the teams began finishing their rounds, they returned to the verandah and were greeted by more refreshments and a hearty steak or schnitty to refuel after a hard morning’s work. Bingo board and raffle tickets were sold in droves while players eyed off the live auction items, which included everything from a Camilla travel bag and sunglasses to a 7-night stay in Burleigh Heads. But before the auction got underway, Ellen introduced guest speaker, Keni, who spoke to the crowd about his family’s journey with the Foundation. His son, Fotu, is a delight, and the love for Fotu is evident in his family’s commitment to his support. There were a few glistening eyes amongst the crowd, and Keni finished to a loud round of applause.
Ellen then handed over to pro auctioneer Ben Jobberns from Guardian Realty, who got the crowd digging deep in the live auction and raising their hands for a good cause. Thanks Ben!
After the live auction, prizes galore were raffled off before it was time for the most notable prize of all. Congratulations go to Team Wynne, who played a solid and consistent round to take home the sense of pride that comes with a charity championship win! And a trophy, of course. It must have been Gareth Wynne’s lucky day, because he also managed to snag a beautiful canvas print in the raffle!
Coming in a close second and also scoring themselves a trophy were the boys from Sean’s Team. And what competition would be complete without a Wooden Spoon? Or, in this case, a brass Turkey? Tiger and his Three Cats were the proud winners, and we’re hoping they’ll be back next year to defend (or, hopefully, relinquish) their title! Kudos must also be given to the Putt Pirates, who took home the award for Best Dressed!
A huge thank you goes out to everyone who helped make sure this day was a success. Firstly, thank you to Lynwood Golf and Country Club for hosting the event. Thanks to our major sponsor, Guardian Realty, who has partnered with us every year to bring this event to fruition, and to our gold sponsor, JDI Services. Thanks too to our hole sponsors: Agenzia Pty Ltd, Anderson Boemi Lawyers, Auto One Castle Hill, The Castle Hill RSL Group, Eko Finance & Home Loans, Fireside Heating, Flemming Group, FundFinders, Goldman Plumbing Services Pty Ltd, Statewide Civil, The Stage Door Performing Arts and Tomcat Air. Thank you to everyone who donated prizes. And finally, thank you to our volunteers and staff who worked hard to bring everything together.
We are so pleased to report that thanks to everyone’s combined efforts, we raised $26,000 for the Stronger Together Foundation, which will go towards ensuring children and their families continue to receive vital early childhood supports.
Thank you, and we’ll see you again next year!
Check out a selection of photos below, or click here for the full album.
