Laughter and charity in Kyabram

Event organiser Nick Curnow said the turnout was impressive and the day was an overall success.

Around $8500 was raised from the five prizes in the auction alone, and over $6000 was generated by the raffle.

“All the prizes went off, so that was really good,” Mr Curnow said.

“It’s a great event, and that was the 10th year. We’ve raised over $150,000 ... and we will be making a donation to the hospital. We’ll just keep it going and keep it rolling.”

Mr Curnow and emcee Tim Nelson kicked off the event with an introduction to the day.

Kyabram District Health Service chief executive Anne McEvoy and director of corporate services Jon Laughlin spoke about where money raised from the event went.

They said funds raised from this year’s event would go towards mental health initiatives following participant feedback, along with various preventive health measures.

Keith Naylor gave a speech on prostate cancer awareness and talked about his own journey with the illness, now being five years in remission since his diagnosis.

Mr Baker gave a presentation on his path to becoming a player for St Kilda Football Club, his experiences with mental health issues and the development of his GRIT program.

He was later interviewed on stage by Mr Nelson about some of the more colourful moments of his career, which Mr Baker spoke openly about.

Before charity auctions and raffles rounded out the day, Mr O’Neil performed a stand-up set, making use the crowd and the local area for material.

Mr Curnow said he expected the event to return next year, and that he already had some leads for performers.