Night to remember: The glitz, glamour & generosity from record-breaking Midwest Charity Begins at Home gala

The people of Geraldton and the Mid West have 320,000 reasons to be proud. The generosity and compassion of locals was in full force at the 2023 Midwest Charity Begins at Home gala last Saturday night at Geraldton Grammar’s Batavia Hall. Despite a smaller crowd and cost-of-living pressures, last year’s fundraising record of $300,000 was well and truly broken, with the total tally raised at this year’s event coming to $320,000. Now finished its 16th year, the gala event has raised in excess of $3 million for more than 350 Mid West families who are experiencing financial need and life-threatening illnesses. A big coup was securing the services of famed WA comedian Rove McManus as host. He had the audience in stitches but also reflected on the sombre reason they had gathered. McManus has strong ties to Geraldton, with his actor wife Tasma Walton raised in the Mid West city, prompting McManus to declare he’s “practically Geraldton’s son-in-law”. Walton did not attend her hometown event because she had filming commitments. Lost loved ones were remembered during the night, with candles lit around a huge love heart. When the time came for the auction, the 370-strong crowd didn’t hesitate to dig deep. The most sought after auction item was a 10-person, fully catered open box for the Pink concert, which sold for $22,000, and was donated by Westweld Engineering. “We broke our record. We raised $320,000, which we really weren’t expecting to do given the turn out,” said event co-ordinator, Onika-Lee Routledge. “It was a wonderful night. It was amazing to see Rove, everyone really enjoyed his presence.” The event had been 10 months in the making, thanks to a committee and volunteer board of 11 people. A team of 35 volunteers on the night ensured its smooth running. Catering was Asian-inspired and provided by Salt Dish, Flow and Tarts and Co, following the event’s theme of The Orient. “We can only do this because of the support we receive throughout the year,” Ms Routledge said. “We really appreciate every donation that comes our way. By supporting MWCBAH your money stays in our community, while helping those in our community.”