Secret Harbour local Craig Simmitt was visibly shaking and fighting back tears on Saturday when he won a life-changing windfall that will finally allow him to buy an automatic car for his beloved wife, who suffered a devastating stroke a year ago.

The $40,000 prize at day one of Telethon’s Mega Bingo had Mr Simmitt reaching across the table to hug and kiss his wife who he wanted to share the magical moment with.

“I’m over the moon, just stoked,” the 50-year-old father of five said.

“My wife had a stroke a year ago, it’s just going to help us a heap . . . I’m a bit shaky.”

The couple travel hours to be in the city for the event every year.

“Well, we come every year, we always make a weekend of it and stay in the city because we’re from Secret Harbour,” Mr Simmitt said.

He revealed the deeply personal reason why the $40,000 prize meant so much to him.

“My wife had a stroke and she’s lost her eye, so probably a new car for her. She doesn’t like the manual anymore, with the one eye it just takes too much concentration away,” he said.

For the Simmitt family, supporting Telethon is deeply personal.

The charity has been a beacon of hope through their hardest times.

“We have a daughter who had an abscess of the hip when she was four,” he said.

“A nephew of ours had leukemia, another one had Trisomy 18, and we lost her.

“Telethon’s great. We’ve always supported them, I can’t be happier.”

Immediately after the life-changing win, the couple headed straight to the bathroom to call their five children.

“They said that we deserve it with what’s gone on throughout life,” Mr Simmitt said.

Mr Simmitt was just one of 5,000 bingo enthusiasts who descended on the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday for day one of Telethon’s Mega Bingo.

Returning for its 18th year, the much-loved fixture on Telethon’s annual event calendar brought with it a massive $140,000 prize pool, including the record-breaking $40,000 major jackpot to be won each day — believed to be the largest prize ever offered at a live bingo event in the nation.

From dedicated players who have attended every event since the beginning, to first-time participants the room was alive with the spirit of giving.

Some players even travelled from across the state and around the country to be part of the excitement, all whilst helping support WA’s sick and vulnerable children.

The generosity of the WA public was on full display, with the Telethon Mega Bingo raffle on Saturday alone raising over $100,000 — the most ever raised by the raffle in the event’s history.

In addition to the cash prizes, participants also had the chance to win a brand new car.

This years lucky winner of the 2026 GAC Emzoom Luxury Automatic valued at $26,990, was Susan Holtz.

For Ms Holcz, the weekend provided the ultimate early birthday present.

“Actually, a friend and I joked about (winning) the other day,” she said.

“But I’m still pretty shocked.”

The sheer scale and impact of the event was put into perspective by Dr Morven Dockery, a doctor at Perth Children’s Hospital, who witnessed the sea of generosity first hand for the first time.

“It’s amazing to see how many people here are turning out to support Telethon,” Dr Dockery said. “Having seen directly the impact that that can have on families and children in the WA area is just amazing.”

The crowd was filled with incredible stories of devotion, none more so than 38-year-old Travis Dames, who flew all the way from Melbourne just for the event.

Remarkably, Mr Dames is spending a total of six hours in Perth to be at the Mega Bingo — meaning he will spend less time on WA soil than the total time he spends flying in the air to Perth and back to Melbourne.

“I was in attendance at the opening and closing ceremony last October, and I think the cause was fantastic, so the chance to be part of this today, when it came up, like, how could you say no?” Mr Dames said.

“My family have had kids that have been touched by some sort of illness, or you know, had a troubled start in life, so be able to do something like this and be part of it, even if it just is for the day.

“I think I’m here for a total of six hours from touchdown to take off this afternoon. It’s worth it, I would do it every weekend if I could.”

Meanwhile, childhood friends Jody Nix and Sonja Cooper injected some rock-and-roll energy into the convention centre, taking out the best dressed competition for their spectacular AC/DC-inspired outfits.

“We’re huge AC/DC fans. We follow them around Australia. We actually started in Las Vegas and go back to Las Vegas in five weeks,” they said.

But behind the leather and rock attitude was a deep-rooted desire to give back to the hospital that saved their own families.

“I’m actually a Heart Kids family, so we’re giving back to what you know WA has given to us with our children,” Ms Cooper said.

“We’re childhood friends from birth. We’ve watched Telethon since we were little, and now that we’re parents, and we both had both our children in PCH, we’re just giving back.”

Despite being seasoned concert-goers, they said securing a spot at the bingo tables was their toughest gig yet.

“Oh my god, getting tickets was so insane. I mean, we fight for tickets for Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC/DC and this was the hardest to get tickets for and it was sold out literally online in a few minutes.”

For others, the day was a beautiful celebration of family.

One table represented three generations of West Australian women — grandma, mum, and a daughter who is currently pregnant with generation four.

Grandmother Morene Rowe said the event has become a sacred family tradition.

“We love a chance for all the family to get together and we all bring some food together and share and get here early and have a chat and laugh,” Mrs Rowe said.

The smiles kept coming throughout the afternoon, with 36-year-old Sharni McDonald walking away a whopping $11,000 richer.

“I’m absolutely over the moon,” Ms McDonald said.

“This is my third Telethon Mega Bingo. I don’t know what I’ll spend it on yet, maybe a holiday or at the casino.”

With day one delivering record crowds, historic raffle pools, and unforgettable moments of joy, the momentum is officially building toward the main event.

The 2026 Telethon Weekend will be held on 17 and 18 October at RAC Arena.

This year, Telethon is supporting 147 children’s charities across the state.