$500,000 raised by Variety Club Bash accepted for Kalgoorlie children's ward

26/8/95

Health Minister Graham Kierath today accepted a cheque for $500,000 raised by the 1995 'Paddy to Paddy' Variety Club Bash.

This year's participants have just completed a week long, 2,770 kilometre fund raising drive in pre 1995 vehicles from the Paddy Hannan statue at Burswood Resort in Perth to the Kalgoorlie landmark Paddy, via Bunbury, Margaret River, Lake Grace and Norseman.

The donation, which will go towards the redevelopment of Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital's children's ward, was handed over this morning at a garden party held on the hospital grounds to wind up this year's bash.

"Half a million dollars is a lot of money, even in terms of the colossal sums associated with health care," Mr Kierath said.

"This cheque will cover nearly half the total allocation for the hospital's development project over the next two years.

"The new 'Variety Club of Western Australia Children's Ward' at Kalgoorlie Hospital will provide an invaluable service to the people of the northern goldfields.

"It will join the long list of expensive medical equipment and facilities the Variety Club has already helped to finance for children's health care over the past six years."

Mr Kierath said the 'Bash ers' had done a great service to the comfort and quality of health care for children in the region, in true Western Australian style.

"The variety club has once again conducted a massive fund-raising campaign by driving their vehicles across the sort of astronomical distances that are so much a part of our character in WA," he said.

"In the true WA spirit, they have stuck to the purest and most honourable purposes without losing the ability to have a good time."

The Variety Club will also donate a further $350,000 for improvements at Fremantle Hospital's children ward.

Media contact: Brian Coulter 481 2133