SINCE getting into fishing the one thing that has never ceased to amaze me is the sheer number of genuine and generous people I have met through the sport.
One of these people is Jeff Manson. Jeff is an active member of both Botany Bay Game fishing Club and the South Sydney Amateur Fishing Association and has combined his love for fishing with his generous nature to do some great work for the Sydney Children’s Hospital.
12 years ago, in the lead up to his 50th birthday, Jeff decided that instead of gifts from his guests he would look to give something back to the community. He held a dinner for 25 couples who were asked to pay $25 a head with all the money raised being donated to the Children’s Hospital.
Event organiser Jeff Manson.
After the success of the night, Jeff sought some support from the fishing industry and the following year held a mega auction & raffle at the St George Motor Boat Club – again donating all the proceeds to the Children’s Hospital.
Fast forward a couple of years and the aptly named ‘Fishing for Sick Kids’ charity events now involve a bi-annual charity dinner and auction along with the Fishing for Sick Kids “Day on the Bay” where volunteer boats from both Botany Bay GFC and South Sydney AFA take the kids out for a day fishing in Botany Bay, followed by a BBQ and presentation in the Park.
Above – Images from the “Day on the Bay”.
This year’s charity dinner was held in early October at the Bowlers club in Sydney’s CBD and was attended by 150 guests. The night was a fantastic success with multiple raffles, live and silent auctions and the most sought after raffle of the night – a $100 ticket raffle for a $10,000 cash prize. The Swinging Sixties Band topped it off with guests dancing the night away for a good cause.
This year the dinner raised more than $32,000 which will go directly towards the purchase of medical equipment for the Sydney Children’s Hospital.
Obviously nights like this don’t happen on their own and take a huge amount of effort to organise, along with a lot of support from sponsors. This year the fishing industry got behind the night in a big way and Jeff and all of the organisers would like to say a big thankyou to the major sponsor Shimano, with great support also received from Yamaha, Jarvis Walker, Rapala, Furuno, D & D Autos and many more.
A fun night was had by all – members of major sponsor team Shimano.
If you would like to help Jeff with any of his future charity events for the Children’s Hospital you can contact him on email (spin-drift@bigpond.com). Alternatively, why not look into organising a charitable day within your own fishing club or community? As Jeff has shown, what starts as a small idea can make a significant difference thanks to the generous spirit of so many in our sport.
