Once the 264 ladies (and the one paying gentleman) entered the Fancourt Banquet Hall, the icy, cold, wet, drab weather was firmly left behind and the atmosphere took on one of warmth, love and camaraderie.
The attendees were welcomed by the angelic voices of four young ladies from Glenwood House and York High School.
George Child and Family Welfare Director Sue du Toit explained that they could not function without the community's generous support.
"We now have a mobile toy library that visits up to 40 crèches in the area, sharing educational toys with the children. Du Toit coyly said that although they are the proud owners of two Avanzas, they are in desperate need of a caravan or something similar to use as a mobile classroom. "In fact we have noticed a beautiful red bus on the corner of Mitchell and Market Street that would do just nicely," she said with a twinkle in her eye.
Guest speaker, 94.5 Kfm Breakfast's Ryan O'Conner shared his personal struggle of his Life is Amazing story. He and his wife had waited nine years to conceive their first child, who was then stillborn. He explained how they had chosen to look at the positive in their ordeal and wait patiently for their daughters to be born.
O'Connor said that he was most definitely going to concentrate on a fundraiser to ensure that the George Child and Welfare Society would receive their big, bright, red bus.
The Dis-Chem Foundation surprised Child and Family Welfare by handing over a whopping R10 000 to a visibly surprised and delighted Du Toit.
Models from Ace Models took to the ramp showing off the elegant clothing of @Three, a George boutique, and the audience waited with bated breath as the Sea Cliff Resort & Spa Zanzibar raffle for a 10 night stay worth R20 000 was being drawn.
An attendee became confused about which number was being drawn and leaped onto the stage to collect the prize only to realise, to her absolute embarrassment and dismay, that she was, in fact, not the winner. Fancourt CEO, Kerring Titmas immediately stepped in and offered the red faced lady a three night stay at the exclusive five star Fancourt Manor House while a delighted Karen Naudè walked away as the true winner of the prize.
The organisers hope to raise over R70 000, but the exact amount raised will only be known next week.
View more photos here.
From left: Bernadette de Lange, Estèe Terblanche, Lindi Deacon, Simonè Roetz, Lynnè Campher, Suzanne Pieters, Susan Heyns, Erica Fourie, Ilze Stander and Zelda Hanekom were amongst the 264 ladies (and one paying gentleman) who thoroughly enjoyed the George Child and Family Welfare Life is Amazing Tea. Photos: Fran Kirsten
'We bring you the latest George | Garden Route news'
