Fresh wheels: Chairperson of the financial committee at St Aloysius Catholic Church Tony Carlson, Moama Bowling Club sales and marketing manager George Santos, Pat Duffy, Beryl Duffy, Jed Duffy and Echuca Mazda dealer principal Garet Stobaus all took in the brand new Mazda CX-30. Photo by Aidan Briggs.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
Echuca Mazda handed over the keys of a brand-new car to some lucky local winners as part of a fundraising raffle from a local parish.
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In conjunction with Echuca Mazda, Moama Bowling Club supplied the new Mazda CX-30 vehicle to St Aloysius Catholic Parish, Moama, to raise money to install an accessibility ramp at their parish.
St Aloysius raised about $68,000 towards developing infrastructure to make their parish more accessible to community members.
Winners Beryl and Pat Duffy were ecstatic to receive their new vehicle and couldn’t believe their $50 raffle ticket had won a top-of-the-range car valued at roughly $44,000.
“It’s wonderful and a real surprise to be able to win the car,” Ms Duffy said.
“I was just walking on the street in Echuca, and the ladies from the church were selling the tickets for the raffle, so I decided to buy one.
“It’s unbelievable. We are a bit overwhelmed, but it is great to help the church get its new disability ramp. It means a lot to us to help our community.”
Echuca Mazda dealer principal Garet Stobaus shared how he was approached to provide the car to be raffled off and how he was willing to help because he knows from experience how challenging fundraising can be.
“George Santos at the Moama Bowling Club reached out to me and said he had a local organisation that needed to raise funds. He asked me if I’d be interested in helping with a car,” he said.
“It was just a co-contribution donation, and to their credit, they sold a lot of raffle tickets, which is great.
“I’m also involved in a charity organisation in town, and I know it’s really difficult to raise money, particularly in the current climate.”
Revealed: Winners Beryl and Pat Duffy take the cover off their new Mazda vehicle. Photo by Aidan Briggs.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
Mr Stobaus was happy to be involved in an event that aids groups within the community and makes life a little bit easier for the lucky winners who have recently moved to Lockington.
“Just being able to get involved and any time you can partner up with the bowling club is good because they give so much back and are amazing for our community,” she said.
“It was a no-brainer; I just rolled up my sleeves and got involved.
“It’s good to see locals win the car. Spending $50 on a raffle ticket and turning it into a $44,000 car is pretty cool.
“We like to think all of our new car deliveries have a bit of a wow factor, but that one was pretty special.”
St Aloysius Catholic Parish chair and Moama financial committee member Tony Carlson highlighted how great it was that Mr and Mrs Duffy could win the car and how much the proceeds will help make the parish more accessible for everyone.
“We are all extremely grateful to Moama Bowling Club and Echuca Mazda for supplying us with such a great prize for our raffle,” he said.
“The money we have raised will go a long way in installing a disability ramp at our church.
“We couldn’t have asked for better people to win the car. They’re so nice and have just moved from Tasmania, so this is sure to make their lives easier.”
Handing it over: Pat and Beryl Duffy, with grandson Jed Duffy, receive the keys to their new car from Echuca Mazda's dealer principal Garet Stobaus. Photo: Aidan Briggs.
Photo by
Aidan Briggs
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