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With quest speaker rugby great Sir Wayne “Buck” Shelford helping to draw people through the door, a fundraising auction for the Warkworth RSA has raised $11,600 towards installing a lift at the club rooms.
The auction on June 18, saw Ben Kloppers from RE/MAX Warkworth handling the spirited bidding on goods and services donated by local businesses and community members. Money raised included a $5000 cheque from Warkworth Lions.
Warkworth RSA secretary manager Chrissy Keith says the night was a big success for the club’s fundraising efforts, but was also thoroughly enjoyable. It was a case of third time lucky for the event, as Covid restrictions had seen the auction cancelled twice.
This is the final fundraising effort for the $160,000 project to install a lift from the carpark into the main building, giving patrons an alternative to walking up two flights of stairs. Originally planned as part of other renovations that took place back in 1986, limited finances at the time meant the lift part of the project was put on hold.
Taken up again by district president Bob Harrison and wife Kathy at the beginning of 2021with a fundraising committee set up, the project stalled at times with Covid restrictions.
“Some club members find the two sets of stairs to get into building from the carpark below hard to handle and the lift will make life easier for everyone,” Keith says.
The build is well underway and the shaft in place, and the lift is expected to be installed this month.
Along with wheelchairs, the lift will also be big enough to accommodate mobility scooters.
Other funding for the project included $80,000 from the National Lotteries Commission and around $10,600 from Foundation North.
