An amazing, star-studded evening filled with glitz, glamour, glitter and gold was held at Sydney’s magnificent Town Hall, and saw a total of $53,931 fund raised for LGBTI community groups.
An amazing, star-studded Annual Aurora Ball was held at Sydney’s magnificent Town Hall on Saturday evening and saw a total of $53,931 fundraised for LGBTI community groups. Guests enjoyed a night of fine food and spectacular entertainment, while outstanding raffles and auctions culminated in a hugely successful fundraiser for The Aurora Group.
The 2013 Annual Ball, a sold-out event, had audiences soaked in glitz and glamour, while sparkling in 1920s costume inspired by the ‘Yesterday Once More’ theme. Attendees included Alex Greenwich MP, Tanya Plibersek MP, Cr Linda Scott and a host of corporate supporters including IBM and Goldman Sachs.
Host Gretel Killeen kept guests entertained throughout the three-course banquet, while stellar performances included NYC cabaret sensation Joey Arias and a breathtaking performance by The Great Gatsby star and singer Brendan Maclean, while Sydney’s Queen of drag queens Trevor Ashley hosted the live auction.
Australian screen icon Magda Szubanski made the keynote speech, providing both a hilarious and poignant reminder of the reason the Aurora Annual Ball remains an important fundraiser for the LGBTI community, and highlighted her personal ‘coming out’ experience.
“Aurora couldn’t be happier with the funds raised by the exceptional attendees of this year’s Annual Ball,” said Aurora Chair Adam Niewand (photographed below). “The generosity and excitement in the room combined to create one of our most fabulous events, and reflected the fun and passionate work that The Aurora Group strives to do every year.
“Event Director Wayne Cox did a spectacular job of transforming Sydney Town Hall into a 1920s celebration… We’d like to thank everyone who contributed, volunteered and attended the evening, the response to the event has been overwhelming and we are already looking forward to 2014” said Niewand.
The Aurora Annual Ball is a fundraiser for Aurora’s charitable grants programs, for LGBTI projects across New South Wales. Small grants will be open to community groups and allocated later in 2013.
