Our Annual Charity Events
2020
Due to COVID-19, no fund-raising events will be held in 2020.
Note: The Annual Golf Day for 2021 is scheduled to be held on Friday 26 March at Moonah Links, Fingal – further details TBA.
2019
Friday 4 October – Annual Golf Day
Moonah Links, Fingal
The second Annual Golf Day was held at Moonah Links with 84 players registering for the event which was played in the morning, followed by lunch. Andrew Gaze, former NBL basketballer for the Melbourne Tigers, kindly agreed to be the auctioneer for the main auction and entertained all those in attendance. Thank you to all those who participated in the event and to all those people who directly donated to the Kim Jolly Lupus Research Fund.
Event raised $13,018 (including personal donations).
Saturday 25 May – Annual Charity Cocktail Party
The 2019 Masquerade Party at River’s Edge, World Trade Centre, on Saturday 25 May, and we are delighted to announce that we had a sell-out guest list of 210. As guests entered the venue, they received a butterfly masquerade mask. A very exciting “live” auction was held with guests vying for items such as Qantas flights to Hong Kong; limited edition posters, personally signed by NBA superstar, Ben Simmons, a beautiful photo canvas print by one of our talented directors; as well as other very significant items. We had 20 “silent” auction items, many of which were vigorously contested over the evening; and we also held a raffle, the major prize being a night at the Crown Metropole hotel.
MC for the evening was Rob Jolly, Chair of Lupus Victoria, who introduced Dr Eric Morand (Head of the Centre of Inflammatory Diseases, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health). Eric gave a moving account of a young woman’s battle with Lupus over a number of years.
Eric then introduced Dr Sudha Raghunath, who is the second recipient of the Kim Jolly Lupus Research Fund Scholarship. Sudha is studying the cognitive dysfunction in Lupus, also known as brain fog, which involves trouble with thinking, concentration and memory, and is common in people with Lupus. Sudha detailed the research being done at Monash University on cognitive dysfunction, Lupus brain fog. As you can imagine, having problems with memory and concentration can be quite frustrating and have a big impact on people’s ability to function and quality of life, especially as it can affect people with lupus at any age (even in their 20s and 30s).
Sudha stressed that she also needs people who don’t have lupus to participate in the study. In order to know what normal or expected scores in thinking and memory assessment are, she needs a group of people who don’t have lupus or any major medical issues to participate in Monash’s study – that way they can compare their results to people with lupus. We really need more participants for this group of the study.
They are looking for mainly women (as lupus is much more common in women) aged 18-65 who are generally well. If you are interested, Sudha will go through the study criteria with persons interested over the phone to make sure you are able to participate.
The study assessment involves a one-off visit to Monash Medical Centre in Clayton to go through thinking puzzles and games which takes a bit over an hour. Sudha appreciates how busy you all are and she is flexible with timings so they can make an appointment that suits you and you can also be reimbursed for parking on the day. This study does not involve any blood tests or scans.
If you are interested in participating, please send an email or phone 03 8572 2104.
Eric and Sudha’s speeches alerted guests to the many complications of Lupus, which can have a very significant impact on the ability to function and a person’s quality of life.
Sammi Palinkis, one of our directors, opened up the entertainment for the night and was warmly received from all guests. Sammi wrote a song dedicated to Vu, our inspirational co-founder of Lupus Victoria, and sang it on the night. Sammi was followed up by “The Hornstars”, a 9 piece party band from the mean streets of Melbourne's north. One of the members of the band is Dr Eric Morand and the band’s funky style of music got guests strutting their own creative dance styles on the dance floor. We thank both Sammi and The Hornstars for their fabulous performances.
The Board of Lupus Victoria thanks its sponsors and donors for their generous support of Lupus Victoria, with moneys raised directly supporting the Kim Jolly Lupus Research Fund. Sponsors and donors are listed under the “Sponsors/Donors” page of our website. We also would particularly like to thank our volunteers who played a vital role in carrying out various tasks over the course of the evening.
Event raised $15,787
2018
Friday 5 October – Inaugural Annual Golf Day
Moonah Links, Fingal
Event raised $10,581 (including personal donations).
2017
Friday 27 October – Annual Cocktail Party
Held at River’s Edge, World Trade Centre
Event raised $15,000.
2016
Saturday 22 October – Annual Charity Event
Held at 501 Receptions, Footscray
Event raised $26,000.
2015
Saturday 17 October – Annual Charity Event
Held at 501 Receptions, Footscray
Event raised $15,000.
2014
Saturday 25 October – Inaugural Charity Event
Held at Eureka Hotel, Richmond
Event raised $10,000.
*Note the 2014 and 2015 events were held prior to Lupus Victoria’s incorporation but all proceeds from our four annual charity events have been donated to the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, directly supporting the Kim Jolly Lupus Research Fund.