Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Friday night, 14 September, I attended the Mount Perry ball. I would like to thank Councillor John Bowen, Anita Ward and the committee for a wonderful night. We had guest speakers from Melbourne: Joe McGrath, chairman of the VRC, who has been carting the Melbourne Cup around all parts of Australia for the last 16 years; Johnny Letts, a two-time winner of the Melbourne Cup; and Lottie, the promotional lady. The proceeds went to the Gin Gin High School Chaplaincy for youth suicide prevention programs and training. They raised $32,000 for the night, which was a fantastic effort.

At the ball was the 2018 Melbourne Cup, worth approximately $200,000. The cup was made with Mount Perry gold, mined at the local Evolution owned Mount Rawdon gold mine. By 2001, Mount Rawdon had produced more than 1.5 million ounces of gold, equivalent to 50 tonnes of gold bullion. It employs 250 staff, and 75 per cent of the people are locally employed. The mine is a major lifeline for the local community in Mount Perry and supports many, many community events.