By Violet Li
Berwick local Kirsty Ring’s Biggest Morning Tea has grown bigger this year, breaking last year’s already stunning numbers with a total fundraising of $33,500.
Held at Pokerface in Berwick on Saturday 18 May, the event saw a turnout of 120 people.
Kirsty said it was an awesome and successful day.
“I spent probably four months beforehand just going out to everyone I’ve ever met and known and asking for donations,” she said.
“Some people are able to donate new items that we then auction off. We also have a second-hand area where people bring quite good quality but preloved items.”
Unlike most morning tea fundraising, Kirsty’s was in the afternoon.
“There is hot water and tea and coffee and scones, but it’s basically a champagne date,” she said.
“I supply all the food, so we have normal afternoon tea, patty pies, peaches, sausage rolls, cakes, all that good stuff. And I supply champagne, red wine, and wine.”
The event evolved over the years and 2024 marks a seventh-year milestone for Kirsty.
It all began with the loss of a loved one.
“We lost my dad to cancer probably 12 years ago now. A few years after he passed away, my sister was diagnosed,” she said.
The family members then started to do their little fundraisings for the Biggest Morning Tea.
“Each year, they [fundraising] got a little bit bigger, and then I decided to do something at home with all my girlfriends,” Kirsty recalled.
“But we decided that let’s have an afternoon, and we’ll drink champagne and enjoy the sunshine.
“And then we joined it together with my mom and her friends, so there’s people of all ages.
“I think the youngest person there was probably 13, and the oldest person there would have been 85.”
Kirsty started by raising $500 and gradually aimed a number higher than the previous year’s.
When her sister passed away from cancer in 2022, the event just automatically got bigger, according to her.
“That year it was scheduled to happen about six weeks after her funeral. And people said to me, you probably need to cancel,” she recalled
“And I’m like, well, I’d like to cancel, but my sister would want me to do it.
“I think because of what had happened, we raised $15,000 that year, which sort of shocked us a little bit.
“Then we decided in last year, let’s set a target of $20,000, and we raised over $25,000 And this year, we said, well, let’s set a target of $30,000 and we have raised $33,500.”
For Kirsty, the event is all about families and friends.
“There’s always a sad moment in the day, but it’s also not about sitting around and crying,” she said.
“It’s about having a great time and celebrating those people that we’ve lost as well.”
