Dan Murphys show us the Best Things in Life
Every two years Dan Murphys organise and host our Melbourne ‘Best Things in Life’ corporate fundraising dinner. Their support has been unwavering and to date they have hosted three hugely successful evenings, raising significant funds for the Avner Foundation.
The inaugural event in 2013 was co-hosted with Myer and had a distinctly 1930s feel with the stunning Myer Mural Hall as the backdrop. With the generosity of Dan Murphys, Myer and all the companies who purchased tables, made donations and donated/won prizes in the live and silent auction a massive $230,000 was raised, well-exceeding expectations and hopes. It also meant that the Melbourne team won the friendly competition with Sydney by raising $30,000 more than their rivals!
In 2015 ‘Best Things in Life’ returned to the Myer Mural Hall, again with Dan Murphys as our trusted hosts. Many of the leading companies across Australia were represented and thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment provided by MC Tim Campbell and his band as well as being incredibly generous at our live and silent auctions. The unbelievably inspiring George Hillen spoke about his experiences of being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, his surgery and treatment and the resulting trek on Mt Kilimanjaro, which has raised over $131,000 for the Foundation. Co-founder Caroline Kelly also addressed the audience to share her own experiences and to communicate the ongoing efforts to change the outcomes of the disease.
2017 was the third year Dan Murphys headed up the event, which again raised over $200,000 towards the vision of significantly improving outcomes for those diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Campbell Stott, in particular, has shown resolute support for our charity as this was the third ‘Best Things in Life’ dinner he has played an instrumental part in organising. We heard more inspiring stories and again were humbled by how generously attendees supported the event by participating in our auctions on the night.
As well as their tremendous support through ‘Best Things in Life’, Dan Murphys have also provided prizes for many of our other events, including Mona Vale Golf Club’s ‘House B’ social group fundraiser and our Put Your Foot Down walks. We are incredibly grateful for their ongoing work in helping to raise awareness for Pancreatic Cancer and generating essential funds for research.