By Bonny Burrows
A hugely successful celebration of Dutch culture has raised $4300 for St John of God Berwick Hospital.
Organised by the Rotary Club of Monash, the 2017 Gazelle Holland Festival, held on 8 April at Berwick’s Akoonah Park, was a “smashing success”, attracting double the expected numbers and as a result, double the cash.
An estimated 6000 packed the park for some nostalgic Dutch fun and games, while raising money for a then yet to be decided community organisation.
At the Rotary Club of Berwick’s request, the funds were donated to the hospital during its annual handover dinner on 28 June.
Berwick Rotary past president Sjaak Kusters, who is Dutch, described the day as “absolute fun and chaos” due to the large crowd, but said the club was thankful for the support as it meant it could give more back to the community.
Speaking during the annual dinner, Mr Kusters said the club chose the hospital as the recipient due to its dedication to high quality care.
The hospital’s director of nursing Lisa Evans was on hand to accept the giant cheque and thanked both clubs for their generous donation.
The money is expected to go towards equipment at the new hospital, opening in January.
