If Lillee Didn't Get Ya, Thommo Must
PL on The Chappell Foundation Dinner repost with correct dates
APOLOGIES: Earlier post had incorrect date
When the Chappells put on a dinner, people come to town. When they sound that charity klaxon for those less fortunate, cricket responds in the most heart-warming of ways. The Chappell Foundation is hosting its ninth annual fundraising dinner at the SCG on July 31. The brothers’ old teammate Jeff Thommo Thomson is the special guest, following in the footsteps of his former partner in crime, Dennis Lillee, who lit up the room last year.
The Et Al community has rallied, as you’d expect.
Sam Perry and Ian Higgins, our colleagues from The Grade Cricketer, are flying up from Melbourne to host a table of friends and former teammates. “Purely in a social capacity,” Pez informed listeners this week. “We’re sitting in the back.”
Et Al’s artist, author of the Fisher Classics Substack and Melbourne resident, Dan Toomey, is also crossing the mighty Murray River to be at the SCG for the event. You can see the artwork he has generously donated atop this article. It will be part of our silent auction alongside another artwork from friend of the pod, Paul McGrath of French Cuts, who makes incredible art from the skins of the dead cricket balls he finds in the long grass around Sydney’s suburban cricket grounds. He’s been donating works for years now and is one of those quiet supporters of volunteer-run charities like ours.
At The Chappell Foundation we support homeless kids; we’re really good at it and are shameless in asking people to help us in this cause.
Fortunately, cricket people are generous. People do what they can, and some almost go beyond that. Some pay $10,000 for the front tables where the VIPs hang out, and the rest of us cobble together the $350 dollars for a single seat back where you’ll find the rest of us.
One night, moved by the testimony of one of the children rescued from abuse and nurtured to the point where she has a job and somewhere independent to live, John Singleton thrust a crumpled piece of paper into our chairman’s hands, Darshak Mehta. On it he’d written a note saying to come and see him Monday morning where he would donate $1m.
BluesBerries saxophonist and former Prospect Cricket Club player John McMurtrie is one of our original and most generous benefactors.
Our dinner, I can safely say, is the best night out in Australian cricket this side of a catch-up in the Exeter after a day at the Adelaide Test.
Jimmy Barnes was our guest that year; every other event has featured a former Test star. Shane Warne did the first event; since then we’ve had Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting, Tim Paine, the three Chappells, Pat Cummins, and the aforementioned Lillee.
Adam Spencer brings his wit and charm to the MC role again this year.
You will not find a more frugal charity operation than The Chappell Foundation. We genuinely strive to save every possible cent in the dollar. The directors are volunteers but pay for their tickets. We do not spend any money we raise on office space, staff, fundraising, legal fees, accountants or the like. Our only fixed fee is insurance we are forced to take out and the money the banks skim in fees, but we even try to avoid those getting that by encouraging people to use direct deposit when dealing with us (a nightmare for our treasurer).
All of that means that we’re passing on around 99 cents in the dollar of profits raised (99.4 to be exact). Merivale do us a very good deal on the excellent meals they serve that night in the dining room, while Little Giant kindly donate all the wine and Powder Monkey the craft beer. We’re charity partners with Cricket Australia, and they’re magnificent in their support, as is the SCG (Venues New South Wales) who bend over backwards to ensure that we put on the best night possible. Qantas get our guests here and are one of the organisations that offer the high-end items auctioned on the night by the inimitable Jimmy Smith.
If I were to list all the people who help, I’d get blisters on my fingers.
People come back every year because it is a great event and a unique experience. Have you ever had drinks on the SCG while the sun is setting behind the Members’ Stand? We do that every year, although last year we were unfortunately rained off.
Having endured charity dinners where every moment of your attention is demanded by somebody with a microphone and something to say or sell, we work very hard to ensure that there’s space to mingle and talk.
Youth homelessness is something of a hidden crisis. The charities we support tell us there are over 45,000 people in Australia under 25 who do not have anywhere to live. They couch hop, they expose themselves to danger, and at worst they huddle in abandoned factories, under bridges or wherever they can find that’s relatively sheltered or safe.
To that end, we’ve distributed nearly $6m to charity partners who have over 1000 kids in their care. Operations like the extraordinary BackTrack in New England, Raw Potential in Canberra, Ways in Bondi and Coffee Brigade in Brisbane.
While the streets are unsafe, the one thing we know about most kids who choose to live on the streets rather than at home is that they do it because home is even less safe. Singo’s money helped set up one of the care homes run by Stepping Stone House in inner Sydney where a dozen young people have shelter, care and respect. They’re a remarkable organisation who guarantee children somewhere to live and someone to guide them through to adulthood. They teach them life skills as basic as cleaning their teeth and as necessary as driving a car, before they graduate to renting their own homes. It’s intense work, and it is costly, but it’s a damn sight cheaper than the consequences. Life on the street can often lead to encounters with the justice system. BackTrack’s research says it costs $1.1m a year to incarcerate a young person. Our charity partners can give them security and hope for a fraction of that.
We still have tables (10) or individual seats left for the dinner on July 31. If you can’t get there but would like to contribute to a fantastic cause, there is a donate button on this page.
Sometimes, issues like youth homelessness seem insurmountable, but I attach a letter from one of the outstanding young women who has found her feet after being at Stepping Stone House. It shows you what good can be done by good people when the resources are there.
To all the staff at Stepping Stone House,
I couldn’t find the words to thank each of you individually, so I hope this message
can somehow express what you’ve all meant to me.To say I’ve tried to escape a few times would be an understatement. There were days when I was convinced that running was easier than staying. But every time I found myself sitting at a bus stop, ready to leave, it was never a bus that pulled up.Instead, it was a little Toyota RAV4 with one of you workers behind the wheel, a smile on your face, and a simple invitation to hop in. No lectures. No judgment. Just the reminder that whatever came next, we would face it together, and that I didn’t have to do it alone. You showed me that I wasn’t alone in this big, scary world, even when I felt completely lost in it.
And even calling you “workers” doesn’t feel quite right. Somewhere along the way,
that title stopped fitting. The relationships we built went far beyond staff and resident.You became the people I called when I was falling apart, the people who celebrated
with me when things went right, and the people who showed up time and time again when I needed someone in my corner. You were mentors, role models, cheerleaders, safe people, and sometimes exactly the family I needed in that moment. The care you gave was never just a job, and I hope you know how much that has meant to me.There were many moments where you guys could’ve just given up. You could’ve just seen a lost cause. You could’ve just seen what everyone else saw....an angry girl, a child who hated the world but hated herself even more. Someone who pushed people away, lashed out, and made it hard to see past the walls she had built.
Instead, you chose to see a person worth fighting for. You stood by me through the
hard days, the angry days, the messy days, and the days when I made it difficult to
care. You never stopped showing up, and over time, that taught me something I will
carry with me forever.
You guys always cheered and clapped so loudly for every achievement, that I forgot
who wasn’t present. You celebrated every win, no matter how big or small, and made me feel proud of myself even when I struggled to see what there was to be proud of.Thank you for the support, patience, guidance, and care you’ve shown me
throughout the years. You have all played a part in helping me grow into a stronger,
more confident, passionate (in the best way), and determined person. There were
times when I needed someone to believe in me before I could believe in myself, and so many of you did exactly that.Stepping Stones has been more than just a place to live. It has been a place where
I’ve felt safe, supported, encouraged, accepted, and loved. The memories,
conversations, laughs, life lessons, and even the tough moments have helped shape who I am today.For a long time, I thought moving out of Stepping Stones would be the end of my
story. Now I realise it’s not an ending at all but in fact the beginning of a new and
beautiful chapter.I’m sure this next chapter will come with challenges, but you’ve taught me
something I’ll carry with me forever, every new challenge brings a new adventure.
And because of everything you’ve given me, I’m ready for this next adventure.
I know this isn’t really goodbye; it is the end of an important chapter. I will always
be grateful for everything you’ve done for me and for the impact you’ve had on my life.Thank you for being part of my journey. Thank you for helping me find a home
when I was convinced I didn’t belong anywhere. I will carry what you’ve taught me,
the memories we’ve made, and the kindness you’ve shown me wherever life takes me next.With love and gratitude,
Ava