The Williamstown Sailing Club, in conjunction with two other yacht clubs, Hobsons Bay Yacht Club and the Royal Victorian Motor Yacht Club (RVMYC), recently ran a social evening to raise money for the WIlliamstown Hospital.
Williamstown Sailing Club Commodore Maree Fitzpatrick, said raised a total of $935, and hope that this will inspire other organisations to do the same.
“The progressive dinner was something we held pre COVID for a couple of years, all of which were successful,” she said.
“The aim of these social events is to allow networking and collaboration between the clubs.”
Upon meeting each other, the clubs decided keeping a connection to community was vital, so Maree suggested introducing a fundraising element.
“We wanted to achieve a genuine connection to the community while raising money for charity,” she said.
“I decided the charity to donate to would be Williamstown hospital which is part of the Western Health network, I live here and it’s a fantastic service to the community.”
Each club gathered some prizes and organised a raffle, which Maree said resulted in a fantastic outcome.
“A huge part of the night was also wanting to highlight that our purpose was to demonstrate to the community that sailing and yachting is not just about money,” she said.
“People say the word yacht and think of money and rich people , which isn’t the case.
“This is because all three clubs over time have done things for the community.”
A welcoming and vibrant community within a community is how Maree describes her yacht club.
“We hope to expand and get to know different organisations in the community who can support one another,”she said.
“And we want to encourage as many people in the community to visit our clubs to give sailing a go.”
Jennifer Pittorino
