At an elegant gala dinner on Friday 3 November 2023, set at the beautiful Home Hill Winery, the final tally of funds raised for the Huon Valley Hilltop Hike was announced.

Presented by Mayor Sally Doyle, Deputy Mayor Toby Thorpe and the Huon Valley Councillors, the event brought the community together one final time to support this year’s Hilltop Hike.

Bianca Jackman, General Manager of the Huonville PCYC hosted the event as MC, introducing each speaker and bringing great energy to the night.

Councillor Debbie Armstrong began the evening with a Welcome to Country and Mayor Sally Doyle extended her thanks to all those who helped raise valuable funds.

Speakers throughout the night included Huon Aquaculture CEO Henry Batista, Pulse Media Group General Manager Josh Agnew, President of the Rotary Club of the Huon Valley Tricia Reardon and Secretary and Life Member of the PCYC Megan Graham.

David O’Byrne MP, Member for Franklin and Dean Winter MP, Shadow Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Finance, Economic Development and Racing had the honour of handing out some great lucky door prizes.

Councillor Andrew Burgess drew the winner of the highly anticipated raffle, with the prize including over $4000 worth of vouchers, chocolates, gifts, jewellery, hair packs, wine and a leadership course, all loaded into a wheelbarrow.

The final event for the evening was a special auction conducted by the Harcourts team, where some very hearty paddle raising took place. Auctioned items included framed images, photography vouchers, accommodation, Duggan’s voucher, media package, 10kg chocolate slab and more!

To close the night, Tanya Page of Huon Valley Council and Deputy Mayor Toby Thorpe announced the final tally of funds raised. With thanks to all the very generous sponsors, a total of $63,717 was raised! All funds raised will contribute to the Huonville PCYC After School Drop-in Program that is currently run for youth within the Huon Valley.

The Hilltop Hike is now an annual tradition, celebrated as the Huon Valley’s largest fundraiser for local mental health services. Congratulations to all those who were involved in making this event such a great success!