Variety of gifts donated to students

By Adair Winder

Mar 8, 2023

Generous donation: Rochester Primary School’s Steve Rasmussen, Meagan Keating, Varity events coordinator Claire Cantlon Clarke, Variety's head of fundraising and marketing Melissa Williams and Rochester Secondary College’s Mitch Bright with students. Photo by Contributed

Variety, the Children’s Charity, stopped in Rochester during its fundraising rally to surprise students from Rochester Primary School and Rochester Secondary School with gifts.

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Fifty-six participants signed up for Variety’s Rally Around Victoria event, a motoring fundraiser for kids facing challenges through sickness, disadvantage or living with a disability.

This year’s rally involved the 56 participants journeying 1500km across Victoria over four days, from Melbourne to Whitfield, with a pit stop in Rochester.

Upon reaching Rochester on Sunday, March 5, Variety took the opportunity to donate a number of gifts to both Rochester Primary and Rochester Secondary.

They also announced they would be donating 26 brand new pushbikes to the schools.

Variety motoring events manager Scott Watson said Rochester was an obvious choice to visit because they had been through so much with the flood.

Mr Watson spoke to the schools just before Christmas to let them know they would be donating some items.

“They were obviously ecstatic when we told them but when we asked them what they thought the students would like it was pretty hard for them to know,” he said.

“Before the flood, community members had moved things in to shipping containers, so the schools really had no idea what had been saved or what they even needed.

“We ended up donating games, pencils and pens and we will be donating bikes, hopefully in April.”

When the fleet stopped in Rochester, Mr Watson said they heard from Rochester Secondary’s school captain Denvah Matthews about the plight of being a Year 12 student during not only the flood but the COVID pandemic before it.

“She spoke to us about her experience, about having to receive schooling at different locations,” he said.

“It was insightful and grounding to learn about what they have been going through.”

Along the journey, event organisers have continuously encouraged the convoy to spend in the towns they arrive in.

“One of the groups went into Rochester IGA and bought heaps, which was really great to see,” Mr Watson said.

The rally is an annual fundraising event, which occurs at a similar time each year.

This year the event spans four days, with day one from Melbourne to Bendigo, day two Bendigo to Halls Gap, day three Stawell to Yarrawonga and day four Yarrawonga to Whitfield.

To find our more about the rally, visit https://fundraise.variety.org.au/event/rally-around-vic/home