By Sacha Delfosse
Over $11,000 was raised for the local arm of the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) foundation at a street art charity event and auction that was held at Darlinghurst’s Name This Bar last week.
Apart from providing the venue for the event, Name This Bar owner, Simon Mercier (seen here with artist Deb), also contributed to the fund raising by purchasing a range of sketches drawn on the night by newspaper caricaturist Peter Byrne, which Mercier plans to display on the venue’s wall as a memento.
“It was an awesome night, the place was packed, and the vibe incredible, and generous,” Mercier said.
The auction was handled by Romany Brooks while Triple J breakfast presenter Tom Ballard was the emcee for the night, which featured performances from Anikiko, Vindan and the Loose Cannons, and Djs Gabriel Clouston and Damian Goundrie.
The funds will be used by BOS to release 135 endangered orangutans back into the wild, with BOS Australia President, Tony Gilding, encouraging anyone interested in making a donation to visit www.orangutans.com.au.
Guest were able to watch the artists create some of the auctioned artworks during the event, while enjoying Appleton Estate tiki cocktails such as The Appleton Releaser, The Appleton Jungle Juice and The Jungle Fever, which was especially created for the event.
The company also donated a bottle of its rare blend 21 Year Old rum for the auction.
Poole’s Rock Wines donated a consignment of Cockfighter’s Ghost sparkling chardonnay to the night lubricating the crowd to donate generously to the cause.