Over $69,000 was raised for the Reef Check Australia charity through an eBay auction that saw Aussies bidding for the final trips to XXXX island.
More than 900 bids were made on the live auction website, with a total of $69,211.57 raised after 10 days.
According to XXXX the most popular items included the XXXX Island Bar Sign, a signed XXXX Gold 2006 Beach Cricket Bat, and the XXXX Island Quintrex tinnie.
Jack Mesley, XXXX marketing manager at Lion, said the charity event was a celebration of XXXX Island as well as a way to show support for marine conservation efforts around Australia.
“We want to thank everyone who participated in the auction and collectively helped to raise vital funds for Reef Check Australia, which will ensure that looking after our ocean remains a priority in Australia so our reefs and coastlines can be enjoyed for generations to come,” he says. “We hope that each of the winning bidders will enjoy having their own little piece of XXXX Island history and be reminded of everything that XXXX Island represented.”
He added that the brand hoped that the more than 3000 guests of the island had retained the “renewed passion for life and for spending time with friends and family” that they had gained while staying on the island and that the team hoped the “new approach continues for years to come and has a positive impact on those close to them”.
Jennifer Loder, general manager of Reef Check Australia, says that her organisation was happy with the way Australians had rallied behind the auction.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better result, and with almost $70,000 raised, we can strengthen our programs for hands-on citizen science, education and local action right across Australia,” she says.
The winning bidders of the final six trips to XXXX Island were Gavin Kelly (Berry, NSW), Simon Scanlon (Park Ridge, Queensland), Andrew Foley (Glenquarry, NSW), and Wayne Coulthurst (Brisbane, QLD), while Samantha Yesberg (Palmerston, NT) successfully bid on two trips.