By Vinnie Todd
They’re dubbing it ‘the unofficial Somerton PGA Event’, but with all jokes cast aside, monies raised from the Chip For Charity being held in the grounds of Somerton Hotel on November 19 will go to NSW Cancer Council.
And the popular watering hole’s publican Jason Steele jokes that he’s even working hard on organizing a green jumper for the overall winner.The Chip For Charity is only part of the smorgasbord of events scheduled for the day-long fundraiser, but the golfing event itself could raise a few eyebrows.
“No talent or registration is needed – just turn up by 10am on the day. We’ve already received a lot of interest from both golfers and non-golfers alike,” Jason Steele said.
“We only have one hole on the green. Each player pays $5 for three golf balls, $3 of that goes to Cancer Council and the rest will be divvied up as cash prizes for Hole-In-One and the Nearest The Pin. Due to the overwhelming support from sponsors for the day, several other mystery prizes will be handed out on the extra holes.
“We’ve had nothing but support from the community since coming into the hotel (with wife Cherie Steele) 18 months ago. And it’s that local support that allows us to be able to stage a fundraiser like this.”
With the assortment of varied sponsorships, things like accommodation and barbecues are just part of items on the winners’ list.
“We had a fundraiser for a different charity last year. It was successful, so we decided to support a different charity each year,” Jason said.
Apart from taking in the varied talents of golf, patrons can enjoy plenty of other activities on the day.
“We’ve got Thundercats live band from 4pm, a jumping castle for the kids, market stalls where stallholders can just turn up on the day, plenty of interest has been received for the vintage tractor/car display and we’ll be offering a smoked oven meal from lunchtime.”
And that’s not all. Jason and Cherie are hoping for at least seven or eight woodchoppers who will be sharing their timber cutting skills with the public.
“It’s a proper organised axe racing competition, so patrons could be in for some talented displays of woodchopping,” Jason said.
