The faithful Greenmount local was part of a record-breaking drive to raise funds for Toowoomba Hospice, participating in this year’s Hang Ya Boss Out To Dry event.
Stepping up for the challenge in the somewhat oddly named initiative was the curiously named Get Chopped Hotel, previously the Greenmount, seeing publican Brendon Quirey hoisted skywards.
Enthusiasts Get Chopped are an altruistic bunch that participate in activities largely involving modified (‘chopped’) vehicles, and in recent years venues at Woodford, and the former Greenmount Hotel.
This was the twelfth year the Hospice has held the event, and 2024 proved highly successful.
“We were asking employees from businesses on the Darling Downs to ‘Hang their boss out to dry’ by placing them in a scissor lift/cherry picker and raising it up in the air and then the boss had to raise a minimum of $5,000 from up in there by ringing anyone they wanted so they could be let back down,” exclaimed Amy Goldsmid, Hospice fundraising and events coordinator.
“I’m pleased to say everyone came back to earth, so to speak!”
Toowoomba Hospice in Harristown has cared for more than 2K patients during the last 21 years, offering the highest standard of care. It relies on financial assistance from the community for its annual operating budget of $2.36 million.
Over the course of the previous 11 years the event has raised a little over $500K, and organisers were hoping to beat the 2014 best of $88,823 with a raise of $100K this year.
And Toowoomba Hospice’s business manager Mark Munro reports the total came in at $110,525.35, with the highest fundraiser this time Joe Wagner, of developer Wagner Corporation.
