Good Friday Appeal 2023

GRV and its clubs are once again supporting the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal by hosting three race meetings on Good Friday, continuing our sport’s long-standing commitment to fundraising for sick kids and their families.

Fundraising will include a silent auction for two sporting memorabilia items, with all proceeds from winning bids to be donated to the Good Friday Appeal.

Healesville will kick off with the opening race meeting on Good Friday, with Traralgon and Ballarat to follow, the latter hosting its prestigious Group 2 Ballarat Cup meeting where an in-person memorabilia auction will also be held.

This will be just the second time greyhounds will race in Victoria on Good Friday after last year’s inaugural effort saw our sport raise $126,000 ‘for the kids’.

This year we are hoping to exceed $100,000 again, and we’re almost one-third of the way there thanks to support from the greyhound racing community and various stakeholders for ‘Team GRV’ in 3AW’s recent Neil’s Cruise for the Kids fundraiser.

Silent Auction now open

Fundraising activities include a silent auction for two memorabilia items, with all proceeds from the winning bids to be donated to the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

Item 1: Kookaburra Cricket Bat signed by the Australian Test Squad (Australia vs India Test Series in Australia – 2020/21 season).

To place a bid on either item please click  here or scan the QR code (below right).

Item 2: Bottle of Ian Botham Series red wine – signed by English Cricket legend Ian ‘Beefy’ Botham. The 80 Series Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon represents the year Botham became the first player in test history to score a century and take 10 wickets in the same match.

The silent auction will remain open until 5pm on Saturday April 8. The bidder with the highest bid submitted at that time will secure the items they have bid for. Both items have a reserve price, with the winning bidder to be contacted by GRV on Sunday, April 9.

Here’s what’s happening at our Good Friday race meetings:

HEALESVILLE
– Gates open 12.30-4pm
– Gold coin donation entry
– Live entertainment trackside with Rosie Conforto
– Kelly Sports kids activities
– Limited number of Albert the Greyhound story book giveaways
– Raffles & prizes to be won

TRARALGON
– Gates open 1.30-5.30pm
– Kids entertainment including Giant Slide, Mini Ferris Wheel, Chair O’ Plane ride & Jumping Castle
– Free kids meals (one per child)
– Face painting
– Book reading of Albert the Greyhound

BALLARAT – CUP MEETING
– Gates open 4.00pm
– AFL on the Big Screen with AFLW players in attendance
– Pool competition and loads of Sportsbet giveaways
– Food trucks
– Music by Ash Egan

For the kids…
– Showbags for the first 100 kids on track
– Handball competition
– Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs to giveaway
– My Pony Paradise rides, Mike the Magician, Juggling Show and Face Painting
– Prizes to win with the ‘Let’s Go Greyhound Racing’ game and Easter Bonnet Craft Table

Ballarat Cup Good Friday Appeal Memorabilia Auction
Separate to the Silent Auction, Ballarat will host an in-person Good Friday Appeal Memorabilia Auction at its Ballarat Cup meeting on Good Friday with items to include a framed Australian Test Team shirt, signed by Steve Smith, following the 3rd Test vs Sri Lanka, at the SCC Ground, Colombo in 2016.
*People must be in attendance to bid at the in-person auction.