The 2024 Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch certainly lived up to its name, with the most tickets bought since the event started 15 years ago.
A total of 1030 tickets were sold for this year’s event, which featured two Australian comedians, Darren Carr and Lawrence Morrison.
There was also a raffle, auction, food and other entertainment, with returning MC Des Dowling running the show.
Biggest Ever Blokes Lunch Committee chair of eight years, Shane O’Sullivan said that although they don’t have the exact numbers, he’s confident it’ll be the the biggest haul yet.
“It'll be over the $200,000 mark,” he said.
The auction alone raised $141,300.
He said that he’s only received positive feedback on this year’s event and doesn’t know how to top it.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to said it was the best ever, and we put that down to the entertainment we had this year.
“We had a very light-hearted day with a ventriloquist and a comedian, but we still have to get that message across.
“So I'm buggered if I know what I'm going to do next year to make it any better.”
The committee is already in conversation about next year’s lunch, and Mr O’Sullivan gave a taste of what’s to come.
“The recipe that's not broken, so we don't have to really fix it, we just tweak it a little bit every year by the speaker,” he said.
“We'll probably continue along that vein of a different comedian, we might have a female comedian or a couple of short sharp sets.”
He also teased a return to a panel style next year.
“We have done a panel with a couple of local identities who are the survivors of prostate or bowel cancer, which I think that's really got a bit more influence,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
Despite the name, Mr O’Sullivan encouraged women to attend and enjoy the event.
“You didn't see many (women), but my wife went to the first one this year, and I was a prostrate survivor in 2010, and that's why Chris McPherson got me involved.
“It's just as important for the women to go there as the wives, the mothers, the sisters. You need that support when you are suffering from bowel cancer or prostate cancer or recovering from surgery.
“So it's just as important for the ladies to get there as it is for the men.”
In terms of the donations and purchases, he said the community is what keeps it alive.
“People are just so generous,” he said.
“We sold out a raffle tickets, we used to have 1000 tickets, this year we had 1500. We still got people screaming that we’d sold out.
“It's just the generosity of the local community, and I think the reason that they're so generous is that every cent stays in Shepparton.”
Mr O’Sullivan gave a shout-out to the people who committed themselves to the event before and after the lunch itself.
“Rotarian were there working, some there on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday,” he said.
“We pulled that place apart by 5pm Friday night, there was not a table and a chair in place, they were all stacked in corners and that was due to 20 Rotarians and a couple of my committee members.”