NLG raises $23,000 for Movember

 

NLG Hotel Group, Australia’s largest publicly listed specialist hotel and gaming owner, has raised $23,000 for this year's Movember Foundation.

 

34 NLG venues took part in the fundraising events, with the staff and community at the Leumeah Hotel raising over $3,500 alone! The Kooringal Hotel in Wagga Wagga was not far behind with $3,430!

 

“In our second year of involvement with Movember, I’m very happy that many venues had a little fun with this initiative while raising money for such a worth while cause. Said NLG’s Group Marketing Manager, Alistair Flower.

“It created great interaction between our hotels and the local communities, which is what it’s all about.” 



Sponsored by Lion Nathan, NLG registered a group team called “NLG MO MEN”. The aim was to create lots of fun and interaction in the venues between the staff and patrons and of course, to raise lots of money! This included “Mo Men Parties” at the end of November, “Grow a Mo” and gold coin donation, amongst other initiatives. 

Movember at the Steyne Hotel

 

In the leadup to November 2009, rumours were rife – was it true? Is Bob really going to put his mo on the line for Movember. The man with the moustache; the moustache that has defined him for the last 30+ years?

 

The challenge was confirmed – if the Steyne Hotel could raise $10,000 in November for Movember, then Bob would shave his beloved mo off in front of all at the Movember Party on Sunday 29 November 2009.

With this information in tow, the staff of the hotel rallied – men grew facial hair (or tried to), women supported them throughout, and together, they gave their all to meet this contest head on and conquer it. Posters of the challenge adorned the walls of the hotel, and our great customers answered the call, and donated with great passion and gusto. They were in it too; for Bob is one of the most recognisable valued members of staff at the Steyne Hotel and they were interested to see what lay beneath.

 

For the month of November, staff donated tips through collection buckets at all bars, there were online donations and sponsorships, there were gold coin donations for sausage sizzles and special Movember Party Desserts. Meat raffles and silent auctions were also held leading up to the big day – Sunday 29 November 2009, where we would find out if we had made the $10,000 to help this extremely worthwhile cause.

The Movember Party was held in Ivy’s Bar and stretched out into the Beer Garden and Saloon Bar where Bob takes up residency. Bobs barber has arrived, but ultimately, would he be needed? The crowd is becoming larger and the anticipation builds as the night proceeds. More donations come streaming in throughout the evening and the beer flows just as freely as the stories about Bobs Mo. The Mixed Nuts Band kicks off around 9pm and excites the eager crowd dancing before them.

 

By 10pm, the tally was in.

Family, friends, staff and curious customers gather by the stage with enthusiasm as the announcement is made. Would the dedication and hard work of staff together with the generosity of so many people be enough to reach the magic figure required?

The figure is revealed and close to $6,000 was raised. A fantastic effort, which equates to significant support to Men’s Health Issues. The $10,000 was always going to be a huge ask in 30 days and the hotel can be proud that they managed to raise a substantial figure for Movember in 2009.

Not to be defeated, and happy to support the staff and such a wonderful cause, The Steyne Hotels owner David McHugh (of McHugh Holdings) comes to the rescue and the revelation is made to the cheers of the crowd that the Steyne Hotel will donate the rest to take it to $10,000. Wow! Mission accomplished.

 

Bob takes to the stage with his long time barber Patrick Calabria, clippers in hand and ready to go. For this is something that Patrick has been wanting to do for some time now too. The excited crowd packs in tighter, cameras capturing every moment. Bob embraces the event as his audience continues to sing and cheer for him. But before the crowd knows it, half is gone already, then the other side gets trimmed. The switchblade comes out and Patrick shows his skills by shaving Bobs upper lip. Within minutes, Bobs mo is officially ‘no longer’. Bob is a new man, or at least, probably feels like it. Our hero Bob gets mobbed with photo requests, kisses and cuddles as the night goes on.

 

The band gets back to it before too long and is embraced throughout the night, pausing briefly only to announce some awards for best and worst moustaches and a myriad of contender prizes.

 

The night belonged to Bob and his mo, but in the end, it all comes down to supporting a cause that the Steyne Hotel feels is extremely deserving and that has touched family members of some staff at the Steyne Hotel. Movember supports Beyond Blue for Men’s Depression as well as the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

The Movember event raises awareness around men’s health issues and funds for carefully selected beneficiary partners that are also charitable organisations, with a focus on prostate cancer and depression in men. See au.movember.com/about for details.