Stephen Rockmann, Peter Taylor, Nick Nonas and Owen Finegan who are staging a two-day event by the lake to raise money for the Snowy-Hydro Helicopter. Photo: Rohan Thomson
Some good is coming from last year's collapse of event management company Signature 27 whose failed lakeside regatta left local suppliers out of pocket to the tune of almost $345,000.
The Snowy Hydro Southcare rescue helicopter will benefit from a lakeside gala ball and Sunday brunch being staged in December, with many of the same suppliers banding together to put on the events.
The rescue helicopter service staged its first gala ball by Lake Burley Griffin last year and it was a hit, heralded as a new must-do event on Canberra's social calendar.
Snowy Hydro had hired the marquee from Signature 27, which then staged an ambitious regatta the next day, but with a very different result. The regatta, which had a strict dress code, attracted a modest crowd and ultimately sunk Signature 27, which owed almost $345,000 to 37 creditors, none of whom were paid.
The company was run by former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns and his wife Melanie and had nothing to do with Snowy Hydro.
Fast-forward a year and the burnt suppliers say they just want to move on and they are ready and willing to help Snowy Hydro make its fund-raising weekend - the Christmas gala ball on Saturday, December 7, and champagne brunch on Sunday, December 8 - a big success.
Both events will be held in a luxury marquee by the lake on the Patrick White Lawns in front of the National Library of Australia.
The chief executive of the Snowy Hydro SouthCare Helicopter Fund, Owen Finegan, said the marquee was also being rented out for two other companies' Christmas functions on the Thursday and Friday, which shored up the weekend's financial viability.
He was confident the Moet and Chandon champagne brunch on the Sunday would be a success, with plenty of entertainment and a more casual atmosphere. Tickets start at $100 for a brunch for two.
Nova Multimedia director Nick Nonas, Barlens chief executive Peter Taylor and event manager Stephen Rockmann all suffered substantial losses at the hands of Signature 27. They didn't hesitate to return this year to help Snowy Hydro and produce two successful events for the rescue helicopter.
''I'm a born-and-bred Canberran. I love this place. I love what the Snowy Hydro do,'' Mr Nonas said.
And he has a very personal connection. He broke his back about a decade ago while on a jet ski on the south coast and was taken by the rescue helicopter to the Canberra Hospital.
Similarly, Mr Rockmann and Mr Taylor said Canberra businesses banded together for a good cause.
''Everyone sticks together in Canberra, in the good times and bad,'' Mr Rockmann said.
Barlens incurred the greatest loss from the regatta - more than $140,000. Mr Taylor said the company was lucky to survive the hit but it would never knock back a chance to help the rescue helicopter.
''Snowy Hydro is an important organisation for Canberra,'' he said. ''We're fully behind it and Owen is doing a terrific job building the organisation.''
Mr Finegan said fund-raising was crucial for the rescue helicopter, with missions increasing each year, last year standing at close to 500.
''For the ongoing operation of it, it's critical that we continue to generate interest,'' he said.
Details on the ball and brunch at http://www.snowyhydrosouthcare.com.au/
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