The people of Lismore & surrounds and the Northern Rivers are incredibly generous. This has been proven time and time again in the last 14 months of COVID and was highlighted on Saturday night at the 2021 Our Kids Winter Ball at the Lismore Turf Club.

Our Kids Fundraising Coordinator Rebekka Batista said the $36,000 raised on the night was the largest ever amount. "It just goes to show how incredibly generous people are," she said.

The usual amount raised is in the $25,000 to $27,000 range.

The Lismore App caught up with Rebekka following a full cleanup day at the racecourse. "You should see my office. It is full to the brim with all sorts of items from Saturday night."

"I couldn't deal with it so I just closed the door and left," Rebekka added.

(Our Kids Fundraising Coordinator Rebekka Battista and Our Kids founder Dr Chris Ingall. Photo: Amy Baxter Photography)

What is more amazing was the $36,000 was raised by a crowd of 240 that included a wonderful mix of people representing all walks of life in our region. There were doctors and lawyers, builders and plumbers, small business owners and large business owners, young and mature people all out for a good time. The usual Our Kids crowd is 300 to 320.

The black-tie event is one of the Lismore social calendar events to be part of with some stunning outfits for the ladies and dapper attire for the gentlemen. It was a cold night so there were more than a few shawls draping over some beautiful ball gowns and if you looked close enough you could spot some heeled ugg boots!

There was some serious money spent on some incredible auction items like a La Barracca dinner for 10 people including wine, a helicopter ride for 5 and a Porche Track Experience. The major raffle prize was a $3,500 diamond ring donated by Lismore Jewel Centre which was won by a shocked and excited Hayley Brown from Horns Gas & Plumbing.

(The Cath Simes Band near the fire pit. Photo: Amy Baxter Photography)

The Cath Simes Band got the majority of the crowd on the dance floor playing some classic covers.

To give you a sense of why this night is important to Our Kids, the $36,000 raised will be put towards the purchase of much need paediatric equipment. Unfortunately, the number of babies that use the Our Kids facilities is as high as one-third of babies born.

On the Our Kids wishlist is a Biliblanket and two Babyleo's.

A biliblanket is a phototherapy blanket that is used to treat neonatal jaundice. An ultraviolet blue light radiates from the blanket onto the baby that breaks down bilirubin and helps eliminate it. The benefit of the biliblanket is that the mother can nurse and feed her baby during the treatment rather than be in a humidicrib. The cost of one blanket is $16,000.

A babyleo is an incubator for premature babies that allows a doctor to operate, if necessary, without moving the baby from the babyleo. By not moving a fragile premature or critically ill baby from their incubator to operating theatres the risk of becoming unstable or developing complications is reduced. The cost of a babyleo is $55,000.

So, why a good time was had by everyone who attended, you can see that their generosity helps people in our community at a very vulnerable time.

Since Our Kids was set up by Dr Chris Ingle in 2001, over $2 million of paediatric equipment has been purchased that has helped save many babies lives.

Some of the very generous patrons of the 2021 Our Kids Winter Ball are below courtesy of Amy Baxter Photography: