DON Irvine is a name synonymous in Leitchville with the word “community”.
Known around town as “the raffle master”, Mr Irvine has been selling raffle tickets at the Leitchville Hotel’s Friday night and major raffles for the past 50 years, helping to raise an estimated $500,000 for the Royal Children Hospital’s Good Friday Appeal over that time.
Mr Irvine celebrated his last raffle on Christmas Eve, and he was presented with a certificate and service badge from the Good Friday Appeal for his efforts and commitment over the years.
Mr Irvine’s daughter Janelle told the Gannawarra Times that it was a nice accolade for her father to receive, but it certainly wasn’t expected.
“He was very blown away, he was very humbled by the acknowledgment, but Dad doesn’t think he does anything special,” she said.
“He just thinks that that is what you do for the community, and that’s been his way of being able to contribute to help, especially since he and mum retired.
“The people know him and he knows a lot of the kids – he has seen many generations grow up. The Royal Children’s Hospital is very much a special appeal for him.”
Leitchville Hotel publican Ryan O’Mahony said the weekly raffles for the RCH are something the small town really gets behind as a community.
“If you get three people together in this pub, you can guarantee one of them has had a kid at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and the other two will know someone directly who has had a child in the hospital,” Mr O’Mahony said.
“It’s one of those things for a rural community that it is pretty close to their heart – we rely on health services like that, and the it’s amazing what the Royal Children’s Hospital do, so anything we can do to help we don’t mind doing.”
