By Dongyun Kwon
Healesville High School year 12 students hosted Multi-Topic Trivia Night collaborating with Healesville Rotary Club.
The Multi-Topic Trivia Night was to raise funds for the Milking Cow and Goat Project, run by the Rotary, aiming to aid orphans in Kenya.
It was also for students to complete their year 12 VCE Vocational Major which required them to carry out a community-based project as part of their coursework.
Healesville High School senior school head Gabrielle Plunkett said she was proud of what the students had done for the event.
“Our students have done pretty everything for the event. They created all the questions and answers, found a suitable venue considering parking, space and cost while managing promotion and bookings,” she said.
“On the night, they collected entrance fees, promoted the raffles, organised the games and collated the answers. They also tried to create a fun atmosphere.”
The MC for the night was Healesville High School captain Connor Fallon who read all the questions and answers while entertaining the crowd.
Five more students, Monique Willemsen, Lucas Hubbard, Makenzee Harbison, Chris Visolit and Brodie Grace took part in the event along with support from the two teachers, Gabrielle Plunkett and Kaylia Tierney.
The partnership between the school and the rotary has been for several years and this year’s event culminated with over 60 guests coming along and raising $1,600.
The fund would be met dollar for dollar by the rotary, which amounted to $3,200 in total.
Milking Cow and Goat Project manager Wilma Best said the donation would be used to install a borehole to supply a reliable source of water for the farm animals and the schools in Kenya.
The Milking Cow and Goat Project started in 2007 when Ms Best met a priest working in the diocese of Meru who spoke to her about the story of the orphans in Kenya.
“I met him in Uganda and he told me that at least eight of the orphans, he was taking care of, were dying from starvation,” Ms Best said.
The project grew fast, reaching 26 milking goats to feed orphans and 10 Holstein Friesian Cows to deliver milk to schools by 2010.
“For example, there is a school with 250 children. 50% of them are orphans and some are from single-parent families. We help them to get milk and vegetables that we are able to grow through the manure from the goats and the cows,” Ms Best said.
Ms Best said she really loved collaborating with Healesville High School Students.
“I’ve been doing this with them for years and the high school students have been consistently supportive of this project,” she said.
Father Jason, who runs the orphanage in Kenya, was a guest appearance on the night.
“He did a presentation explaining what the previous donations have been used for and this year’s goal of installing a borehole,” Ms Plunkett said.
The Multi-Topic Trivia Night wrapped up successfully thanks to the support from the local community.
“The senior citizens donated the hall which was amazing and a shout out to all the businesses in Healesville and the Yarra Valley for supporting us,” Ms Plunkett said.
