Weekly Times | THEY had grand plans to renovate their new house. Their cars had clapped out and the bills were mounting up.
But Aaron “Bill” Mahoney’s girlfriend Emma Craddock and children Asha and Toby will soon be able to begin the next chapter of their life thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the community.
Organisers of Sunday’s Bill’s Day Out fundraiser at The Pier plan to tip about $150,000 into a trust fund, which will support the family in the wake of his death on May 2.
Mahoney, Otway Districts’ senior captain and under-17 coach, collapsed and died at Gellibrand Recreation Reserve after an innocuous tackle.
The tight-knit Otways community banded together in the wake of the tragedy, forming Bill’s Bucket as it received overwhelming calls for donations.
Former Demons president Scott Harris and his brother Adam, a past senior coach, formed a working party with the help of Colac-born Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge.
They called upon the who’s who of the AFL to lead Bill’s Day Out.
“At the start we were hoping to raised about $100,000 but we’re going to exceed that … quite easily,” Scott Harris said.
“The event has been sponsored by local businesses in Colac, and with the quality of auctions items and the raffles, we’re hoping to push it to $150,000.
“That will go into a trust fund for Emma and the two kids.”
Bill’s Day Out sold out in 12 hours, with 740 people set to pack The Pier.
“We’ve been extremely overwhelmed,” Harris said.
“From the football community in general to the Colac businesses, it’s been enormous. Luke Hodge has arranged all of the celebrities and The Pier has been really helpful.”
The Footy Show co-host and North Melbourne chairman James Brayshaw has joined the list of celebrities who will be part of the function, including Geelong 300-game champion Sam Newman, Cats great Bill Brownless, Hawthorn Brownlow medallist Shane Crawford and Melbourne champion Garry Lyon.
Triple M and Channel 10 reporter Mark Howard is the MC for the ‘Afternoon on The Pier”, while comedy act the Nelson Twins will perform.
Auction items, sourced by Hodge, include signed guernseys, golf packages, weekends away and corporate box tickets to both the AFL and cricket.
“There’s a fair bit of stuff,” Harris said.
Donations can be deposited to the Aaron Mahoney Appeal, Westpac bank BSB 033 217, account number 331928 or posted to PO Box 41, Colac 3250.
Originally published as Community fills Bill’s bucket
