This year is the 40th Anniversary of the annual Sutherland Shire Mayoral Debutante Charity Ball and to celebrate this year’s event will be celebrated in a traditional Ruby Red theme.
Tickets are now on sale for the ball which will be held on Saturday, June 4 at Sutherland Entertainment Centre to raise funds for the local charity Dandelion Support Network.
Music for the formal proceedings of the evening will be provided by the Royal Australian Navy Band, followed by a performance by ‘Tall Pop Syndrome’.
Sutherland Shire mayor Carmelo Pesce said the 2016 Mayoral Ball represents forty years of charitable achievement for the Sutherland Shire community.
“It’s fantastic to be celebrating the Ball’s ruby anniversary in the same year that we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Sutherland Entertainment Centre,’’ he said.
Over the years the Sutherland Shire Mayoral Charity Debutante Ball has raised more than $400,000 for local charities thanks to local businesses that either sponsor the event or debutantes.
First and foremost a charity event, the Ball raises funds for a shire-based community organisation.
The debutantes and their partners commit to a rigorous rehearsal schedule and fundraising activities in the lead up to the ball.
Sutherland Shire has a long history of community-inspired balls. Council records reveal that a Sutherland Shire Presidential Cabaret Ball was held in 1940, organised by the Sutherland Committee of the Shire Patriotic War Fund with funds raised going to the war effort.
Today, the Sutherland Shire Mayoral Charity Ball retains much of the tradition of the debutante ball in the formal part of the proceedings but the emphasis of the evening is now focused on fundraising for local charities and on celebrating the achievements of the young men and women involved.
This year’s chosen charity, Dandelion Support Network is an entirely volunteer operated program, accepts, sorts and performs safety checks on nursery items before coordinating with social workers, hospitals and welfare agencies to distribute them to families in need.
Tickets to the 2016 Sutherland Shire Mayoral Debutante Ball are $110 per person. Tables seat between 16 and 24 people, with every effort made to seat groups together.
To purchase tickets and for more details on the Ball, visit www.sutherlandshire.nsw.gov.au to download an order form or complete and submit your form to council’s Administration Centre at Sutherland.
Enquiries contact Louisa Mawer, Event Coordinator on 9710 0554.
