The Gay Auckland Business Association's Charitable Trust has received a suitably large cheque to mark the largest-ever total raised at the GABA auction. The amount of $25,000 was handed over by ANZ staff, due to the bank's support of the GABA Gold Auction. Trust Chair Gresham Bradley said it was the biggest ever return from the auction and "we think next year will be even better". He added GABA membership is currently growing fast, thanks to a dedicated revitalisation effort. Scholarships were handed out to three young people last night, two from GABA's Charitable Trust and the other from the Cartier Trust (We'll have more on the recipients in another pending story). A call for applications for community grants will go out at the end of January. What's ahead for GABA? Bradley says GABA is looking forward to the Big Gay Out and will once again be hosting its VIP marquee tent, which he promises will be "front and centre with a great view of the stage". He says it will be the place to bend the ear of Prime Minister John Key, and whoever the new Labour leader is, as "all the politicos come to the tent". The VIP tent is an exclusive place for GABA members to spend the day. GABA is also working on a dinner with a gay American who holds a high rank in New Zealand, which reading between the lines clearly leads to US Ambassador David Huebner. The dinner is likely to be in April. In other GABA news, Orcon has come onboard as a corporate member on the back of its sponsorship deal with gay Winter Olympian Blake Skjellerup.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 8th December 2011 - 11:17am