Byron locals came together at the charity art auction to raise much-needed funds for Greening Australia’s response to the country’s bushfires.
BYRON BAY, February 13: Australian-owned Whisky, Pure Scot, hosted a star-studded event in Byron Bay, raising money for the land restoration projects of the environmental enterprise Greening Australia.
Guests were invited to Pure Scot’s charity art auction, curated by Byron Arts Magazine which listed over 30 artworks from some of the country’s best artists. Craig Ruddy, Laith McGregor, Mark Douglass and Vexta are some of the names of the acclaimed artists who donated their work for the fundraising event.
Dave Rastavich, Dave Gyngell, Kyle Lionheart and Billy Otto were among the local celebrities who attended the event at the exclusive Secret Garden in Byron Bay as well as comedian and new Byron resident Wil Anderson who performed one of his trademark comedy routines to a captive audience.
Greening Australia has been restoring and conserving Australia’s unique landscapes for over 38 years and is focused on tackling Australia’s greatest environmental challenges. It’s acting on climate change with an ambitious ecological restoration program to plant half a billion trees across Australia by 2030. It also has projects to save the Great Barrier Reef, restore critical habitat, work alongside Traditional Owners and to create sustainable cities.
Pure Scot’s founder, David Prior, has supported Greening Australia for five years through his foundation, The Prior Family Foundation, and was a large contributor on the night, announcing a $250,000 donation directly to Greening Australia to start the night of bidding. In total, the event raised a total of $283,000 for Greening Australia to put towards its climate mitigation projects.
David Prior said that Pure Scot and the Prior Family Foundation were thrilled to be contributing to the preservation of Australian landscapes after the disastrous summer of bushfires.
“We’ve had a long association with Greening Australia and are incredibly thankful for all the work it does out in the field regenerating landscapes, particularly it’s work in saving the Great Barrier Reef. We established the Prior Family Foundation five years ago to make a meaningful contribution to society and the environment and our partnership with Greening Australia has allowed our vision to come to fruition.”
The generosity we have received from Pure Scot and the Prior Family Foundation has been incredible said Greening Australia CEO, Brendan Foran.
“The Prior Family Foundation and Greening Australia have been on a significant journey over the last few years and the relationship seems to strengthen each year. With the right funding and events like the this, we can tackle the environmental challenges ahead and believe that with a sustained, science-led approach we can overcome them. We know exactly what to do about climate change but sometimes mother nature just needs a little push.”
