Aussie applause for a good cause

Brett Hackett, Australia’s ambassador to Argentina, was among the guests at a special ‘Coctel para Koalas’ Australia Day Bushfire Appeal charity event on Monday.

The fundraising event, which brought together Aussies in Buenos Aires for a special evening marking their national day, was organised by the Somos 21 organisation, the AusCham Chamber of Commerce and the Dos Dingos Ceveceria, who kindly blessed the attendees with some tasty Australian craft beers.

As well as enjoying tunes from performer Steve Voser, those present were able to bid on a silent auction and donate funds, which will go to the Wildlife Victoria - Australian Wildlife Emergency Response.

The event took place at the Four Seasons hotel’s exclusive The Mansion venue, which was generously donated by the hotel for the evening.

Hackett paid tribute to those present, describing their attitude as typical of Australians, saying when “a problem affects one of us, it affects all of us.”

“For an Australian who stands here, in Argentina, in the presence of so many people in Buenos Aires who care, let me say that nothing can be more satisfying and nothing can make me prouder than to think that we have so many friends that share that common cause with us all over the world,” he concluded.

Australian Environment Minister Sussan Ley said recently that the country’s koala population had taken an “extraordinary hit” as a result of bushfires that have raged for months, suggesting they could be listed as “endangered” for the first time in the country’s history.

Australia’s bushfires have claimed at least 28 lives to date and have raised awareness about the type of disasters that scientists say the world will increasingly face due to global warming.