Last Friday, Stewart Construction Ltd hosted its annual golf fundraiser at the St Clair Golf Course, bringing together 36 teams for a sun-filled day marked by the region's signature cool breeze.
The event, which included a dinner and auction, raised an impressive $57,000. This vital funding will remain in the region to support counselling sessions for youth and young adults through I Am Hope.
Now in its sixth year and fifth raising funds for I Am Hope, the event has collectively contributed over $203,000 to the cause.
I Am Hope, a program of The Key to Life Charitable Trust, works tirelessly to promote mental health in schools, workplaces, and communities.
It aims to transform how people perceive and address mental illness while providing essential counselling services.
Mike King joined the Design Windows team for the day, bringing along an impressive lineup of special guests.
Former rugby league player Richie Barnett, former rugby sevens player Mana Ashford, and Commonwealth Games swimmer and triathlete Rick Wells, all spent the day on the greens, soaking in the camaraderie and the lively atmosphere of the event. King praised the event’s impact.
“Events like this show the power of community to create real change,’’ he said. ‘‘Every dollar raised means more young people can access the help they need without the barriers of cost or stigma. That’s the kind of hope we need to keep building.”
A standout contribution to this year's fundraiser came from the Windows and Doors Replacement Package.
Special thanks go to Steve Burrow and Mark Baker of Design Windows for their generous donation of $22,000 worth of windows and doors.
Wrens, ITM Dunedin, and Stewart Construction also contributed to the package, bringing its total value to $35,000.
In a move that extended the fundraiser's reach beyond the golf course, the package was listed on TradeMe for the wider Dunedin community, where it fetched an impressive $29,000.
King reflected on the event’s success.
“This isn’t just about raising money - it’s about breaking down walls and creating connections,’’ he said. ‘‘Dunedin has shown time and again that when people come together for a cause, incredible things happen.”
The generosity of the sponsors and the various donations meant every team won a prize. The winners of the four person Ambrose were:
First place: 54.8 - Tak Flooring
Second place: 56.1 - Deloitte
Third place: 57.1 - OEC
20th place: 60.5 - I Am Hope
24th place: 62.6 - Stewart Construction
This year's tournament featured an exciting new addition: a pre-tournament round hosted at Tee Box - Virtual Golf. The pre-tournament round offered teams a chance to get a head start by securing a scoring advantage for the main event.
The competition was fierce, with Chas. E. George & Son taking the win in the pre-tournament round, thanks in part to Harry Maaka, who got closest to the pin.
A special thanks goes to Mark Hooper from Tee Box for hosting this engaging and innovative addition to the event. It added an extra layer of fun and strategy.
Stewart Construction’s golf fundraiser continues to unite the community for a vital cause, combining the love of sport with the drive to make a difference for young people in the region.
With such tremendous support, the future looks bright for this annual event and the impact it delivers.
Along with the normal 18 holes of Ambrose golf, there were darts, chipping, and putting competitions, along with the main draw card of winning a brand-new car!
Special thanks to Andrew Simms and Aon Insurance for providing the brand new ASX Mitsubishi, for which Conner Howes narrowly missed hitting the pin and finished just a few feet away.
Thanks to all the supporters of the golf fundraiser.
Special thanks to:
- Auctioneer Grant McLean from Ray White.
- Annette, Patrick, and the team from St Clair Golf Club.
- Design Windows and ITM for lending the BBQ.
- Green Island Football Club for the tents.
- Outram Butchery and our hunters.
- Sonya Fraser from Mediaworks.
Main sponsors:
- Stewart Construction
- Design Windows
- Andrew Simms
- Otago Daily Times
- Outram Butchery
- Saint Clair Golf Club
- Aon
Auction:
The auction on the night raised $12,100 with amazing getaways, golf with Ben Smith, signed and framed memorabilia such as a 2015 signed Highlanders shirt, glove by Lydia Ko, Shaun Johnson Warriors top, custom paintings, and even the Poo putter from the putting competition signed by Mike King, which went for $600.
Auction sponsors:
- Arrowfield Apartments
- Scenic Hotel Group
- Trail Journeys
- K-Jet
- Danz Art
- Amigos Cromwell
- Wooing Tree Vineyard
- Miller family
- Berland family
- Stoker Room
- Victoria Arms Cromwell
Hole and event sponsors:
- Tee Box
- DBC Building Services
- Deloitte
- Furniture Paint and Polish
- Adams
- Wrens
- Tak Flooring
- United Scaffolding
- Impact Plumbing
- Southern Insulation
- Aotea Electric
- Tansley Electrical
- Placemakers
- OEC
- ITM Dunedin
- Today’s Building Solutions
- Carters
- Feldspar
- Blacks Fasteners
- Hanlon & Partners
Prize sponsors:
- Active Electro
- Allied Concrete
- Adams
- Allans Sheet Metal
- Aotea
- Allied Press
- ANZ
- ARA Hardware
- Ascot Park
- Avid Plus
- Bill Richardson Transport World
- Blacks fasteners
- Carters
- Cowdroy
- Davies Heat and Cool
- Deloitte
- Edible Bloom
- Firth Concrete
- Golf Warehouse
- Haflele
- Hettich
- ILT Stadium
- Impact Plumbing
- ITM
- Jaes
- JAWS
- Klingspor
- Laminex
- Liquorland
- LJ Hooker
- Moyles Fresh Choice
- NZ Panels
- ODT
- OEC
- Patagonia
- Placemakers
- Promo-X
- Radcliffe
- Save Money Skips
- Seearco
- Site Safe
- Splash
- Steel and Tube
- The Batch Café
- Todd Engineering
- Toolshed
- United Scaffolding
- Workplace First Aid Training
Thanks to the Stewarts team:
David Grant, Jodie & Fei Peters, Sam Brouwer, Jo Autridge, Matt and Megan Boivin, Barry Taylor, Rachael McDowall, Steve Bithell, Paul Faulkner, Phil Day, and Ryan Neale and other amazing helpers Tracey Hudson, Tessa Smallbone and Alli Jones, for their hard work and dedication to an amazing cause.
