The first-ever Queenstown auction event hosted by The CatWalk Trust has raised over $350,000, helping to fund pioneering research into treatment for spinal cord injuries.
The charity auction was held at AJ Hackett Kawarau Bridge Bungy Centre at the end of April and included a range of experiences and items. The major prize of the night was lot 16, which took the top bid of $100,000 for a service fee to the international champion racehorse, Brazen Beau. This lot and a further two prizes were generously donated by the event’s major sponsor, Godolphin.
Catriona Williams, former international rider, a C6/C7 tetraplegic and founder of The CatWalk Trust, was delighted by the event’s success.
“To have raised $350,000 is an amazing result. We are truly humbled by the generosity of everyone involved, to the night’s sponsors Godolphin and AJ Hackett, and to all our generous prize donors,” she said.
Catriona also expressed appreciation for the event’s attendees. “Our sincere thanks go out to all 200 attendees for their wonderful contribution. We simply couldn’t have achieved such a superlative result without their enthusiasm and support.”
The star-studded event included a host of famous faces, including CatWalk Trust patron and former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and his wife, Black Stick Gemma McCaw. The McCaws partook in the live auction, winning the lunch at Annabel Langbein’s private Wanaka hideaway. The event was co-hosted by CatWalk Trust patron and media personality Toni Street and Queenstown real estate guru Brendan Quill, with veteran stock-auctioneer Jono Robertson supplying his skills on the hammer.
The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust raises funds to support the body of scientific opinion which says a cure for SCI will be found. The Trust was founded in 2005 by Catriona, formerly one of New Zealand’s leading international equestrians, who, following a riding accident in 2002, is now C6/C7 tetraplegic and confined to a wheelchair.
In 2011, CatWalk helped establish through seed funding the Spinal Cord Injury Research Facility based at the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland. The Trust operates a fully transparent and rigorous annual funding process utilising the expertise of the Neurological Foundation’s scientific Advisory Committee and its independent and international peer review process.
Godolphin is the global thoroughbred breeding and horseracing team founded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai.
