![cRoyalChildAppeal070423 Castlemaine CFA members Greg Hughes, Ann Farrell, Margaret Gartside and Ron Gartside will be among the volunteers collecting as part of this year's Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal.](https://castlemainemail.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/cRoyalChildAppeal070423-696x461.jpg)
The Castlemaine Fire Brigade will once again be out rattling their tins for the 2023 Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal (GFA) from today.
The local CFA members have been collecting for this very special cause for more than four decades and are once again proud to throw their support behind the vital Victorian service.
Castlemaine CFA member and Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal area manager Ron Gartside said members have fond memories of their annual collection spanning more than 40 years and are delighted to have made a considerable contribution to the incredible work of the RCH.
“I’ve been rattling the tin for over 25 years myself and many of our members have been donating their time since the beginning of our involvement with the fundraiser,” he said.
Local CFA volunteers will be collecting donations from the community outside the newsagents in Mostyn Street from 7.30am today, Thursday April 6 through until 6pm. You will also find volunteers at Maxi IGA and outside IGA Castlemaine in Barker Street.
Tomorrow, Good Friday April 7, volunteers will be collecting donations at the traffic lights at the intersection of Forest and Barker Streets and will also be doing the rounds of streets around town so listen out for the sirens when they hit your area.
“If anyone misses us they can pop into the Castlemaine Fire Station and make a donation from 8am on Good Friday,” he said.
Since 1931, the Good Friday Appeal has been dedicated to fundraising for The Royal Children’s Hospital so that it can continue to provide world class care for children in Victoria and beyond. Over its long and proud history, the Good Friday Appeal has provided over $421 million to The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
In 2022, the Appeal celebrated a record-breaking total of $22,328,154 thanks to the generous support of fundraising partners, regional area managers and community members from across Victoria and beyond.
The Castlemaine volunteers were proud to be part of that incredible feat.
“This incredible result would not have been possible without the generous support of community members. We are always blown away by the contributions we receive from the local community,” Ron said.
Funds raised support ground-breaking research, state of the art equipment and technology, education and family centred care programs so that The Royal Children’s Hospital can continue to provide world class care to our children. If you should miss our local volunteers you can make a donations online at goodfridayappeal.com.au