Rotary auction back on the air

The Rotary Radio Auction has come a long way in 30 years.

Since 1991, it has raised more than $1 million for local charities.

Items ranging from a $2400 Broome holiday package to a single movie ticket will be up for grabs on Sunday, all donated by local businesses. A full list of items can be found in Friday’s edition of the Geraldton Guardian.

Rotarian Di Gilleland’s advice is to “highlight your choice of bids and put it on your fridge”.

“Each block is strictly timed, so make sure you call early so you don’t miss out,” she said.

The auction is broken up into 12 blocks of 20 items, each scheduled for 30 minutes. Items are arranged in descending order of value.

Rotarians and volunteers will be hard at work answering phones at the Telstra Exchange as the bidding goes live at 9am. Those who wish to place a bid can phone 9965 4888, and tune in to Triple M Geraldton 98.1 to follow the action.

The early days of the auction were a little less extravagant. In 1994, the highest-valued item was a 300L water heater.

Some of the bigger items included a seven-piece dining setting, an Amstrad 700 fax machine, and a 1.5HP air-conditioner.

The lowest value item was a $7 bag of oats, donated by K. Allen.