THERE is nothing small about the Gold Dinner. Each year this mammoth charity event cranks up the venue, guests wow factor and wealth just a little more. But beneath all the pizazz lies one ruthless purpose: to amass as much instant hard cash for Sydney's Children's Hospital as possible. In the past decade, Gold dinnershave drummed up $9.4 million for various hospital services and everyone was hoping the 10th would push that total into double figures.

SUNHERALD DIARY

LOWDOWN

THERE is nothing small about the Gold Dinner. Each year this mammoth charity event cranks up the venue, guests wow factor and wealth just a little more. But beneath all the pizazz lies one ruthless purpose: to amass as much instant hard cash for Sydney's Children's Hospital as possible. In the past decade, Gold dinnershave drummed up $9.4 million for various hospital servicesand everyone was hoping the 10th would push that total into double figures.

The bash was on a lake, and i wondered is this meant a boa. But with 660 guests you'd need a cruise liner, and even the heavyweight Gold committee which includes Lucy Turnbull, Mandy Foely- Quin and chairwoman Skye Leckie- couldnt magic one of those into Moore PArk . What had they done? Along, long red carpet stretched from Driver Avenue towards the water and intowhat appeared to be the aftermath of a cyclone in an elegant neighbourhood.

Antiques lay strewn on the grass and burning tapers led the way to a wast gold tent. This had been erected on top of the lake by some feat of engineeing that only a magician would understand- or a party wizard like David Grant, who had masterminded the whole thing.

The place was filled with 4.5 million worth of antiques from the Country Trader. They were suspended in mid-air above the tables, as if there was no gravity. If space shuttles had first class, it would look something like this.

It was hot in that lavish space an in the ladies bathroom, stylists were busy reconstructing a production line of expensive but wilted blondes . Suddenly, everything went dark. "The hairdyers are shorting the electrics," scolded a production man. "You can only use one." The women, unused to dissent, glared at him "Err, I'll get you some extra power," he said.

Vanessa Amorosi sang and the auction began. The raising of vast amounts of charity money can be sweaty, noisy, arduous business, but Sotheby's boss Justin Miller gamely kept up his auctioneer's patter over the hubbub . The temperture in the room rose again, but so did the total.

At last the night's profit was announced: an astonishing $3.107 million. That's net.Even the most minted in the room gasped out loud, an there were hugsall round. The decade's total now stands at 12.417 million. In Sydney we may party harder than most, but we give exuberantly. Back