Leonora P&C ball aims to send local students to Perth country week

The Leonora District High School P&C committee is inviting the community to attend the first edition of the Leonora Rain Dance to cover the costs of students travelling to Perth for WA schools’ country week.

P&C president Ayla-Jade Wheeler said as the town was not holding a ball this year, the group decided to organise one themselves.

Ms Wheeler said the P&C had been able to send 10 students to country week last year for the first time in “quite a long time,” and they had thoroughly enjoyed it.

“So we’re hoping to actually raise money to cover all of those costs, and give them some really cool experiences while they’re down there and give them the opportunity to go and meet other regional schools,” Ms Wheeler said.

She said the group was seeking sponsorships from local businesses and had already received donations for their charity auction.

“(It’s) just a chance for everyone in Leonora to get dressed up, go out, have a good time, have a laugh, have a chat and raise some money for our kids while they’re doing it,” she said.

Ms Wheeler said she did not have any expectations in terms of how much money they would raise, but was hoping to provide the students with “the best possible experience” on their trip to Perth.

She explained the ball would include “throwback” games, board games and music, along with bite-sized food.

Ms Wheeler said the ball would be at the Leonora recreation and aquatic centre, which had a capacity of 100 to 150 people, with tickets priced at $70 each.

She hoped the P&C would also have the funds to cover the costs of uniforms and fun activities, as the students did not have the same opportunities as those living in a larger city or area.

“Our focus is on making sure that our kids get a lot of these fun activities with no out-of-pocket charges for them, so it’s really good to be able to not only do something within the community but to get them out to Perth and into meeting other students in the same sort of situations that they are,” Ms Wheeler said.

The Leonora Rain Dance will be held on September 10, with doors opening at 6.30pm.