$75m reasons why Sydney’s Gold Dinner is shunning celebrities

Attention-seeking celebrities, WAGS and influencers have been cut from the invite list for this year’s Gold Dinner, because organisers say they take up valuable space but don’t boost the coffers for Sydney Children’s Hospitals.

It’s one of Sydney’s most prestigious charity nights that hopes to raise $75 million — and to do it they need more millionaires than celebrities, WAGs and influencers.

The Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation’s 2024 Gold Dinner wants to help the redevelopment of the children’s hospitals at Randwick and Westmead.

“We’ve made it less celebrity focused,” Gold Dinner co-chair Joshua Penn told The Sunday Telegraph. “They don’t seem to add much in terms of value for us.

“I’m always told to invite the celebrity or the famous rugby player and put the WAG on the list but it is just not our thing.

“We have done it before and they end up taking up valuable space and often they often don’t give money.

“They just want the attention on them. And that’s fine if you like attention, but my job is to raise money.

“Give me Lucy Turnbull or a former prime minister over a celebrity any day.”

Gold Dinner co-chair Joshua Penn — pictured with his children Brooklyn, 6, and Blake, 3 — has set an ambitious fundraising target for this year’s Gold Dinner. Picture: Tim Hunter

Mr Penn, the 37-year-old Lowes heir, signed on as co-chair with his mother Linda three years ago and believes the 26-year old event — now the most successful children’s hospital fundraising gala in the world — will hit its ambitious target.

Mrs Penn is the CEO and co-owner of Lowes apparel. Her husband David founded Southern Cross Dental laboratories in the 1980s and in 2012 sold his majority stake in the business for a reported $96m.

Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull can expect an invite to this year’s Gold Dinner. Picture: Getty Images

Joshua co-owns luxury fashion retailer Belinda International with Jackie Yencken, and also runs Double Bay homewares boutique and cafe Palmer & Penn with his husband Ben Palmer. Since the duo were recruited to be co-chairs, the Gold Dinner has raised more than $28.4 million.

Their Glamour And Gold 2022 event raised $9 million – the most money ever donated at a single Australian charity gala and $3.3 million more than was raised at the previous year’s event.

And the Gold Dinner in 2023 set an Australian record of $19.2 million.

As of this weekend, Penn and his committee have already raised more than $55 million ahead of the hyper-exclusive soiree, which will take place on May 1. This has come from sponsors and donations.

They are hoping to raise $20 million in pledges and from auction items on the night, which will give a total of $75 million. Many believe they will raise more.

“For us, this really is purely about us raising money to help sick children,” Mr Penn said. “We are raising money to pay for a machine that could save yours or my kid’s life.

“I can invite someone who can help pay for that machine, or someone who can stand there and look pretty on the red carpet.

“I don’t care about raising my profile, I don’t care about whether the event gets press, I am here to get a job done.

“I’ve been told to put a celebrity on the committee numerous times. I say ‘why? What would they do?’

“I would prefer to have the chief pediatrician of NSW who can talk to the committee and tell them exactly where the money needs to go.”

The Penns and the committee have invited a carefully curated crowd of 500, which is made up of billionaires, CEOs, heirs and heiresses who will pay $3500 a ticket.

Thanks to this new crowd, Penn expects less social media posting and more hefty bids on prizes, which will include an lunch for six with Anthony Albanese.

“A friend of mine ended up giving a million dollars last year after I told him to do a tour of Bear Cottage,” he said.

“He saw a little girl die in her mother’s arms.

“That’s why I am doing this. I can’t even comprehend what some families have to go through,” he added, fighting back tears.

“This event isn’t about posing on a red carpet or being a place for a celebrity to promote themselves. It is an opportunity to put children first and our children’s hospitals first.

“I just want to make a difference.”

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Originally published as $75m reasons why Sydney’s Gold Dinner is shunning celebrities