Record-breaking $22.3m donated to Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal

Australians have dug deep, with donations to the Royal Children’s Hospital annual Easter fundraiser soaring past the previous high.

Australians dug deep this Easter weekend, raising a record-breaking $22,328,154 for the 91st annual Good Friday Appeal.

Phones rang off the hook with donations for the Royal Children’s Hospital, with the tally soaring past the previous record of $18.2m, set in 2020.

The fundraising effort was helped along by a $2 million donation from the Victorian government, later matched by the federal government’s first-ever donation to the event.

Celebrities joined on the affair, with a performance by Guy Sebastian and an appearance by the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Western Bulldogs also walked out onto the field with children from the hospital, breaking through a banner that read: “Today we’re celebrating the real superheroes among us: the staff and patients of the Royal Children’s Hospital.”

“Whether you’re shaking a tin, on the phones or running one of the thousands of events throughout the year that help the Good Friday Appeal, thank you so much,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said. “None of this would be possible without you.”

Larni Easton, 6, says thank you. Picture: Ian Currie

Scott Morrison visited volunteers in Melbourne on Friday afternoon, touring the phone room at Channel 7 with Good Friday Appeal chair Penny Fowler.

“Good on you Dan and on this one mate, we’re all in this together because this is a fantastic appeal which is helping an institution in the Royal Children’s,” the Prime Minister said.

Most important, however, was the generosity of the Victorian community, said the charity’s chair Penny Fowler.

“It is a people’s appeal and it’s all about everyone giving a little bit — $5, $10, $20 – I think that’s what makes it special,” Ms Fowler said. “To come and help us when we’re coming out of Covid is really great initiative and we are so appreciative of that.”

The Royal Children’s Hospital said it was “absolutely blown away” by the tally.

“We are completely humbled by the support of this incredible community,” the hospital said in an Instagram post.

The Good Friday Appeal began in 1931, when a group of journalists from The Herald and Weekly Times organised a sporting carnival to fundraise for Melbourne hospitals. It is broadcast annually by the Seven Network and has raised a total $399 million for the Royal Children’s Hospital.