Of the 92 Queensland Schools affected by flood waters, Rocklea State School, located in Brisbane’s south-east was one of the schools hit hard by flood waters. The school’s administration block, resource centre, computer room and classrooms took the brunt of the nearly two metre water level now indicated as a sombre reminder by a plaque on the wall of the school’s gym.

In August 2011, The Shane Warne Foundation in conjunction with Variety Victoria were able to make a generous donation to assist with the cost of resurfacing the school’s tennis and basketball court. The court is central to the school’s physical education curriculum; hosting training for interschool sports meets and is a favourite play area for the 40, prep to year seven, students.

Variety – the Children’s Charity recognises the value and importance of outdoor play and team sports for children’s physical and social development.

Variety Queensland CEO Mr. Les Riley says “for schools like Rocklea, reinstating the facilities that keep students active and engaged with the community is a vital step in moving on from a natural disaster. We are grateful to The Shane Warne Foundation who has made such a positive impact on the lives of these children, today and for their future”.

General Manager of The Shane Warne Foundation, Jason Warne commented, “The Shane Warne Foundation was created to help children in need. After the devastation caused by the floods to Rocklea State School, we are proud to have been able to get involved and assist with the resurfacing of the tennis and basketball courts. We hope they are enjoyed for many years to come!”

Fittingly, it was rain that delayed the opening of the sports court, but on Wednesday 28th March students and teachers gathered with representatives from Variety – the Children’s Charity to cut the ribbon and throw their first balls around.

Variety – the Children’s Charity is dedicated to empowering Australian children who are sick, disadvantaged or who have special needs to LIVE, LAUGH and LEARN. In 2011, Variety was able grant over $2.7 Million worth of equipment and services and have a positive effect on the lives of over 55,000 Queensland children in need.

On Monday 5 March 2012, another chapter was entered into the partnership journal when The Shane Warne Foundation donated over $40,000 worth of ‘Spinners by Shane Warne’ product to Challenge for them to distribute to the children and families they support.

Chairman Shane Warne was on hand to do the official honours and spent his time playing with several Challenge children and spending time with their families.

The event took place at the new Challenge House which is a sensational new home for Challenge. It is a credit to the team’s hard work, with special mention to long time CEO Dave Rogers, to turn this dream into a reality.

On his way out, Shane had the following to say to the Challenge team, “All of us at TSWF are proud to assist and be associated with Challenge and the great work you do supporting kids with cancer. Keep up the good work guys.”

TSWF Director Ann Peacock was there to help present the players with their jumpers for the year and TSWF GM Jason Warne spoke briefly about what we do and how the Storm’s support can help us grow.

We are extremely excited about the possibilities of the partnership and will be unveiling new initiatives as the year progresses, watch this space.

The lavish event was held in Studio 3, the official film studio of the Aussie Millions, and it was complete with a red carpet as celebrities and poker pros came out from around the world. In addition to Hachem and Warne, guest celebrities include …….. click here for the full event wrap

Back to nature have some great breakfast cereals which you will find in the health food section of most supermarkets. Earlier this year they featured the TSWF logo on every pack and raised some much needed funds to help us enrich the lives of seriously ill and underprivileged children.

Keep an eye out and try their great products.

We were exceptionally privileged to be one of the eleven charities chosen around the world to be the recipients of the proceeds of the Melbourne auction.

We would like to pass on our most sincere thanks and appreciation for this kind gesture to Gilles Dougoud and the rest of the Moët & Chandon team.

We would also like to extend our appreciation to the incredibly generous Ann Peacock and Crown team for winning the auction with a bid of $60,000, thank you very much!

Event Overview

On the 11th of November 2011 in 11 cities across the globe, Moët & Chandon conducted an auction of a uniquely rare wine: a 6 bottle coffret of 100-year-old Grand Vintage Collection 1911. These bottles of 1911 were stored for 100 years in the Maison cellar, and have only been released now for this special global initiative. This is said to be one of the brand’s finest and most exceptional wines.

From Toronto to London, from Paris to Melbourne, from Beijing to Moscow, each location contributed a new chapter to Moet & Chandon’s history, a history of generosity celebrated throughout the world. The auction at Crown Melbourne in Australia was facilitated and conducted by Paul Sumner, Managing Director of Mossgreen Auctions.

The evening began with a selection of eight hot and cold canapés including lightly smoked duck with hazelnut emulsion, rock lobster ceviche with coconut and asparagus tortellini in asparagus nage, which were all prepared by Anthony Hannon of Crown Melbourne’s Banqueting, and paired with Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2002.

Guests then proceeded into a beautifully draped intimate dining room, the Moët & Chandon Room at the Palladium at Crown Melbourne, where the 1911 coffret was the centre of everyone’s attention. The first course was prepared by The Atlantic’s Donovan Cooke: his renowned Scallop Tartare, paired with Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2002. Donovan was present on the evening to welcome guests to the charity auction and introduce the dish he had prepared prior to the dinner getting underway.

When the first course was cleared, anticipation filled the room as Gilles Dougoud of Moët & Chandon welcomed guests to the evening’s auction, further explaining the extraordinary global initiative of generosity from the Maison. With the spotlight on the coffret, Paul Sumner of Mossgreen Auctions conducted the exciting auction. With bidders present, as well as a bidder via telephone, the winning bid went to Crown Melbourne for $60,000.

After winning Crown stated, “Crown is thrilled to have been the successful bidder in securing this coveted collection of 6 bottles of 100 year old Moët & Chandon champagne. This champagne will be added to Crown’s extensive cellar and hope that the champagne will be celebrated and enjoyed in years to come. We are equally pleased that the proceeds of the auction will directly benefit The Shane Warne Foundation, a wonderful charity with which Crown has a long and enduring association.” The Shane Warne Foundation mission is to raise funds to help “enrich the lives of seriously ill and underprivileged children and teenagers in Australia.”

The remaining three courses of the dinner were fabulous, as the room was full of the excitement that comes from a once in a lifetime opportunity attending an auction of such importance and rarity. Neil Perry created the second course, a spectacular dish of wood fire grilled king prawns with beans, hummus, croutons and yoghurt, which was paired perfectly with Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 1995.

The main course was prepared by Guillaume Brahimi, which was perfectly presented roasted Barossa Valley chicken with truffle on a bed of corn puree, white and green asparagus, baby morels and jus gras paired with Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 1990.

Heather Zheng of Nobu prepared the dessert, which was paired with Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2002 Rosé: a green tea and lime cheesecake with spices apples, frozen yoghurt, and mango passionfruit coulis. This was a light, sweet and perfect ending to a night full of generosity, kindness and an exceptional amount of support for Moët & Chandon and The Shane Warne Foundation.

Forget the cricket, The Shane Warne Foundation is teaming up with the FootyBanner app this AFL finals season!

All proceeds raised from sales of the FootyBanner app during the AFL finals month will be donated to The Shane Warne Foundation until after the Grand Final.

Developed by Melbourne company, Vortilla Digital, FootyBanner is an iPhone app used by thousands of Australian footy fans to create their own original banners in the colours of their favourite (or least-favourite!) AFL team.

“We are thrilled to announce our new association with Vortilla Digital,” says Jason Warne, General Manager of The Shane Warne Foundation, “This is a really fun and easy way for the public to get involved in raising funds for children’s charities whilst enjoying the footy finals.”

Users of the app can channel their inner-cheer squad member and write clever, funny or inspirational messages – as well as adding photos and web images – which are then loaded onto a team banner for display, and can be shared online via email, Facebook and Twitter.

During the finals month, The Shane Warne Foundation will promote the FootyBanner app through both Twitter and Facebook to encourage downloads to help raise funds.

The Shane Warne Foundation is an umbrella organisation that works to enrich the lives of seriously ill and underprivileged children in Australia by raising funds and distributing them to charitable organisations.

The FootyBanner app is currently available for download from $0.99 to $2.99 at the App Store, please click the button below to down load it now.

Click here to read the entire article

What started as a simple tweet about one pair of jeans quickly turned into a frenzy of twitter activity, with 22 of Shane’s famous ‘followers’ generously donating items, and prompting the creation of an online auction in partnership with eBay and PayPal.

We would like to thank eBay and PayPal for waiving their normal fees. Their support means 100% of the money raised will reach our beneficiaries.

“The Shane Warne Foundation Celebrity Auction was a terrific success, raising much needed funds for children’s charities,” says Chairman Shane Warne “I’m so grateful to everyone that got involved and donated to the cause, not just the people who donated items but everyone who bid on them as well, thank you for your support.”

The highest selling items were:

2 Flights to London with tickets to 6 Nations England v Wales – 25 February 2012 – $4,272

• Collingwood 2010 Premiership Jumper – $1,475
• 2 Elton John VIP Tickets with Backstage Passes – $1400
• Fifi and Jules in studio tickets – $1,226
• Elizabeth Hurley’s jeans – $1,126
• A Day in the Studio with Neil Mitchell – $1,025

We would like to thank everyone involved who helped to make this event a success; Chris Martin and Coldplay, DJ Havana Brown, Daniel McPherson, Dannii Minogue, Elizabeth Hurley, Gary Ablett Jnr, Sir Elton John, Fifi Box, Karl Stefanovic, Neil Mitchell, Nick Maxwell, Piers Morgan, Ricki-Lee Coulter, Robbie Maddison, Russell Crowe, Sandra Sully, Sergio Garcia, Simon O’Donnell, Stephen Fry, Tony Greig, Will Carling, Etihad Airways, eBay, PayPal, Spark Communications and Dig Creative.

We are already starting to plan our second celebrity auction for next year, so watch this space…!

In case you weren’t able to log on to eBay during the auction, here’s what you missed out on…..

Shane Warne Signed Diesel jeans	‘Spinners’ top worn at the Press Call in Mumbai	Elizabeth Hurley Signed ‘favourite’ white jeans	‘Spinners’ top worn at the Press Call in Mumbai
Gary Ablett Signed Nike boots worn by Gary in his first match against old club Geelong, and the first match at the new Gold Coast ground on 28 March 2011	Robbie Maddison Signed Crusty Demons riding gear worn by Robbie during one of his amazing jumps!	Sandra Sully Stunning ‘Alex Perry’ dress worn and signed by Sandra	Daniel McPherson Stylish ‘Calibre’ suit worn by Daniel on the 29 May 2011 episode of ‘Dancing with the Stars’
Karl Stefanovic Karl’s ‘7 For All Man Kind’ signed jeans	Ricki-Lee Coulter Christian Louboutin shoes worn and signed by Ricki-Lee during ‘Carols by Candlelight’ in 2010	Sergio Garcia Sergio’s green and white signed Adidas golf bag	Havana Brown DJ Havana Brown’s outfit she wore during her concert tour with Britney Spears
Stephen Fry DVD series ‘Last Chance to See’, signed by Stephen	Dannii Minogue Project D ‘Jackpot’ dress worn and signed by Dannii	Nick Maxwell 2010 Grand Final team signed jumper	Coldplay Signed picture disc, live CD (that was only available on the Viva La Vida tour as a giveaway) and photo
Simon O’Donnell Signed silks from Bauer’s Melbourne Cup 2nd place in 2010	Russell Crowe An arrow shot by Russell while making Sir Ridley Scott’s 2010 film ‘Robin Hood’	Tony Greig Signed ‘Panama’ hat	Elton John 2 x VIP tickets to watch Elton in concert (Sydney 27 November 2011, Melbourne 6 or 7 December 2011)
Piers Morgan 2 x tickets to watch’ America’s Got Talent’ in Los Angeles – Performance & Results shows	Fifi Box Spend an afternoon at Fox FM watching ‘The Fifi & Jules Show’	Neil Mitchell A ‘Day in the Studio’ with 3AW morning presenter, Neil Mitchell	Will Carling & Etihad Airways 2 x tickets to watch England Vs Wales on 25 February 2012 at Twickenham and return airfares with Etihad Airways from Australia to London

Peter Moylan; a relief pitcher for the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball team, is entering his 5th season in the big leagues and has proven himself to be one of the most durable relievers in the majors.

Peter has also been working tirelessly to help enrich the lives of seriously ill and underprivileged children in Australia, by helping raise money for The Shane Warne Foundation. He recently held an online auction like no other where he invited all Braves fans to bid on his “AWESOME AUSSIE WEEKEND EXPERIENCE”!

The winning bidder received the Braves weekend of a lifetime, personally arranged by Peter himself.

The Awesome Aussie Weekend Experience included the following:

• Round-trip airfare (if applicable) for two people from anywhere in the world, courtesy of Delta Air Lines

• Three nights accommodation in an Atlanta hotel

• Transportation via limousine to Turner Field

• Peter’s two personal tickets to three games of any remaining regular season weekend series at Turner Field*

• *Options include CHC 8/12 – 8/14, ARZ 8/19 – 8/21, LAD 9/2 – 9/3, NYM 9/16 – 9/18

• Two personalized Braves jerseys (or two Moylan jerseys).

• Personal VIP clubhouse tour

• VIP Field visit during Braves batting practice

• An exclusive dinner or lunch with Pete

The item sold on Sunday 24th July for $6,450.50!

Our heartfelt thanks to Peter Moylan for your wonderful support of The Shane Warne Foundation.