INNISFAIL – Scores of attendees at a recent golf classic at the Innisfail Golf Club turned their heads at a big bird in the sky slowly descending towards the driving range.
But it was no bird. It was a helicopter flown by Wade McAllister of Antler Valley Farm.
He and his brother Scott had an important mission to carry out; a drop of 500 golf balls onto a small area around a Canada Day flag pin.
This was the first Innisfail Rotary Club Helicopter Golf Ball Drop that was held on June 29; the same day as the service club’s 37th annual Rotary Club of Innisfail Charity Golf Classic.
Tammy Thompson, president of the Rotary Club of Innisfail, said planning for the helicopter golf ball drop started in early April. It was a new fundraising addition to the annual charity golf game.
She said the 500 balls McAllister was transporting were individually numbered.
“They were all in a bin that Wade had on the helicopter with him and his brother Scott, who assisted with the drop,” said Thompson, adding an area was mapped out on the golf course’s driving range. “And when the time came when Wade and Scott were up in the helicopter, they dumped the balls out of a bucket onto the driving range.”
She said the ball closest to the Canada Day flag pin won a cash prize; 25 per cent of the fundraiser’s proceeds. The cash prize winner was Gavin Bates. He collected $1,815.
Second prize went to the ball second closest to the pin. Courtney Malone won a golf package donated by the Innisfail Golf Club.
The third-place winner, whose ball was the furthest from the Canada Day flag pin, received a helicopter ride for up to three people that was donated by Wade McAllister. The winner was Di Binnendyk.
In the end, the new fundraiser raised $5,445 – after all expenses – to support a new community project.
As for bringing back the helicopter ball drop for future golf fundraisers, Thompson said that would be up to Wade McAllister.
“That'll be something we'll have to discuss with Wade. It is his helicopter. He offered this to our club. It's a very generous donation,” said Thompson. “If he's willing to do it again we definitely would consider it. It was a lot of fun. It was very exciting to watch.”
And there were still more fundraising dollars to come from Rotary’s annual charity golf game that was being played the same day.
James O'Dwyer, Rotary’s golf tournament chair, said this year’s event attracted 33 teams with a total of 132 players who engaged in a fun best-ball Texas scramble.
It was an event where all participants took home a prize from their collective quest to raise money for another important community project.
O'Dwyer said players could enter themselves individually or as a team with different levels of sponsorships.
“When they sponsor, they can send two or four or eight golfers depending on their level of sponsorship. At the end of the day everybody is contributing to the tournament and paying to enter,” said O'Dwyer. “Any of the funds we raise, the wonderful thing is they literally get turned around and put right back into the community.”
He said final fundraising totals from this year’s charity tourney were not yet available but the tourney “usually” raises about $20,000; money that is turned over for a community project.
O'Dwyer said past Rotary fundraising projects included the new chalet at the Innisfail Ski Club, the new outdoor skating rink behind the Innisfail Twin Arena, and the current Diamond #7 project.
“It was a tremendous success. Most importantly are the attendees and the sponsors. They make it happen every year,” said O'Dwyer. “We've got sponsors that have participated in the tournament since before I joined Rotary and there's some people that have been attending since its inception.”
