Variety QLD - Aboutus Homepage

Our annual fundraising events include the highly successful madcap motoring event the XXXX Gold Variety Bash, the Action International 4WD Explorer, Gold Heart Appeal, the Motorline Variety Entertainers Ball, the Variety Jet Trek, the Variety Executive Golf Series, the Blue Lagoon Variety Fiji Splash and the Variety Children's Christmas Parties.

Variety Queensland is a member of Variety Australia and is Tent 76 within Variety International.

All of the net funds raised by Variety Queensland are spent on children and/or children's organization within Queensland.

An Appeals Committee makes recommendations to the Board for approval of funds to be spent. This is usually by way of goods and services - including the Variety Sunshine Coach Program (motor coaches) along with a vast array of grants to hospitals, schools, youth clubs and of course to individual children.

The Variety Club helps handicapped and under privileged children with any and all resources available to us. So many children need our help and we need yours. Become a member of Variety; it will do your heart good.

History of Variety

In 1927 eleven young men from the show business world attended a Christmas Eve party at the Sheridan Theatre in Pittsburgh. It was during this party that an infant girl was found abandoned with this note pinned to her clothing.

The eleven young men including Mr. J Harris, The manager of the theatre rose to the occasion and decided to look after the baby. They found a new interest in life and soon after started asking for food and clothing for little Catherine, whom they had named Catherine "Variety" Sheridan. Thus the Variety Club was born with Mr. Harris as the first president. As time passed the men had received so many donations for Catherine that she could not possibly use that they started to give the items to other needy children. At age of five a family was found for Catherine and she was adopted. The Variety club as the men were now called kept going, and grew as the men moved away to different parts of the country. The different branches of the Variety Club were called Tents. There are now over 53 Tents in twelve different countries world wide continuing the work that the original eleven men started.

Catherine now named Joan W. Richler - Merlick grew up to marry and have four children of her own, three sons and one daughter. She served in the navy and about 2 years ago she was in attendance at a Variety Club International convention in Tel Aviv Israel. Catherine (Joan) passed away September 9, 1994 at the age of 65 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Founding of the Variety Club International

Variety Clubs International is a non-profit organization, charted on October 22, 1928, for the purpose of aiding handicapped and underprivileged children in all corners of the globe.

Founded by people in show business, Variety Clubs International has long and deservedly been characterized as "the heart of show business”. Its membership is largely drawn from the many-faceted world of entertainment, including top echelon creative talent and business executives from the amusement and communications world. It includes representatives from sports, carnivals, music, recording, and all other related leisure industries, stars who carry on through their God-given talents. Membership is not limited to those in the entertainment world; it is open to all who share Variety's objectives.

Variety Clubs International comprises an international office in New York and individual autonomous Variety Clubs throughout the world. All of the officers of Variety Clubs International and the local Variety clubs serve without remuneration. Individual Variety Clubs elect their own officers annually.

Tents and Barkers

The clubs are known as tents and the members as Barkers. The names adopted for the clubs and elected officers stems from the first banquet held by the original Variety Club of Pittsburgh in 1928, when it was one year old. Expecting some 35 persons to attend, they rented a small room in the William Penn Hotel. A few days before the event it became evident there would be 75 to 80 in attendance. But the only other room available that day was the three story high ballroom that held 1,100 people. So that the variety guests would not be lost in their surroundings, the club erected a circus Tent in the ballroom and added circus acts and sideshows, peanuts and pink lemonade.

A Pittsburgh newspaper artist, designing the front cover of the menu, made a sketch depicting a typical moustached circus barker wearing a frock coat, plaid vest and high silk hat. The drawing became the official insignia of the Club and the circus appellations were officially adopted by the membership.

Annual club dues are modest and vary from Club to Club. A quarterly magazine, "The Barker", published by the international office, informs the membership, the public and opinion-makers about the broad spectrum of Variety activities. New Members are always welcome, and non-members may also support the good works of Variety through contributions or through the Life Line and Life Patron programs and other donations.

Gold Heart Day

The Gold Heart Day Programme is one of the centre points of the Variety Club's year when the entertainment industry get together to lend a hand where it is needed most. Many personalities give their time and support to help the Variety Club to raise funds for needy children. The Gold Heart pins are now a collector's item.

Our Fundraising Events

The Variety Bash started as a drive in the outback with a few mates. In 1985, Adventurer Dick Smith took a group of intrepid motorists from Bourke to Bourketown in their old cars, raising money for charity along the way. All of the money raised went to the Variety Club of Australia to further its support of sick, disabled or disadvantaged children. The Bash has been staged by the Variety Club since 1985 and the spirit of the original idea has been retained. Every entrant has to raise a sum of money for Variety and all vehicles must have been built prior to June 1970 and be non performance modified. The Bash is not a race, rally or speed trial. The single most significant rule of the Bash is to relax and enjoy the event away from everyday pressures, while seeing and experiencing the splendor of the Australian Outback.

The Variety Club in Queensland also boasts the Hamilton Variety Splash, like the Bash but on water, the TJM Variety 4WD Explorer, and the Townsville Seadoo Variety Ocean Jet Trek.

The annual McHappy day which is a joint venture with McDonalds to raise money for the Ronald McDonald houses together with our special children. Other individual events throughout the State such as sports lunches, dinners and the opportunity for the youth by entering the Young Models of the Future competition area normal facet of the Variety year.

Where the money raised goes

All money raised by Variety Queensland helps children in Queensland. Funds are usually spent on goods and services, such as the Variety Sunshine Coach Programme, hospital grants, schools, youth clubs, and individual children.

Story of Variety

History of Variety