Beautiful Fundraiser

A local bartender was one of more than 800 across Australia to be “U.G.L.Y.” for a beautiful cause.

Divers Tavern’s Ailan Hickey was named one of the top five U.G.L.Y. (Understanding. Generous. Likeable. You!) Bartenders of the Year after raising thousands of dollars for the Leukaemia Foundation. She said it was awesome to be in the top five.

“Last year we raised $5400 and we were in the top three in WA so to reach top five in Australia was amazing,” she said.

“Being the only one from WA in the top five this year was a nice bonus. We raised a total of $11,310, which was an amazing effort over five to six weeks of fundraising.”

Ms Hickey said getting involved stemmed from a chance encounter with one of the competition’s organisers. “One of the ladies that runs it was here in Broome on a holiday a couple of years ago and she came in and asked if we wanted to get involved,” she said.

“We thought it was a really great cause so we got on board.”

This year, the U.G.L.Y. Bartender competition was run during August, when participating pubs, clubs and hotels had to organise fundraisers to raise as much money as possible.

Ms Hickey said Divers Tavern ran a number of fundraising events during the month along with several bar games that helped raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation.

The hospitality charity campaign, which was made a national event for the first time, involves pubs, clubs and hotels.

In its 11-year history, it has raised $14 million, providing 175,000 nights of accommodation for regional families who must travel for treatment.