By Maddi Davoy | 22 Apr '25
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and The Good Friday Appeal have joined forces for the 11th consecutive year, raising a record $23.8 million to support life-saving care for children across Victoria.
“We love opening our doors every year to welcome thousands of families to enjoy a day of fun and celebration, while raising much-needed funds for sick children across Victoria,” Chief Executive, Natalie O’Brien AM said.
“It’s a truly rewarding experience and you can see how much joy this event brings to the local community and the MCEC team,” Ms O’Brien added.
MCEC’s talented chefs played a crucial role in this year’s success, baking an astonishing 20 metres of hot cross buns, made up of nearly 3,000 buns.
Alessandro Bartesaghi, MCEC’s award-winning pastry chef said, “The Good Friday Appeal event is really close to my heart and I love creating something special for the children every year.”
“This year I really wanted to push the boundaries and try something we’ve never done before. And what a better way than baking the longest table of hot cross buns you’ve ever seen! I was inspired by Japanese baking techniques to create a very soft, delicious bun that everyone can enjoy,” he added.
In addition, MCEC’s interactive Ice Cream-o-Rama served 1,200 house-made ice creams. All profits from the sale of the hot cross buns and ice creams were generously donated to the Good Friday Appeal, further contributing to the remarkable total raised this year.
All funds raised from the event will contribute to groundbreaking research, family care programs and state of the art equipment at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
This year’s appeal also extended its impact across the state, providing a significant boost to regional paediatric health services at Barwon Health, Bendigo Health, Grampians Health, Goulburn Valley Health, Albury Wodonga Health and Latrobe Regional Health.
"For over 10 years MCEC has generously supported the Good Friday Appeal, providing the venue and services for our family fun event, Kids Day Out, the all important Phone Room and Money Counting Room", Rebecca Cowan, Executive Director of the Good Friday Appeal said.
"Thank you to Natalie O'Brien and the team at MCEC who worked tirelessly to ensure the smooth delivery of this huge event, which allows the community to make a difference to the lives of sick children and their families".
The collaboration between MCEC and the Good Friday Appeal continues to demonstrate the power of community spirit.
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Victorian Convention and Event Trust (VCET) has identified a historic payroll issue dating back to March 2019 that unfortunately has led to the underpayment and overpayment of some employees working at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
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Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Steve Dimopoulos and Victorian Convention and Event Trust (VCET) Chair, The Hon. John Brumby AO announced the appointments of Andrew Fairley AM and Glenn Carmody, expanding the considerable breadth of experience and expertise of the Trust.
Victorian Convention and Event Trust (VCET), operators of Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre, released its Annual Report and Impact Report for the 2024-25 financial year.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we operate our venues in Narrm and Djilang; the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Wadawurrung peoples. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and seek to honour the long-standing tradition of building community and exchanging ideas on these lands. We extend that respect to the broader Kulin Nations and the Traditional Owners of all First Nations communities across Victoria and Australia.
