Donnybrook’s Sweet Cherry Valley cherries raise $50,000 for charity donation to Perth Children’s Hospital

Cherries from a South West orchard made a sweet donation on Friday when they were auctioned off for tens of thousands of dollars to help sick children. Michel and Rosetta Cusato’s Donnybrook orchard Sweet Cherry Valley has been donating 5kg of its delicious fruit to the annual Charity Cherry Auction at Perth Markets since 2009, with last year’s box raising $85,000 for the healthcare of WA’s sick children. Now in its 29th year, the annual event has raised a staggering $1.5 million for the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation. Generous bidders drove the Donnybrook box’s price up to a record-breaking $110,000 in 2019 as Perth’s high-profile fresh producer retailers competed for the title of Cherry King. This year’s auction raised $86,000 for the foundation and Tony Ale & Co founder Tony Alessandrini was crowned Cherry King by purchasing the box for $50,000. Donnybrook Men’s Shed member Dick Gill has been crafting the ceremonial boxes used each year for the 5kg hamper and said it had been so rewarding to give back to the community. “John suggested the men’s shed make the boxes and I said I’d do my best ... now $676,500 has been raised since the first box we made,” he said. Mr Gill said it was important to him to support the Perth Children’s Hospital after one of his own children spent a considerable amount of time there about 60 years ago. “The men’s shed is all about supporting the community in any way we can and we’re always doing things for charity,” he said.