From tin shaking to raffles, fundraisers and auctions, regional and rural Victoria (and NSW border towns) raised $2,581,661 of the appeal's $22,328,154, smashing the 2020 record of $18.2m.

The top south-west towns were Warrnambool with $50,342 raised, Hamilton with $42,985, Timboon with $37,351, Macarthur with $32,100, Portland, with almost $30,000, Casterton and Garvoc with more than $27,000 each, Colac with more than $25,443 and Camperdown with almost $22,000.

Twelve-year old Warrnambool girl Naomi Philpot, who was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was four, featured in the appeal's television broadcast, including a segment with 2021 The Voice winner Bella Taylor Smith and television personality and weather presenter Sam Mac.

Warrnambool-based South Western Auxiliary was just one of the organisations collecting donations for the appeal. The auxiliary was created in 1953 to raise funds for RCH. Judy Conn has volunteered with the group for more than 40 years. On Friday, she was one of many volunteers highway collecting on the corner of Raglan Parade and Banyan Street in Warrnambool.

Ms Conn said she returned to collect each year because of the support and help the auxiliary got from the community, volunteers and organisations.

"The donations have been great this year," she told The Standard. "It's surprising because with people using cards more and not having much cash around, we wouldn't get so much money but we're getting more notes than coins," she said. "In a previous year, we collected $30,000."

Funds from this year's Good Friday Appeal will go towards ground-breaking research, state of the art equipment and technology, education and family centred care programs with this years funds going directly to the Children's Cancer Centre and CARES (4 Kids) which provides Cancer Allied Health Resources, Education and Supportive Care programs. The appeal has raised more than $421m.

SOUTH-WEST TOTALS: Warrnambool $50,342, Hamilton $42,985, Timboon $37,351, Macarthur $32,100, Portland $29,961, Casterton $27,514, Garvoc $27,400, Colac $25,443, Camperdown $21,872, Port Fairy $16,028, Heywood $15,025, Cobden $11,000, Willaura $9,850, Condah $9,500, Terang $9,355, Koroit $8,718, Coleraine $6,079, Cavendish $5,500, Narrawong $2,744, Yambuk $2,598, Mortlake $2,666, Caramut $2,465, Beeac $1,035, Lismore $972, Birregurra $809, Derrinallum $212.

IN OTHER NEWS

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