Both will be going under the hammer in Queenstown on Saturday night — along with a host of other items — raising money to help Meila Davis fight terminal cancer.
Local Adrienne Muir’s swung in behind the 12-year-old’s family to ensure Saturday night’s sold-out ‘Shine Bright Like a Diamond’ gala fundraiser, being held at Vingard, near Arrowtown, goes off without a hitch.
She says, from a parent’s perspective, Meila’s mum and dad are experiencing the "worst feeling of being in purgatory" and offered to help anyway she could once she found out Meila had been diagnosed with terminal osteosarcoma.
And, true to form, the Queenstown community’s also rallied.
That support, Muir says, is "amazing".
"No one has said no."
The MC of the event is David Downs.
He’s the author of A Mild Touch of Cancer — subsequently turned into a documentary — which tells the story of his battle with terminal cancer.
Downs is also known for a TEDx talk, ‘Don’t Humour the Tumour’.
Saturday night’s auctioneer’s BedsRus managing director and Queenstown Furniture owner Ricky Proctor.
He’ll be chucking about a dozen items under the hammer, including some "beautiful things" donated by Meila’s family, some amazing Maori pieces and an "awesome" piece of artwork from local Sally Bulling.
And while Muir reckons there’ll be some ferocious bidding on Barrett’s boots, she also expects the vasectomy voucher, donated by Queenstown Medical Centre, to be a highly sought-after item — for the women, at least.
There’s also an online GalaBid silent auction, featuring more than 60 items, open to anyone, options for people to purchase vouchers from Meila’s "wish-list", some of which she can use when she returns to the United States for treatment next month, and an option to just make a donation.
Hoping to raise $100,000 to go towards the cost of Meila’s treatment, Muir pays particular credit to Vingard owner Mike Almquist, who has donated the venue for the evening, the Hugo Charitable Trust, which has made a cash donation, Proctor, and Skyline Queenstown, which has covered the cost of the online GalaBid tech and donated a private dining experience.
"I’m a bit overwhelmed by it, and I’m not even part of the family," she says.
To register and bid online, visit app.galabid.com/meila/register.
The auction closes at 10.30pm on Saturday.
