38 It took me two hours to do them. I placed a photo of the boy in each letter, and posted them on my way home. I knew that the photos would grab the attention of the media, as he was a beautiful boy with a lovely smile. The day of the launch arrived. I had invited thirty people, including the major sponsors. I did not receive a call from the media, except from a lady to ask if it was still on. About 11.30 am, I arrived at the Carlton Football Ground, thinking the launch would be a flop, because we had sent the invitations too late. When I arrived, I could not believe my eyes. All the television station representatives, cameramen, newspapers, photographers and radio people were busy taking films of the boy in the park, just outside the restaurant. I felt that God was by my side helping me. The luncheon and launch went extremely well and, during the launch, I was handed an afternoon edition of the Herald-Sun newspaper, with a front half-page of the boy on a skateboard, which had been taken the day before. That night, the boy was on television news on all channels, plus all the radio stations, and the next day he appeared in The Age newspaper. It was an extraordinary event! There was television coverage all over Australia, plus some interstate newspapers as well. As a result, donations from everywhere were arriving by mail by the bag full. The best was in one envelope that I opened. At first, I looked and thought it was $15, then $150, and then $1,500. When I read the words - fifteen thousand dollars - I could not believe it until I got someone to assure me it was true! The Club decided to invite people to join us in handing over the cheque, to give us a chance to raise even more funds. We booked the Melrose Reception Centre for Sunday lunch for four hundred people. Well-known footballer, Robert Dipierdomenico, was the special guest and MC. We had a cardboard cheque for publicity purposes, and the total raised was $235,000. It was a fantastic achievement, and the boy and his parents were very happy. The Club decided that the money should be placed in a Trust, and my lawyer would prepare the paperwork.