Tens of thousands of dollars roll in for Nepal

Former president of the Nepalese Association Lal Bahadur KC, Peter Gibbs of the New Zealand Nepalese Consulate, volunteer Robin Adhikari and Lady June Hillary enjoy the Nepalese dinner.

More than $40,000 has been raised by the Bay of Plenty Nepalese Association since powerful earthquakes tore through their home country in April.

Nepalese prayer flags hung from the ceiling on Saturday night as the sounds of the sarangi played and the smell of curry wafted through the room.

The Nepalese community joined with the Bay community to celebrate Nepal - its food, dance, music and people - while raising funds for the devastated country. Nearly $30,000 had already been raised by the local Nepalese Association and the fundraising dinner on Saturday added at least another $15,000 to that fund, said Peter Gibbs, who runs the Nepalese Consulate in New Zealand.

Lady June Hillary was among the guests and told Mr Gibbs she was honoured to be a part of it. "She loved it. She was just in her element. Like Ed, she just likes being with the Nepalese people again."

Four auctioned items including a painting and $5 bank note, both signed by Sir Edmond Hillary, plus numerous silent auctions raised about $9000, Mr Gibbs said. The night was filled with Nepalese dancing and music, as well as a performance from Waikato University Sir Edmund Hillary Scholar and soprano Blaire White.

Mr Gibbs said they could not have been happier with the dinner: "We aimed to raise $10,000 and it looks like we've raised well over $15,000. People were so generous and I think the cause was great."

The next step was to decide whether the money would build a medical centre or school house in one of the worst-affected villages. That decision would be made in the next three months and he hoped building would start early next year.

Bay of Plenty Nepalese Association chairman Ramesh Gurung said the bonus of raising the money themselves and putting it towards one project was knowing 100 per cent of the money would go to the cause. "We are trying to target the worst-affected areas. We thought instead of targeting individuals, we would help the whole community."

The association is still raising funds, and donations can be made to its registered ANZ bank account, 06-0453-0124508-31.