Silver from this month's Commonwealth Games lent fresh shine to a celebration of sporting history in Masterton on Friday.
The Wairarapa all-weather athletics track fundraising dinner and auction, which raised $21,700, featured swimmer Gareth Kean and his Games silver medal.
Kean, a Wellingtonian, spoke about his experiences and passed around his medal
so others could see and touch it, according to organiser Mark Harris.
"There was a table full of athletes there last night and that was pretty special to them," Mr Harris said.
Other speakers there at Copthorne Resort Solway Park included Wairarapa College old boy and former All Black captain Stu Wilson, and 10,000m Commonwealth gold winner Dick Tayler.
The silver medal, understandably, was not up for sale, but plenty of other sporting memorabilia was, with top dollar being fetched by a collection of gloves from golfing greats.
The five gloves, signed by Arnold Palmer, Bob Charles, Gary Player and others, went under the hammer at $1040.
Mr Harris said bids for the items "weren't outrageous", which made for a high level of interest, from the "cross-section of the community" who were there.
"A huge number of items went for $300 or $400, which brought everybody into the auction," Mr Harris said.
"It was good; we had many, many bidders."
The two top items at the auction, a concert from singer Yulia and a Nissan Micra car, did not meet their set reserve.
The all-weather track which is planned for the Colin Pugh Sports Bowl is set to cost $900,000.
Mr Harris said it was good to see the existing athletics track at the sports bowl getting plenty of use.
After a breather from this latest event, the Wairarapa All-Weather Track Trust is getting set to apply for a fresh round of grants from charitable bodies, and to plan the next big fundraising activity.
