A CHARITY dinner and auction, sponsored by Cipla MedPro in aid of the Tygerberg Children's Hospital, raised over R125 000 towards the development of its new facility.

The guest speaker for the evening, held at De Oude Welgemoed Restaurant, was winemaker Geoff Greir of Villiera, with auctioneer Philip Powell of Auction Place helping to raise the stakes beyond expectation - R75 000 more than the target.

Thirty lots were up for auction, 25 of them wines in various quantities and vintages.

The other five items were sports memorabilia and an autographed copy of the book, Moments of Truth, by the patron of Tygerberg Children's Hospital , Archbishop Desmond Tutu, which fetched R4 500.

The highest bid of the evening was for an official World Cup Cricket T-shirt signed by the Indian team, sewn onto an Indian flag and box-framed, which went for a staggering R60 000.

This article was originally published on page 4 of The Cape Argus on June 12, 2004