{"id":931715,"date":"2026-10-17T18:10:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T18:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/931715\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T18:10:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T18:10:26","slug":"telethon-feels-the-love-across-australia-as-was-iconic-fundraiser-beamed-to-the-east-coast-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/931715\/","title":{"rendered":"Telethon feels the love across Australia as WA\u2019s iconic fundraiser beamed to the East Coast for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Think Telethon can\u2019t get any bigger? Think again.<\/p>\n

Now in its 59th year, WA\u2019s iconic fundraising event kicked off in spectacular style, and for the first time, the rest of the country is seeing the magic of Telethon as it was beamed on Channel 7 across Australia.<\/p>\n

And what an opening show it was, with pop powerhouse Jessica Mauboy and Human Nature co-founder Phil Burton setting the tone for the weekend, bursting onto the stage with a rendition of Australian classic Good Times.<\/p>\n

Country singing star Morgan Evans made his Telethon debut and was met with rapturous applause from the packed RAC Arena as he performed during the opening act.<\/p>\n

But the real VIPs are this year\u2019s Little Telethon Stars, nine-year-old Aiden Narsico, seven-year-old Olivia Street and Paige McKay, eight.<\/p>\n

\"MelindaCamera IconMelinda Manship from Boogie Bounce. Credit: Stuart Quinn\/The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

And fittingly they were the first to take to the couch as the phone lines opened, regaling viewers with their action-packed few months as the Telethon stars.<\/p>\n

And they set a huge donation target for the next 26 hours.<\/p>\n

\"PhilCamera IconPhil Birch with his kids Charlotte, 6 and Ava, 3 with Nattie and AJ Styles. Credit: Stuart Quinn\/The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to reach $100 million,\u201d Aiden declared.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an ambitious target, but it got off to a flying start as Minderoo Foundation\u2019s Nicola and Andrew Forrest pledged to match every donation made over a one-hour period.<\/p>\n

\"PeopleCamera IconPeople gather at RAC Arena. Credit: Stuart Quinn\/The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

Telethon has raised an astonishing $778 million for sick West Australian kids across the last six decades.<\/p>\n

Last year alone, a record $90,160,275 was raised for life-changing medical research, vital health services and support for children living with illness, disability and disadvantage across WA.<\/p>\n

\"CrowdsCamera IconCrowds gather at RAC Arena. Credit: Stuart Quinn\/The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

Moments earlier, the pure joy that Telethon creates for its little Stars was evident on their faces as Aiden, Olivia and Paige danced to the opening act backstage.<\/p>\n

Aiden launched into Fat Cat\u2019s arms before dancing with the Telethon icon hand-in-hand, while Paige pulled her mum Amy McKay up from her chair and spun her around.<\/p>\n

\"MorganCamera IconMorgan Evans. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so much fun,\u201d Paige said, listing meeting and having a photo alongside Emma Memma as her highlight so far.<\/p>\n

Aiden was born prematurely at 31 weeks and almost died in his mum\u2019s arms when he was just days old before spending the first 14 months of his life in hospital where doctors diagnosed him with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.<\/p>\n

\"KidsCamera IconKids enjoy the opening ceremony. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

Olivia lives with collagen VI-related myopathy, a rare genetic condition which impacts every muscle in her body, and Paige was diagnosed with a tumour in her brain stem when she was just five years old.<\/p>\n

Opening the broadcast, Telethon host and 7NEWS Perth sports director Ryan Daniels described Telethon as the best weekend of the year. Weekend Sunrise host Sally Bowrey said: \u201cWe have one goal, that is to make this the best, the biggest Telethon of all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GisellaCamera IconGisella Colletti. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

Australian Idol star Gisella Colletti was among the stars opening Saturday night\u2019s show with a stunning rendition with John Farnham\u2019s The Voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was such an honour to sing such a huge song, and I hope I did it justice,\u201d she said afterwards.<\/p>\n

\"LaylaCamera IconLayla Multari, Sophia Brandli, Kiani Rowe and Mikayla Rose 13 from the Hype Dance Academy with their sleeping gear ready for a Telethon sleepover night. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so excited to be raising money for this amazing cause. It\u2019s going to be a big, big one this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said her favourite part about Telethon was meeting the Little Telethon Stars.<\/p>\n

\"RyanCamera IconRyan Daniels and Sally Bowrey. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cI just love spending time with them, talking to them and their parents about their experiences. They\u2019re little soldiers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Among the audience members were self-proclaimed \u201csuper fan\u201d Phoebe Butler, who has been coming to Telethon for the past five years with her family.<\/p>\n

\"PhilCamera IconPhil Burton. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

Wearing a Telethon hoodie, shirt and socks, Ms Butler was planning to stay for the entire 26-hour broadcast \u2014 a tradition she and her family started about three years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to be here the whole time, we won\u2019t be going home, we\u2019ll stay all weekend … we\u2019re a bit like zombies by the time we leave,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"LarryCamera IconLarry Emdur and Rob Palmer. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

\u201cWe slept for about 10 minutes last time, but other than that, we\u2019re awake the whole time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stellar celebrity line-up across the weekend includes singer Natalie Bassingthwaite, who will perform with reunited electro-rock band Rogue Traders, and The Voice Australia host Kate Miller-Heidke.<\/p>\n

\"MelitaCamera IconMelita O’Donnell of Boogie Bounce. Credit: Stuart Quinn\/The Sunday Times<\/p>\n

Returning Telethon favourite Shane Crawford will join fellow AFL greats in the phone room, at live-stage challenges and at the Telethon Family Festival.<\/p>\n

Household favourites from Home and Away, Better Homes and Gardens, Sunrise, The Morning Show and The Chase will also be manning the phones and joining the madness.<\/p>\n

\"JessicaCamera IconJessica Mauboy. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

The action continues today, with thousands of people expected at the Telethon Family Festival, a free community celebration which stretches from RAC Arena to Yagan Square.<\/p>\n

The Lotterywest Kids Carnival, opposite RAC Arena, is expected to draw huge crowds, offering up free carnival rides, sideshow games and classic show bags without parents having to break the bank. Nearby Yagan Square will be transformed into a family fun zone featuring free face-painting, glitter stations, food trucks, roving entertainers and a magical live mermaid show.<\/p>\n

\"CrowdsCamera IconCrowds line up in anticipation for the opening. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

Appearing at their first Telethon, The Wiggles\u2019 popular Tsehay Hawkins and Lucia Field will be available to meet fans alongside their predecessor Emma Memma.<\/p>\n

Telethon stalwarts the Build Now Foundation will return, taking on another epic against-the-clock construction challenge outside the RAC Arena. The charity is seeking to construct 10 custom wheelchair-accessible garden beds and sandpits for local children living with severe mobility difficulties.<\/p>\n

\"CrowdsCamera IconCrowds line up in anticipation for the opening. Credit: Jackson Flindell\/The West Australian<\/p>\n

The 26-hour live broadcast will air across Channel 7, 7plus and nationally on 7flix.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Think Telethon can\u2019t get any bigger? Think again. Now in its 59th year, WA\u2019s iconic fundraising event kicked…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":931716,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44,501,45],"class_list":["post-931715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news","tag-telethon","tag-wa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=931715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/931715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/931716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=931715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=931715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=931715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}