This image was taken (but not used) for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on Monday 29th June 1981.
The score board showing the level of funds raised during the telethon was a key feature of the live television broadcast. Telephone operators worked in shifts to take pledges of money towards the cause. The money raised in 1981 was over $5 million dollars nationally.
Telethon 1981 was for the International Year of Disabled Persons. Telethon was a 24-hour live television spectacular designed to raise money for charitable causes. It originated in the United States, but New Zealand put a typically Kiwi spin on the event. Local performers, amateur and professional were joined by international stars, who entertained New Zealand to raise money for charity. Groups of people from schools, clubs, and pubs, contributed cash and cheques, often in an oversized format, to add to the pledged totals on the day of the event.