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[Celebrity Panellists Celebrate Raising Funds for Telethon 1981]

Description: This image was taken for a story that ran in The Manawatu Evening Standard on Monday 29th June 1981. "Worth the effort: The success of Telethon 1981 can be seen on the faces of the main personalitoes at the Pascal Street Stadium right on 8p.m. last night. Frontman Roger Gascoigne is on the far right with overseas guests Julie Goodyear and Randy Powell next to him. The 24-hour appeal raised a total of more than $5 million for the Year of the Disabled Person."

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.