On Saturday November 18th 2023, EDV held a special Gala Night event at Melbourne Town Hall to celebrate 40 years of service to the Victorian community, and raise some much needed funds for the future.
The Town Hall glittered in purple and orange as 250 guests gathered to celebrate, commemorate and look towards the future of EDV. The event brought together old and new supporters of EDV, all of whom share a passion and commitment to improving the lives of Victorians impacted by eating disorders.
As EDV CEO Belinda Caldwell noted in her address at the event,
“…recovery from an eating disorder is a radical act – to recover, you need to work towards the radical notions that food, eating and movement is to be enjoyed, not a set of rules, that body size is not an indicator of your worth, no matter what your brain and thoughts are telling you, and you have to recover in a context of the overwhelming messaging we are subjected to everyday through media, conversations about food, eating, movement and bodies.
So tonight, I want to thank you for being radical allies with us. While we hope that the next 40 years will bring about shifts that deem our work less radical, until then, I hope we can count on you for your ongoing support.”
Highlights of the event included a comedy performance by Melbourne’s own Rhys Nicholson, who entertained the crowd with a 20-minute comedy set, followed by a sit down Q&A session. Rhys has lived experience of an eating disorder and was generously open and frank about their experience. Rhys highlighted the importance of sharing stories as a key enabler for reducing stigma and shame, and improving opportunities for recovery.
Other highlights included our auction and raffle winners, with the much sought after Honda CL500 Motorcycle being won by an (85 year old!) attendee on the night, and the signed Collingwood Premiership guernsey going home with a very happy Pies fan.
