04 NEWS FRIDAY APRIL 14 2017 GEELONGADVERTISER.COM.AU

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HAPPY EASTER

Record bid for auctionENTHUSIASM and a goodlaugh are the keys to a goodauction, and today’s RoyalChildren’s Hospital Good Fri-day Appeal charity home auc-tion will have both aplenty.

Auctioneer and BellarineProperty founder, ChristianBartley has auctioneered theevent for the past five yearsand said this year he’s lookingto break the record sale price.

“It’ll be best for me to justturn up with a good amount ofenthusiasm, make everyonecomfortable to bid — it’s a noreserve auction, you can’t have

any more confidence in buy-ing, it could sell at any value,”he said.

The house, at 66 UnityDrive, Mt Duneed, in the Villa-wood Armstrong estate hasfour bedrooms, two bath-rooms, and a double garage.

“I’ll make it entertaining,have some fun dialogue, get agood round of applause for thefirst person who makes a bid,”Mr Bartley said. “I’ll do my bestto create a record, I set it in

2014 at $717,000, so that’s therecord price for a Good FridayAppeal house auction.

“It’d be cool to crack that inGeelong and make them re-turn to Geelong next year.”

The fitout includes Caesar-stone benchtops in the wetareas, Smeg appliances, cli-mate control, and includeslandscaped front and rearyards.

With land donated by Villa-wood Property and the house

built by Henley Homes at itsexpense, the auction winnerwill also snap up a two-yearfree membership to Club Arm-strong.

“The value on offer is ex-ceeding $700,000, but this isan amazing opportunity withno reserve price where it couldgo for whatever dollar,” MrBartley said.

“Cotton On have donatedfurniture items in there, nor-mally to get a Henley Home

built you’d pay a lot more,they’ve gone above and be-yond with additional specs,landscaping, concrete, in ad-dition to the home.”

More than 400 tradies andsuppliers donated their time tomake the charity house a re-ality this year. Last year’s char-ity house sold for $663,000under the hammer.

The auction kicks off at 2pmtoday, on site, with a barbecueand live entertainment fromThe Voice’s Michael Stangeland The Mik Maks.

PEOPLE: P16, 17 Christian Bartley.

Higher the price, bigger the gift

Why you should never give your best friend chocolatesPET owners have been warned to keep their cats and dogs away from Easter eggs to avoid potentially deadly consequences.

While chocolate is a popular Easter treat, the stimulant theobromine found in the sweet treat is toxic for both cats and dogs.

Last year more than 1000 pet treatment claims for theobromine poisoning were received by Pet Insurance Australia (PIA).

“The actual figures couldbe much higher as this number only relates to those Australian dog and cat owners that have pet insurance,” PIA

spokeswoman Nadia Crighton said.

“The danger of chocolate is being severely underestimated by unsuspecting owners.”

Ms Crighton said Easteregg hunts were particularly dangerous for those thinking their four-legged friends wouldn’t be able to

track down hidden treats.“Hiding a box of

chocolates behind the couch cushion won’t suffice for a curious hound,” she said.

“Master scavengers willgo to no end to find the hidden chocolates that can lead to a very sick dog.”

Cat owners were also

urged to be wary of their floral arrangements over the weekend, particularly those fond of lilies, Ms Crighton said.

“If your lovely Easter bouquet contains lilies it is vital you remove them or showcase them in an area your pet cannot access,” she said.

“Lilies are highly toxic tocats and can cause adverse reactions that can lead to death.”

Sorry Max, but that egg is a no-no.Picture: PETER RISTEVSKI

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