Telethon’s line-up grew on Friday as television, music and entertainment stars arrived at Perth Airport ahead of the charity’s fundraising weekend.
Among the first arrivals were Wiggles performers Tsehay Hawkins and Lucia Field, who are making their Telethon debuts. They were welcomed by Redcliffe Primary School pupils and Fat Cat.
Field, who performs as the Blue Wiggle, said she was looking forward to “a lot of fun, singing, a bit of chaos, and answering telephones”, although she admitted she was more nervous about the call centre than performing on stage.
Hawkins, the Yellow Wiggle, said she was more used to texting than answering a landline but was excited to meet local families. The pair will return to RAC Arena on November 21 and 22 for The Wiggles’ Sparkle! BIG SHOW.
David Poltorak, known as The Professor on The Chase, said he would be putting his lip-syncing abilities to the test with “some old disco tunes”. Songs including Boogie Wonderland and Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi were among the possibilities.
Sunrise presenter Katie Brown arrived clutching Fat Cat’s hand, while singer Mark Vincent, members of The Ten Tenors and performers from The 60 Four were also among those to land in Perth.
Home & Away actors Kyle Shilling, Hailey Pinto and newcomer Rocco Forrester-Sach also joined the arrivals. Shilling said “the highlight is always the hospital visit”, while Pinto described the weekend as “magical”.
Forrester-Sach said Pinto had explained the scale and purpose of Telethon to him before his first visit.
“She told me all about it and how it’s a charity raising money, and we get to meet kids, and I’m just so delighted and grateful to be here,” he said.
Music stars join Telethon arrivals in Perth
The Voice Australia coach Kate Miller-Heidke was among the next arrivals. Making her first appearance at Telethon, she said she was picturing a crowd similar to those she had performed for at Eurovision.
“I’ve been told that it’s absolutely epic. I still don’t quite have a proper understanding of the scale of it. It’s just massive,” she said.
Jessica Mauboy, a returning Telethon performer and fellow Eurovision alumnus, greeted fans after arriving in Perth. She said she planned to help wherever she could, including in the call centre and on the panel.
Now a mother to 22-month-old Mia, Mauboy said parenthood had changed the way she viewed Telethon’s impact on children, families and the wider community.
“You almost become more of a warrior for kids and and for the community, and especially for parents, and a lot are doing it tough,” she said.
Sunrise host Natalie Barr, who was raised in Bunbury, was welcomed by Fat Cat alongside fellow presenter Matt Shirvington. Barr said the greeting had provided the perfect start to the weekend.
“Being greeted by Fat Cat and skipping off the plane, and being greeted by smiling school kids with signs, that just kicks off the weekend,” she said.
Karen Ledbury said she valued “the community that is WA”, while Shirvington described the state as his “second home”. He compared the 26-hour broadcast to a marathon and said every contribution helped maintain its energy.
The Morning Show presenters Larry Emdur, Kylie Gillies and Sally Bowrey were among the final high-profile arrivals, continuing their on-air rivalry during the journey to Perth.
Emdur joked that he and Gillies were afraid to sleep on the plane in case one photographed the other and posted it on Instagram. Both are due to take part in the weekend’s lip-sync performances, alongside Shirvington.
Telethon will be broadcast on 7 and 7plus from 6.45pm on Saturday October 17 until 8.30pm on Sunday October 18.
