A break in eating and dancing signalled it was time for the auction to get underway. As usual the quality of the items was unbelievable. My tiny brain simply can never comprehend how the organisers get hold of some of the items… a signed Cadel Evans yellow jersey, a signed Pearl Jam guitar, or signed Blues Brothers album for example.
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Cadel Evans jersey © The Ponder Room
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The consumer psychologist inside me was fascinated watching people stalk the silent auction table, pouncing every time someone wrote a new bid on the piece they coveted.
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Pearl Jam guitar © The Ponder Room
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I happened to make a remark to one lady about her object of desire, and got short shift when she thought I was after it myself.
Assuring her that was not the case she let down her guard whispering she would ‘be taking it home no matter what’ ….and indeed she did as we saw her leaving with it at the end of the night. Here’s hoping she didn’t wake with a hangover and a chaser of post purchase dissonance in the morning.
The big auction took off with Tim Gossage working extremely hard to ensure he got top dollar for each item and therefore junior tennis. The guitar produced an intriguing ongoing battle between one of the tennis players and a young lady.
Meanwhile the rest of the room was filled with steely death stares as wives silently let their husbands know that a bid would cost them more than just cash.
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Winning guitar bid © The Ponder Room
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Paul McNamee © The Ponder Room
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Half way through I noticed someone I hadn’t seen for years sitting on the other side of the dance floor. His face appeared briefly on the big screen and following the arch I could see him standing against the side wall. So I pondered ….
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Should I ignore him and hope to catch up later on the crowd dance floor or
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Should I stand and wave franticly thereby risking acquiring said guitar along with a text from the bank manager asking why I had missed so many repayments? Thankfully for once sanity prevailed.
