Welcome to Variety
| Variety started from a show business social club in Pittsburgh, USA in 1928 when an abandoned baby girl was found in the Sheridan Theatre. The social club, by now called the Variety Club, decided to "adopt" the child. She was named Catherine Variety Sheridan. Extensive publicity bought offers of assistance and there was enough to help other needy children. The Variety Club spread all over America and then the world. |
| The Unique Terminology of Variety:
Tents - all Variety clubs are known as ‘Tents’ because the first fundraising show was held in the William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh. It had a circus theme under a tent erected in the ballroom.
The Crew – is the Executive Committee (Board) who builds the Tent.
The Dough Guy – is the Treasurer
Chief Barker (Chairman) – is the chief spruiker who calls people into the Tent.
Barkers – all members
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| Tent 75
Variety was established in Adelaide, South Australia in 1983 as a regional office of Tent 56 in Sydney. The first chairman was 5DN talk show host Jeremy Cordeaux who remains an official Ambassador for the Charity. Subsequent chairman have been Len Fancourt, Chris Ostermann, Bob May, Geoff Gauvin, Ian Martens, John Wicks, Bill Rawlins, Kym Burke, Peter Cochrane, Dr. Bronte Ayres and Peter Curtis. The current Chief Barker is Peter de Cure.
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| In 1996 at the Annual Convention of Variety International in Las Vegas, South Australia was granted its official charter as Tent 75. The inaugural Chief Barker who resided for the next two years was Ian Martens. Variety South Australia is a top performing ‘Tent’ within Variety International. It was named in the Top 10 best performing Tents in 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. In 1997 and 2004 South Australia won the prestigious International Bronze Heart Award as the third best performing Variety Tent and in 2005 came second in the highly coveted Silver Heart Award. 2007 saw Variety SA take out first place for the Silver Heart Award, ahead of St Louis, in the US and British Columbia, Canada, and in 2008 Variety SA was awarded the Bronze Heart Award.
There are now "Tents" in Britain, Europe, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Variety - The Children's Charity operates in each Australian capital city and The Northern Territory.
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