It was more like a party than a charity event when the Orangutan Foundation International hosted its Race to Save The Rainforest event at Kiama Surf Club on Sunday.

The charity organisation is dedicated to facilitating the rescue, rehabilitation and release of these endangered animals, and preventing the further destruction of the rainforest they call home.

“I think it was very successful. It felt like a party. There’s a lot of charities [and] a lot of fundraisers, so people are a bit fundraiser-weary. But it went the best it could have possibly gone,” said Kiama businesswoman Fiona Kennedy, who coordinated the event and has been an active member of the OFI for over 10 years.

The Surf Club was transformed into a jungle with Kangia palms and vines from Mountain Range Nursery.

Patrons sipped on orange cocktails courtesy of Campari and enjoyed catering from Kiama’s Saltwater Cafe, while enjoying live jazz from young performers and an engaging speech from OFI Australia president Kobe Steele.

Various raffles and silent auctions were available to attendees, each of which went off without a hitch.

Prizes included paintings from local artists Michelle Springett, Helen Harrowell, Bob McRae and Dr Pete Marshall, and multiple donated items from local businesses such as JJ’s Indian Restaurant, The Bellevue Hotel, Jamberoo Valley Farm, Making Faces Makeup Studio, Cin Cin Restaurant and Wine Bar, Fee’s Bees Honey and Cellarbrations.

The night’s proceeds are going towards the construction of enclosures to house the primates and prepare them for a safe return to the wild, and to purchase square footage of the rainforest to prevent continued deforestation from palm oil extraction. 

“It’s destroying forests that can’t be replaced,” said Kennedy. “The name ‘orgautan’ means ‘gardeners of the forest’. They keep [it] going by eating and vegetation and pulling up seeds and roots.

"These animals are very important to the whole ecosystem.”

Stripped from their natural habitats, the traumatised orangutans are often exploited and sold on the black market for upwards of $250,000.

It’s not just orangutans who are affected by the deforestation process. When the remaining debris is burned, the underground peat bog smolders and emits dangerous greenhouse gasses into the air.

Kennedy is appreciative of the “amazing support” from the community in advocating for the global issue.

For those who missed the event, the OFI website offers a ‘Foster Parent’ program where individuals can sponsor a displaced orangutan and provide it with necessary care from afar.