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 One of the more spectacular cakes at this year’s Charity Bake Off at the Sportsman Hotel was a fetching chocolate cake seemingly inspired by a Kylie Minogue stage show.
Sportsman showgirl Wanda d’Parke told Queensland Pride the Bake Off had aimed to raise $20,000 for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays and the Australian Transgender Support Association of Queensland.
"Whilst final figures are not yet to hand, we are confident we will reach this target," d'Parke said.
"This year we had the most entries for any Bake Off, which was a fantastic effort from our community. Everything from jams and spreads, to cakes and breads, and, of course, our very competitive "Death by Chocolate", which saw some mouth-watering entries."
 Wanda's wrap-up
Wanda looks back at this year's Bake Off
Well, guys and girls, the umpteenth annual Gay and Lesbian Charity Bake Off was held at the Sportsman Hotel on Sunday, August 31, and what an afternoon of fun, entertainment and generosity it was!
Each year we support charities which receive either little or no government funding, or ones which we believe deserve support for that particular year. This year we chose two very worthwhile charities whose work overlaps on occasion: Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and the Australian Transgender Support Association of Queensland (ATSAQ).
Both do fantastic work in our community, and we believe they were very deserving beneficiaries of the Sportsman Hotel Gay and Lesbian Charity Bake Off for 2008.
The day started like most others... me throwing a face and heels on earlier in the morning, ready to roll when the doors opened at midday. ATSAQ and PFLAG volunteers manned the doors accepting a gold coin donation from those attending, whilst the owner of the Sportsman Hotel, Mr Neil McLucas, managed the entries coming thick and fast.
This year, we had the most entries for any Bake Off, which was a fantastic effort from our community. There was everything from jams and spreads, to cakes and breads and, of course, our very competitive "Death by Chocolate" category, which saw some mouth-watering entries. I must say that this was also a very competitive category at the end of the day, when all entries were auctioned, together with some great items donated by GLBT-friendly businesses throughout Brisbane.
As always, when it came time for the auction at the end of the event the bids were coming in as fast as me going to a fast food drive-through for a regular fix of grease and... well... more grease.
One of our major sponsors of the day, Rick and Gary from Zen Hair, having already donated over $4,500 in prizes, pulled out their credit cards to spend even more money during the auction.
Together with Brenton from Klub Kruise and many others, it became a bidding war for some items, particularly when it came time to auction off a dinner date with a certain Sportsman Hotel bar person who shall remain nameless.
Needless to say, the winner of the date with Tim... (oops...) hopes to recoup some of their outlay with pleasant conversation over wines and cheeses of the world in a suitably romantic location.
Many other very generous bidders (myself included) were more than happy to part with their hard-earned cash to benefit PFLAG and ATSAQ. The Sportsman’s general manager, Paul Kratzmann, conducted the auction in his usual, fast-paced, entertaining manner, to the delight of the crowd.
This year we aimed to raise $20,000 and, whilst final figures are not yet to hand, we are confident we will reach this target.
On behalf of PFLAG and ATSAQ, the Sportsman Hotel would like to thank all those Sponsors and Supporters involved this year, particularly Zen Hair, Vast Interiors, About Hair, Harvey Norman Fortitude Valley, and many others too numerous to mention here.
We would also like to thank all the volunteers, plus the fantastic team of Drag Entertainers who also volunteered their talents on the day.
We look forward to a bigger and better Bake Off in 2009 and invite the GLBT community to attend and support this event.
Cheers for now,
Wanda d'Parke
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