Albany community digs deep in support of McHappy Day to raise funds for Ronald McDonald house

McDonald’s Albany owner Darren Tyrell has thanked the community for once again throwing their support behind McHappy Day on Saturday. In a combined effort, the Albany and Orana stores raised just under $5000 for Ronald McDonald House charities, which provide important support for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment. Mr Tyrell said the charity was close to the heart of many families in the Albany community. “Three-hundred families from Albany have used the House in the last 10 years,” he said. “It resonates really strongly with our community and we want to continue those fundraising efforts because of that.” Among those rattling tins at both the Albany and Orana stores was Colin Davies, whose family was the first to use Perth’s Ronald McDonald House in 1991. “He has a lot of history with the charity and is lovely man who fundraises for us every year,” Mr Tyrell said. He said crowds were “particularly strong in the morning,” but that there were plenty of people happy to donate either at the drive through or at the front counter. “The day is a bit of a blur really, we had (Albany MLA) Rebecca Stephens and (Albany deputy mayor) Sandie Smith come through the Orana Store and (Albany Mayor) Dennis Wellington was serving at the drive-through at Albany,” he said. “We had the fireys down at the Albany store, which was a really popular attraction for the youngsters and their families. “GoldMX also did a great job broadcasting live from the Orana store in the morning.”