A major refurbishment of Brisbane-based P&O Cruises’ superliner Pacific Dawn will help launch a new partnership with Lifeline Australia in spectacular fashion.
With Pacific Dawn now in dry-dock in Brisbane for a multi-million dollar makeover, Lifeline will take delivery of nearly one thousand chairs - more than enough to fill the Brisbane Playhouse - in a massive donation of surplus items from the superliner.
Other items being donated by P&O Cruises include sofas, tables, boxes of crew clothing and 150 luxury duvets.
The handover is the start of an ongoing relationship with Lifeline in which P&O Cruises will assist the mental health support charity with a wide variety of surplus material from its ships and offices.
Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, which operates P&O Cruises, said the cruise line’s expanding fleet and regular refurbishment program meant it could offer Lifeline a flow of goods in large volumes.
Ms Sherry said that the partnership was not only a socially conscious decision but an environmentally sound one as well.
“Lifeline is an amazing organisation which helps an extraordinary number of Australians. This partnership is an ideal way for P&O Cruises to put our surplus items to good use and give back to the community,” she added.
Lifeline CEO Dawn O’Neil said the charity was thrilled to welcome P&O Cruises as a charity supporter.
“Lifeline receives more than one million contacts each year from people seeking care by telephone, internet or face-to-face. Many of these people need everyday items that we all take for granted,” Ms O’Neil said.
“Our partnership with P&O Cruises would have to be one of the more unusual, with items travelling the globe before ending up within the Lifeline community. We’re looking forward to distributing the much needed goods from Pacific Dawn this week.”
The partnership is a key part of P&O Cruises’ charity program, Carnival Cares, involving support for three charities –
Lifeline Australia, Make-A-Wish and The Catherine Freeman Foundation – with a range of activities including fundraising and volunteer work.