Geoff lends his voice to BGF

Gay radio newsreader Geoff Field braved ice, snow and humiliation to help raise money and the profile of the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation (BGF).
The 2Day FM newsreader, who famously married his long-term partner on air a couple of years back, took on a dare by the station’s morning show hosts, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O.
And along the way he raised $2,500 for BGF and the same amount for the Exodus Foundation.
“For the last two years [Kyle and Jackie] have done this segment called Scare Geoff. Over the years it’s involved me skydiving, being lowered into a shark cage while reading the news and being hung from Centrepoint Tower – just simple things like that,” Field said.
“It’s all done in fun. I wanted a challenge and I never know when it’s going to happen.”
Last week’s dare saw Field speed down a snowy mountain on a medical stretcher – wearing nothing but boxer shorts.
“The track I went down was actually called the Blood Basket – it goes from the top of the mountain to the bottom for medical emergencies, only at high speeds,” Field told SSO.
“It felt like I was strapped into a coffin. It’s like the luge but steeper. It took 20 seconds to reach the bottom. It was the most terrifying thing I have done in my life – I was freezing.”
Field has long been a supporter of BGF, which for more than 19 years has helped people living with HIV and AIDS. Last year he was a key model in the charity’s fundraising calendar.
He said he admires the charity and believes it is important to keep its profile in the public eye using his daily radio gig.
“It’s also important for the wider community to know what it is and what a wonderful job it does,” he said. “It’s still a battle for people [with HIV].”
BGF CEO Bev Lange said Field had long been a advocate for the charity.
“Both last year’s Geoff the Gay Newsreader’s Calendar and now this $2,500 donation are invaluable fundraising ventures that have also succeeded in increasing awareness of both the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation’s services and the needs of positive people among an audience that might not otherwise know much about the work that we do,” Lange said. “We’re very grateful for his support.”
See www.bgf.org.au and www.2dayfm.com.au.