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On a regular Friday afternoon, the local country pub is usually where you would find workers winding down after a busy week, with a cold beer or two and a counter meal. But one recent Friday afternoon, in a small western Victorian town, things looked a little different. To raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) in Melbourne 10-year-old Brock Mewett set about taking over his local pub, The National Hotel in Natimuk, with the best of his 235 toy train collection. Brock fell in love with trains when he was given a Thomas the Tank Engine set for his first birthday. After visiting train shows locally and interstate he thought people might like to see his collection and the local pub seemed like the best option. "I had the stuff pretty much and I asked the pub, and they let me." A little train with a lot of impact Natimuk has a population of 548 and is famous for its world-class climbing at Dyurrite/Mt Arapiles. Publican Bill Lovell described a normal Friday at The National Hotel as a "bit of madness" but said the locals loved Brock's exhibition. Mr Lovell said when Brock approached him he jumped at the idea to support the exhibition as he wanted to support kids' ideas. More than 60 children, along with their parents, came and showed their support for Brock, joining in with regulars whose curiosity got the better of them. "There were a couple of locals that normally go to the bar, come around, and regular Brad came in and he said, 'Oh wow, this is amazing,'" said Brock's mum Sally Mewett. "And he went back out and he sent more people." Brock's collection is made up of many different makes and models of trains, with Edward from Thomas the Tank Engine his favourite due to his kind and caring nature. Digging deep Charging a gold coin donation as entry to the exhibition, everyone dug deep, raising $810 for the hospital. "Some of it was to build enthusiasm and pretty much so we can raise some money and also so it will probably help out the Royal Children's Hospital themselves," Brock said. Royal Children's Hospital Foundation (RCHF) chief executive Ryan Brown said "every donation, large or small, played a crucial role in helping the RCH Foundation fund". "Brock’s contribution will help ensure sick kids can receive the best possible health care, and we are immensely proud to have his support." Ms Mewett said when people found out what Brock was raising money for they "just put money in because they were so proud of him and chuffed that he was doing that". Blown away by how the town came out in support of her son, Ms Mewett said "seeing everyone's generosity for his initiative was simply overwhelming". Mr Lovell expected the event to generate a couple of hundred dollars, given the size of the town, and was impressed by how much Brock raised. And Brock is not done yet. He wants to make the exhibition an annual event. And with less than half his trains at the recent display, Brock is on track for many more exhibitions ahead.
