She is the First Lady of Hospitality and to many, Mary Sampson is still considered the matriarch of what may be one of the Hunter's most dedicated fundraising organisations, the
Australian Hotels Association (AHA), Newcastle Hunter.
In 2019 alone, AHA Newcastle Hunter and its members together raised more than $1.1 million for individuals and charity organisations, some of which represent relationships built more than 20 years ago by Mary and her husband Wayne Sampson, who was President of what was then, and remains to be, Australia's largest AHA largest sub-branch.
"I certainly don’t think I shaped the AHA Newcastle Sub-Branch, only by supporting Wayne and the committee he had around him in any way I could," Mary said.
"But then in the early 1980s there was the idea of re-inventing the AHA Newcastle Charity Ball which was a very popular event in our young days, but had fallen away over the years.
"So, with the existing committee we re-created the Sub-Branch Charity Ball with great success, holding the first one on The South Steyne floating restaurant, owned by local hotelier Brian McDermott.
"Following the success of the inaugural ball, we then held the event annually, a couple of times at Newcastle City Hall, but mostly at the University of Newcastle, which was very supportive of our industry.
"We had amazing support from hoteliers and staff from our hotels and industry sponsorship. Together we raised money for many different charities in our Newcastle area, including Northern Kidney Foundation, Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) and Parkinson’s Disease Newcastle Branch."
"As our fundraising grew and we began to see how much support we could provide, we knew we needed female input to iron out the edges and provide some good ideas in regard to the organising and styling of the events. So a predominately female social committee was formed..."
While numerous non-profit groups became recipients of AHA Newcastle Sub-Branch fundraising, in the beginning a large percentage of funds went to an organisation close to Mary's heart, the Nicholas Trust to help build a Paediatric Hospice at John Hunter Hospital.
Funds raised from the AHA Newcastle's charity golf days were also provided to the Heart Foundation, an initiative that would later be renamed the Cliff Lopez Charity Golf Day in recognition of a fellow hotelier lost to heart complications. Funds were then directed to HMRI for the purpose of heart disease research.
"As our fundraising grew and we began to see how much support we could provide, we knew we needed female input to iron out the edges and provide some good ideas in regard to the organising and styling of the events. So a predominately female social committee was formed," Mary said.
"Myself along with a group of dedicated women worked well together for many years, some moving on and more joining in, with a few of us remaining the whole time.
"All of our members brought new ideas and everyone on the committee was committed to getting in and helping for all functions."