Community
17 April, 2026
Play ping pong for a cause this Saturday
The Bowral Baptist Church will be a hive of activity tomorrow morning as part of ‘The Highlands Pong,’ an offshoot of the national Ping-Pong-A-Thon across Australia, raising money to end sexual slavery and get people out of poverty as well.
The Bowral Baptist Church will be a hive of activity tomorrow morning as part of ‘The Highlands Pong,’ an offshoot of the national Ping-Pong-A-Thon across Australia, raising money to end sexual slavery and get people out of poverty as well.
Now into their 13th year, Bowral Baptist church parishioner Debbie Bollinger runs the Highlands Pong with a dedicated team of volunteers.
“We first started doing this back in 2014, and we have now raised $50,000 (which is one percent of all funds raised by the Ping-Pong-A-Thon) up to December 2025,” Ms. Bollinger told The Southern Wire.
Since their formation in 2011, the Ping-Pong-A-Thon has raised $5 million to assist the governments and organisations in countries such as India, Thailand, Cambodia and even Australia in the prevention, rescue, after-care and the strengthening of legal systems to get men, women and children out of poverty and out of sexual slavery and exploitation.
The event will run from 9am until 2pm tomorrow at the Bowral Baptist Church in Merrigang St (next to Corbett Gardens).
As part of the event there will also be a market and garage sale on offer, too, with a wide variety of gifts, bric-a-brac and more.
“We’ve got Tilli Creations coming, who sells her own hand made bracelets, scrunchies, phone charms, keychains, beaded pens, car coasters, and sticker packs,” Ms. Bollinger said.
“We’ve also got Brickworks Farm Seedlings on board selling some of their best seeds, as well as Pure and Co selling their handmade candles, soaps and oils, MC from the Coolroom Emporium in Robertson, selling vintage collectibles, clothing, shoes, bags, gifts and homewares, Menzies Studio (selling artworks), and even African violets (flowers), leadlight, kids toys and a whole heap more!”
Also, students from Capernwray Bible College at Burradoo will be manning the BBQ and running a sausage sizzle, keeping all the pong players sustained.
All money raised from the event goes to six organisations including:
- International Justice Mission Australia (IJM);
- The Freedom Story;
- The Hard Places Community;
- Offspring: Every Life Worth Fighting For;
- Dton Naam; and
- Beginnings Foundation.
“We’ve built up good relationships with these organisations, and I even went to Thailand in 2025 to witness five of those organisations in action doing absolutely amazing work to help the people lift themselves up out of slavery, prostitution and poverty and to help them get jobs to provide for their families without fear for their safety like the situations they were in before,” Mrs. Bollinger said.
For example, a $68 donation to these organisations and the Ping-Pong-A-Thon provides three weeks of on-the-job training for one survivor in professional industries such as hairdressing, baking, and tailoring; and $115 enables a survivor to receive intensive, individual counselling for one month.
For more information visit ‘The Highlands Pong’ page on Facebook, and to make a donation, visit Debbie’s Ping-Pong-A-Thon fundraising page at https://pingpongathon.com/debbie-bollinger.
Read More: Bowral, Southern Highlands