LIGHTNING Ridge preschool collected a windfall on Friday night when some local talent went on display and put on a show.
The annual Potch Queen Ball saw five brave lads with exhibitionist tendencies get down and dirty, in the name of charity.
President of the Preschool, Rebecca McKenzie said she was “absolutely over the moon with the amount we raised and the support we received from the Lightning Ridge community.”
Madame of Ceremonies, Lisa Carroll and auctioneer, Anthony Melonis did a superb job convincing even the most notorious tightwads (opal buyers) to part with their cash.
To the delight of the crowd Anthony even resorted to outright insults and colourful speculation about the ancestry of various Ridge identities.
It worked. While the final figure raised was unavailable at the time of going to press, it was substantial.
Over 300 people attended the ball, a bottle of Johnny Walker was auctioned for $1100 and  a Mystery Bag auction saw one punter fork out $300 for a five-litre bottle of motor oil.
As a result the preschool can start planHelped out by friends Dianne Holtz and 2003 Opal Queen Karen Bruce   who provided make-up and choreography tips, Vic has raised the bar for future, would-be Potch Queens.
Like all grande dames of  stage and screen, Vic had to suffer for his art. In this case, five blunt razorblades before the show and what is reported to be an  impressive case of regrowth rash since.

Vic’s Tips on becoming a Potch Queen. Step one - ditch the wedding dress, Step two - thrill the judges with Bootscootin’ rhythm. Step three - Try some trashy tennybopper moves. Step four - Give the crowd what it wants and go “The Full Monty”.