Trivia at the Woodgate Beach Hotel.
What started as a casual night out has grown into something far more meaningful for a group of locals who regularly gather for trivia at the Woodgate Beach Hotel.
Over the past year, a group of around ten friends has been showing up each week to partake in ‘Trivia Night’. Attendance amongst the group varies, sometimes just a few make it, other nights the group fills out a table or even splits into two teams. Playing under lighthearted names like “Giggles” and “Chuckles,” their evenings are usually filled with laughter, friendly rivalry, and the occasional correct answer that puts them ahead of the pack.
The group commonly includes Jason Mitchell, Jodie Mitchel, Kevin Finnigan, Lorraine Elsmore, Heather Swart, Steve Swart, Tony Best, Kathy Murray, Mike Featherstone, Sharron Russo, Juliette Edwards, and occasionally Chris Mann, a mix of regulars who clearly know a thing or two (and sometimes a thing or two they think they know).
Early on, the group made a collective decision: if they ever won any of the hotel’s trivia prize vouchers, they would put them toward something worthwhile. While the idea of a generous bar tab was tempting, they agreed their winnings could serve a greater purpose: proving they weren’t just full of random facts, but also good intentions.
Over several months, the team quietly accumulated a modest stash of vouchers thanks to the Woodgate Beach Hotel’s trivia prizes. Week by week, the answers added up and so did the winnings, until the group realized they had something worth more than just bragging rights.
In the end, the team didn’t need a bonus question to decide what to do next. They committed to donating $1,300, split evenly into $325 contributions to four local organisations that play an active role in supporting and connecting the community.
The recipients included:
Woodgate Men’s Shed
Woodgate & Surrounds Wildlife Rescue Inc.,
Woodgate Community Bus
She Shed by the Sea
On a side note, She Shed by the Sea is once again preparing a team for the Mother’s Day Classic, raising funds for both the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.
While the group would have loved to support every local cause, they acknowledge the limits of trivia winnings “not quite a $50 million lotto ticket,” as they joked. The remaining vouchers, they say, will go toward pizzas at an upcoming trivia night, because even the best quiz teams need to refuel between rounds.
Each of the chosen organisations contributes in its own way to strengthening the local community, whether through support services, environmental efforts, or social connection. The trivia team hopes their donation will help these groups continue their work and perhaps multiply the impact, turning a few correct answers into something much bigger.
They also expressed their appreciation to the Woodgate Beach Hotel for hosting the trivia nights and providing the vouchers that made this all possible. A reminder that sometimes the real prize isn’t just getting the right answer, but what you do with it afterward.
With a bit of knowledge, a lot of laughs, and a shared goal, this team turned trivia into triumph and $1,300 went back into the community. Not a bad result for a few nights spent asking, “Who knows the answer to this one?”
Chitchat Newspaper. April 2026.