Airport oddities to be auctioned off
More than 2500 unclaimed items left behind at Australia’s busiest international airport will be auctioned off for charity, including a wedding dress, an electric scooter, and a stash of Star Wars merchandise.
Sydney Airport’s week-long annual lost property auction will kick off on Saturday, with a wide variety of abandoned toys, electronics, and apparel up for grabs.
Among the articles on the auction block are some of the stranger lost property items, including a wedding dress and an autographed photo of international soccer sensation Lionel Messi.
Star Wars fans looking for a bargain on May 4 will be able to snatch up matching Stormtrooper and Darth Vader helmets, as well as a collection of lightsabres.
An electric scooter will also be on the auction block during the sale event hosted by Theodore Bruce Auctioneers, as well as a leaf blower, jaffle maker, and kettle.
Other items include more than 150 laptops, 300 headphones and ear buds, 100 phones and tablets, 200 watches and sunglasses, and 120 bottles of wine and spirits.
All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Harding Miller Education Foundation, which awards scholarships to high school girls with academic potential from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Harding Miller Education Foundation executive chairperson Cara Varian said the “life-changing” money would be targeted to girls in suburbs surrounding the airport.
“Educating girls is a powerful way to break the vicious cycle of poverty and inequality,” Ms Varian said.
“We know that for every additional year of education, a woman will increase her income by up to 25 per cent.”
Last year, Sydney Airport reunited more than 5000 lost items with passengers, but what remains unclaimed gets donated to local charities or repurposed through the auction.
Sydney Airport General Manager of Corporate Affairs Josh Clements said the annual auctions had raised a whopping $1.6 million since 2013, with bids starting from just $10.
The auction will be run online at the Theodore Bruce Auctioneers website, with all items on sale from May 4.
Closing times between May 11-12 vary between categories.
