Champion for charity

When guests enter Montrose House in the historic town centre of Canowindra in central-western NSW, one of the first things they see is a portrait of a debonair man in a kilt. A bit further on, there’s another portrait of a caberet performer in full costume. These are two very different faces of one of the town’s most colourful characters, Tommy Jeffs. Tommy is a leading light in the community, a tireless hospitality provider, spreader of goodwill and happiness and an extraordinary fundraiser. By his own calculation, he has raised more than $900,000 for charity in the past 50 years. He’s won the Premier’s Award for outstanding community contribution and a swag of other accolades for