Real estate agent Daniel Cook has sold so many houses on Gould Avenue, St Ives, that it was inevitable that one day it would come back to haunt him. And now that time has come.
Yesterday, the R&W St Ives/Turramurra principal was finally required to pay back, stumping up for the sausage sizzle that was for the first time a feature of St Ives’ famous Halloween fright night fun.
The Gould Avenue Halloween tradition began with an American family who created their own haunted house and gradually the entire street got into the spirit. Thousands flock to the leafy avenue which has become renowned as one of the best Halloween streets in Sydney.
At a rough estimate each household gave away around 10 to 12 kg of lollies to trick or treaters. But this year the residents decided to take advantage of the captive audience to raise money for Ronald McDonald House with a sausage sizzle.
Resident and organiser Danny Cohen took charge of finding a sponsor and Daniel Cook was the obvious person to put the frighteners on.
“I told Daniel, you’ve sold so many of these houses it’s time to stump up,” says Cohen, whose inspiration it was to harness the crowds to make money for charity.
“We have a lot of fun and do a bit of good and it’s a great way for our community to come together and get to know each other better.”
Not a man easily spooked, Cook saw it as a sweet opportunity to be give back to this tight-knit community.
“I sold Danny his home and about 20 others on the street so I was more than happy to be the major sponsor so that we can raise money for a good cause,” says Cook.
Turns out he was seen manning the barbecue with a skeleton staff.