About the Xavier Charity Dinner

The Xavier Dinner Committee was formed in 1959 by the late Tim McCarthy, a Brisbane businessman involved in the motor Vehicle Industry. Now in its 64th year, iIt has grown in to one of the Australia's premier charity dinners, raising over $4.5 million.

The Committee

The Xavier Dinner committee remains completely volunteer based. It has always been a group of ‘amateurs’ that have a common goal of helping those less fortunate.

Get to know the Xavier Committee below. If you are interested in being a part of our committee in the future, or you are a business wanting to lend your support, please contact us for more information.

  • Ben George (President)

    Ben is CEO of Simon George & Sons, a privately owned Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Providore that has been operating since 1927. Ben has been attending the Xavier Dinner since 2001, and is proud to be able to give back to the community through the foundation.

  • Nick Cook

    Nick Cook attended St Josephs Gregory Terrace and currently manages a new business entity under the Stoddart Group, a leading supplier and installer of building products to the residential housing market. Nick is conscious of giving back and, as a new member to the Xavier foundation in 2017, he looks forward to contributing to this worthwhile foundation and the wider community.

  • Tony Gleeson

    Tony is the policy advisor for City Planning for Cr Adam Allan and Lord Mayor Schrinner. He has formerly advised at both state and federal government levels. Tony is also the long serving secretary of the Nudgee Old Boys Assoc, and has advised and assisted Youngcare and several other community organisations. He looks forward to bringing those in his network to future Xavier Dinners.

  • Jimmy Huynh

    Jimmy is a Project Director at Cavcorp, one of Australia’s most awarded privately owned development groups specialising in built form legacy developments within Queensland. Jimmy attended Iona College and completed a Bachelor of Architectural Design at UQ (University of Queensland). Jimmy is now responsible for the delivery of key residential and retail developments within Newstead and Teneriffe.

  • David Jackson

    A founding partner and Director of Keystone Private. David is a fiercely independent, financial, and commercial trusted advisor to many of Australia’s most successful individuals, families, and enterprises. David is also cofounder of the Keystone Private Foundation, providing philanthropy with planned purpose for clients and other participants in the philanthropic sector.

  • Sean McMahon

    Sean has more than 25 years’ experience in the funds management and corporate sectors and co-leads the Hall & Wilcox Investment Funds team. Prior to joining the firm, Sean lead the award-winning Funds Management team at McMahon Clarke.

  • Nick Stevens

    Nick is co-founder and director of Benstead Holdaway, a privately owned real estate advisory and funds management business. Nick is a proud Ashgrovian and Brisbane local, having attended Marist College Ashgrove and further completing a Bachelor of Laws and Masters of Business (Applied Finance) at QUT. As a supporter of the dinner since 2014, Nick is a new face to the Committee and is dedicated to ushering the next generation of supporters to the Xavier community.

  • Jack Stickley

    Jack is an Investment Adviser at Morgans Financial, Australia’s largest national full-service stockbroking and wealth management network. He was introduced to the Xavier Dinner in 2018 and looks forward to contributing to the event's rich history and actively participating in its charitable initiatives.

  • Andrew Swaney

    Andrew is a qualified Architect who now manages property development for McDonald’s restaurants in Queensland and the Northern Territory. Andrew is engaged in a number of charity endeavours in Brisbane and having joined the committee in 2023 is passionate about the opportunity to actively contribute to the causes chosen for the Xavier dinner.

  • Harry Tynan

    Harry is a Gregory Terrace old boy who has joined the Xavier Foundation in 2022. Harry is a Senior Adviser at Tynans Advice with a focus on building wealth and creating retirement strategies for private clients. His role is also as a member of the Tynans Investment Committee.

Beginnings

The Xavier Dinner Committee was formed in 1959 by the late Tim McCarthy, a Brisbane businessman involved in the motor Vehicle Industry. It began under the auspices of the Xavier Society which is a catholic charity organisation that was prevalent at the time. Mr McCarthy who was a committee member of the Xavier Society suggested that he would like assist in completing the outfitting of the Mr Olivet Hospital.

Mr McCarthy formulated the concept for an annual black tie dinner for men and enlisted support for the idea from Dr Clive Uhr (later Sir Clive Uhr) the president of the Xavier Society at that time. The premier race caller in Brisbane, Keith Noud was invited to be the first of a long line of great guest speakers. He did not charge to speak at the event and this tradition continues on today.

Mr McCarthy who was well known in the community, coerced Sir George Green from Eagers Ltd to donate a Holden motor vehicle to be given away at dinner. Despite the hefty ticket price of £25 and contrary to the expectations of some, the inaugural dinner at Lennon’s Hotel was a great success. The Xavier Dinner was born.

The format has remained unchanged although the dress regulation was relaxed to lounge suit. The quality of the guest speaker remains as paramount after the main objective of raising money for the chosen charity.

Beneficiaries

The focal point of the Xavier Dinner has always been the chosen beneficiaries. Most importantly, the Xavier Dinner Committee remains committed to supporting smaller groups that often get neglected by larger charitable organisations. Since 1959, the Xavier Dinner Committee has donated over $4.5 million to its beneficiaries.

Patronage and Tradition

From its inception as a catholic charity, the Xavier Dinner has developed an ecumenical support base from all over Brisbane. Commencing with the motor vehicle and racing industry, the support base quickly spread and the Xavier Dinner sells out every year to 300 businessmen from all over Brisbane.

The Xavier Dinner holds the title as the longest running charity event of its kind in Australia and to this day, and despite many pressures, remains unique as a Men’s only event. It has a proud 60+ year history of helping out those less fortunate in our communities.