The Dean Howcroft red carpet gala drew 320 attendees, dressed to the nines in ball gowns and tailored suits, to the Ulladulla Civic Centre on Saturday night.

Nine weeks of preparation came to fruition and now Dean and wife Alina are looking to make the next step in his journey – embryonic stem cell treatment at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama.

Auctions and raffles were well supported, the couple said, with one quirky prize, a hug for the auctioneer, going for $500. 

“We are just blown away by the generosity,” Mr Howcroft said.

The couple also praised the community and local entertainers for donating their time for a charity event.

“Sally Stewart approached us [to cater], ‘we’ll take care of everything’, she said,” Mr Howcroft said. 

“Our comedian, Tim from Brothers Band, the auctioneer. All these people donated their time.”

Mr Howcroft said he made plenty of new friends and cherished meeting a 24-year-old Wollongong woman who was recently diagnosed with MS.

“What I said was able to resonate with her, her journey has just started.”

The couple hope to find out how much was raised by the end of the week.

Mr Howcroft’s first $30,000 per session treatment is booked for May 29. 

He plans to make a Facebook page to raise awareness about his treatment journey.