Telethon: Hyundai car winner reveals why the giveaway nearly went wrong on live TV

The lucky winner of the Telethon giveaway, one of the highlights of the spectacular weekend broadcast, has officially been given the keys to her new Hyundai Kona.

The car giveaway was the best of live TV, as comedian Rove McManus stood outside a dark Waterford home, seemingly unable to give away the $40,000 car.

McManus had arrived at the house just as the live broadcast crossed to him. A sensor light shone out and after calling out to the street, offering up a free car, McManus saw a face in the window.

Inside the home, instead of watching the magic of Telethon, lucky winners Melissa Newman and her daughter Cayley were watching the magic of Harry Potter.

The pair had donated $50 to the fundraiser, in recognition of hard-working healthcare staff, and were not expecting McManus to turn up at their doorstep with a car.

Ms Newman said she was thinking the worst when she heard yelling coming from outside.

“When they arrived all we saw was these lights and we heard yelling outside, so we thought maybe there was a fight or the police had rocked up,” she said.

“Sure enough it was safe. It was just Rove yelling out to everyone to give away this beautiful car.”

Ms Newman, who has been driving around in her mum’s car, was overwhelmed when she pulled the cover off her new vehicle.

“This means everything,” she said. “I’ll be able to use it for good things that help the community like donating food and I’ll be able to run my daughter and her friends around a bit.

“Telethon is such a worthy cause so just keep on donating.”

Hyundai regional manager Michael Beros said he loved being able to give the car to a Telethon donor.

“We love Telethon and we love our involvement,” he said. “We love what it means for Western Australia and the community. We can’t wait to do it again next year.”

WA’s overwhelming generosity drove Telethon to a new record total of $77.5 million in 2023 for sick children across the State.