Telethon Hyundai car winners Ken Panici-Allen and Mal Trenfield handed keys to brand new i30 sedan N Line

“Best $1,000 I’ve ever spent in my life.”

That’s what Ken Panici-Allen said after handing over the keys to one of his two new 2025 Hyundai i30 sedans N Line on Monday morning.

The 74-year-old man became the Metro winner at Telethon’s annual car giveaway on October 19 after donating $1,000 in honor of his ailing wife.

Mr. Pancini-Allen said he made the donation on his wife’s behalf because she is being treated for ovarian cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

“He thought it would be nice for him to see his name on TV”.

Mr. Pancini-Allen said he and his wife have been donating to the Telethon for years, and he suggested “everyone should go out there and spend that money every year, because these kids really need it.”

Mr Pancini-Allen recalled the moment Seven’s Larry Emdur and Carlton legend Patrick Cripps knocked on the Martins’ door.

“We were walking down the hall and I jokingly said to my wife, ‘Larry will be dropping off a car in a minute,'” he said.

“Then there was a knock on the front door and it was Larry and he came in with a big yellow microphone.

“(My wife) loves Larry, watches him on TV all the time, and was very happy to bring the car.”

Mr. Panici-Allen said the comfortable, roomy car would make it easier to take his wife to medical appointments.

“It will be easy to get him in and out of the car because we have a wheelchair,” he said.

“The first thing I said was ‘Can a wheelchair fit in the back of the trunk?’ happened. So I had to go take a look.”

Regional winner Mal Trenfield, from Geraldton, said he had donated to the Telethon since its inception and this year’s $100 donation turned out to be a very good investment.

“I remember in the early ’70s, my mom and I had a big falling out and we came back from the country,” he said.

“From then on, we just kept going, started donating, and do our part every year.”

Mr Trenfield said he was watching the Telethon when he received the winning call but accidentally hung up on Emdur.

“I was on the phone with my son at the time… and right then Larry said, ‘I’m going to call Mal in Geraldton,'” she said.

“He called and I said to (my son), ‘Oh, they’re ringing,’ I put him on hold and hung up on Larry!

“I thought that was the end of the show, but then he called me back.

“It was incredible because I was watching it on TV and making phone calls at the same time.”

Mr Trenfield said he was overwhelmed but said it was “a great feeling to win something”.

He said he watched family members struggle with sick and premature babies, and “so many” people reaped the rewards of the Telethon.

“(Our family’s baby) went through a lot of trouble and they took him to (Perth) Children’s Hospital to treat him… so we will continue to donate,” he said.

“I’ve always tried to encourage all our friends and family, and most of them do (donate).”

Perth 7NEWS presenter Rick Ardon helped present the keys to the happy duo at the Malaga showroom. He said every West Australian was a winner.

“The biggest benefit is that everyone is a winner in terms of seeing how much we raise to help sick children in WA,” Ardon said.

“(The Telethon) gets better every year; I remember watching it when I was a little kid and my parents would let me stay up late.

“A lot of people (other kids) watched and gave their dollars and cents in those days, too.

“They now realize how lucky we are to be in Western Australia and how much giving back helps our community.”

This year’s Telethon raised a staggering new record of $90,160,275, eclipsing last year’s total of $83,264,216.

The Telethon’s total fundraising effort since its inception in 1968 now exceeds $750 million.