Guests at Sony Foundation's annual bash at Woolloomooloo Wharf, including Australian Test cricket captain Ricky Ponting and his wife Rihanna, Olympic swimmers Geoff Huegill and Eamon Sullivan, and TV personality Kerri-Anne Kennerley, were invited to donate their old mobile phones to raise money for the teenage cancer charity, You Can.
A series of silent auctions, MasterChef cook-offs and bidding wars between corporate tables complemented the mobile phone haul on Thursday, with guests clearly happy to depart with their unwanted handsets.
Model and designer Nikki Phillips seemed so willing to get rid of her cellular collection she dropped her Blackberry in her pavlova while writing a text message.
"God knows how many phones we all have lying around. (I) found five in just one drawer," she told AAP after scooping the phone out of her dessert.
"The great thing about the You Can charity is that they're not asking for money, they're just asking for everyone to donate their old phones, which can then be converted into cash towards building new cancer centres."
Held in six restaurants on Woolloomooloo Wharf, the gathering claimed to be "Sydney's longest lunch" with a red carpet stretching along the 200-metre promenade as guests enjoyed live music from Sony artists Guy Sebastian, Kate Miller-Heidke, Justice Crew and Stan Walker.
XFactor judge Sebastian took time out of his busy schedule to play the corporate event and said it was important for the music industry to give something back.
"Sony have got such a powerful network and getting all these people here raises a lot of money," he told AAP.
"This wharf is littered with influential people and it's a great event in terms of raising awareness for teenage cancer."
According to You Can, cancer survival rates between the ages of 15 and 30 have not improved in the past 25 years and teenage sufferers are lumped together with older patients on wards, thus the need for more teenage cancer centres.
Racing and fashion identity Emma Freedman became involved with the campaign after several of her friends were affected by cancer.
"Some of my friends have had a few scares and they're all under 30, so it seemed a natural thing to lend my face, words and time to a cause that affects all demographics, but seems worse for teenagers in this country."
The You Can appeal is calling on the public to donate unwanted mobile phones at a variety of retail partners, including Harvey Norman, Sony Centre and Best & Less.
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