Chelsea's Gatsby-Themed Whodunit Wish

17-year-old Chelsea receives a surprise wish to solve a Great Gatsby-themed whodunit mystery, surrounded by those she holds dear

Making Chelsea the Main Character

Chelsea is a thoughtful, kind, and selfless 17-year-old, who wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted to wish for. All she knew was that she wanted to include the people she loved most - her core support system (mum, dad, two sisters, and three closest friends). The Wish Team leaned into Chelsea’s adoration of mysteries, leading to her wish ‘To have a SURPRISE mystery night that includes all my favourite things and people.’

Diagnosed with mixed phenotype acute leukaemia just as she was becoming a teenager, Chelsea was forced to grow up quickly. Her mum, Toni says that “she was just starting to find herself, then she was diagnosed, and her treatment was tough and inhumane. It really affected who she is as a person.” Chelsea also felt that she had lost all control over her body, as most kids facing a critical illness tend to feel, because her parents were the ones making her medical decisions.

These days, Chelsea often puts others first, ensuring that everyone around her is okay and feels included - but the hope for Chelsea's wish was to ensure she was celebrated as the main character.

Clues to a ‘Great’ Wish

The ‘Anticipation’ stage of Chelsea’s wish began with one of Chelsea’s favourite hobbies: reading! With the assistance of her three best friends, Chelsea received three novels, each containing the word ‘Great’ within their titles: The Great Gatsby, Great Expectations and The Great Train Robbery.

Next came an intriguing, yet fanciful invitation to The Gatsby Ball, delivered to all the participants on Chelsea’s wish. The invitation contained the details of everyone's ordained characters to be played on Chelsea’s special evening, including a note to keep their identities confidential!

Sequins, tassels, and pinstripe patterns! With thanks to Disguises costume shop in Brisbane, the whole party spent the afternoon choosing their very own 1920s styled outfits.

Continuing with more of Chelsea’s most favourite things, they all enjoyed the delectable delights of Persian cuisine at Pera Palace Ottoman.

Chelsea’s Wish Anticipation wrapped up with a sleepover, which included pamper-hampers for Chelsea and her friends, and a night of movies to keep everyone in the whodunit mood!

I think we all need more fun. So that’s been really good. And I think the build up as well. You know, last weekend, when we all went out and tried on the outfits. That’s the sort of stuff that the girls really enjoy.
Toni Chelsea's mum

Whodunit at The Gatsby Ball

Taking place inside the majestic ‘King Island Room’ at North Lakes Hotel, the evening’s host, Carolyn (of Wild Cherry Events), led Chelsea, her friends, and her family, through an entertaining evening of curious characters, hidden agendas, and all the exciting drama of uncovering a heinous crime!

Chelsea’s ‘whodunit’ wish included a three-course meal, which everyone agreed was “so good!”, a video message from some of her loved ones who live in South Africa, and an overnight stay at North Lakes Hotel.

The Green Light

Fitzgerald wrote, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther...”

With smiles abound after the night wrapped up, Toni spoke optimistically about her daughter’s future, “I think it’s good for her to be the centre of attention and to be spoiled, and to enjoy it. With this whole recovery, she just doesn’t want to be the centre of attention, she just wants to hide away. And I don’t want that for her. I want her to get out and enjoy life and to have fun... So I think that’s what it is, it’s opening up the gates to do more fun things."

And dad agreed, “I think just getting away from our normal run-of-the-mill stuff was great.”