By Kerry Larsen

After studying and swimming with dwarf minke whales off the Port Douglas coast last year, Channel Seven reporter, Rahni Sadler, obviously now feels a connection with the Douglas region.

So much so, that the Sunday Night reporter returns to Port Douglas later this month to host the UNICEF “Unite for Children” charity ball at Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas.

While Sadler is professionally admired for her coverage of the 2008 United States Federal Elections while working as Channel Seven’s US correspondent, it is her six-day experience with the dwarf minke whales she rates as one the highlights of her life.

The whales were discovered by eco-tourism stalwart Rob Prettejohn off the Far North Queensland coast almost 30 years ago and visit to the northern waters of the Great Barrier Reef two weeks per year.

Sadler’s down-to-earth report on the Sunday Night programme, which featured local marine conservationist John Rumney and whale researcher Dr Alistair Birtles, touchingly exposed the unique playfulness of the species and their fragile existence.

See the Sunday Night report (top right)

Tickets to the UNICEF Unite for Children ball at Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas’ Glade Pavilion are $139 per person, including a four course dinner, drinks and entertainment.

Lucky door prizes, silent auctions and the chance to win a luxury trip to an international Starwood hotel will be included on the night in order to raise funds for the popular charity.