LEGO lovers queued outside Albert Hall on Wednesday evening, waiting to get their nimble fingers on more than two tonnes of the little bricks on sale inside.
It was The Green Shed's Giant Charity LEGO Sale and tubs and tubs of loose LEGO bricks were up for sale - as well as vintage and rare boxed sets.
All proceeds went to Canberra charity Roundabout which re-homes quality baby and children's items to families in need, with an astounding more than $85,000 raised.
For The Green Shed's Charlie Bigg-Wither and Sandie Parkes, it was their third charity LEGO sale, each sale getting bigger and bigger.
"The first sale we had was 1.2 tonnes, the second sale was about 1.5 tonnes but this one was about three," Sandie said.
Charlie is a long-time LEGO fan, adorning their home in Turner with the little bricks and even putting a huge LEGO man on their front lawn (which went outside the Albert Hall for the sale).
He donated many of his own box sets, while the loose LEGO came from donations to The Green Shed.
The tally on Wednesday evening of $86,000 for Roundabout, was a thrill for its CEO and founder Hannah Andrevski, who at the end of the night was under tables picking up dropped LEGO, dedicated to the end.
Hannah said the money raised by the sale would be a big help for Roundabout, with the increasing cost of living expected to see more families seeking help.
"We've helped 3000 children this year. There's been a lot of growth on previous years," she said.
"We know next year is going to be bigger and the demand is going to increase, so it's just going to put us into a real good position as we move into next year to make sure we continue to help families."
And there were lots of smiles on Wednesday night.
"LEGO is something that everyone loves and people here tonight are obsessingly loving it," Sandie said.
"And the atmosphere was just really very happy."
Charlie had given away all of his remaining LEGO box sets for the sale.
"When our kids were younger, he'd build them and he just kept buying them. He just got so many," Sandie said.
"We've had three charity LEGO sales and with this one he just got rid of absolutely everything. He didn't keep anything."
Roundabout does not work directly with families, but through agencies. Its goal is to ensure only good-quality items are passed on. It also tries to recycle other donated goods in other ways, trying to minimise anything that goes to landfill.
That was a good fit with The Green Shed which saved and sold goods which might otherwise be dumped at the tip.
Sandie said she loved supporting Roundabout.
"The Green Shed has dealt with a lot of charities, and they're all good, they all do a great job but these people go beyond what I've seen anywhere," she said.
"They're got more volunteers than I've ever seen. The volunteers are hands-on, smart. The people who run it are very capable. They've got all different skill sets and they marry together very well."
The Roundabout staff and volunteers went the extra mile for the proceeds from the LEGO sale.
"The last two sales, we sorted it all ourselves and stood at the cash registers and it was exhausting," Sandie said.
"So we said to Hannah, 'You can do this but can your volunteers sort the LEGO?' and she just ran with it. They sorted all the LEGO and they've run the whole sale.
"The major thing for me is they are a children's charity and the job they do is absolutely remarkable. And Hannah is really about respect and dignity.
"Even though they are passing on second-hand goods to children, they have to be in very good condition. And the other thing with Roundabout is when they have excess that they can't use, they try really hard to have it used in other ways, rather than throwing it away. And that's what we do."
Sandie said she and Charlie would continue to support Roundabout through The Green Shed.
"We'll be collecting LEGO for Roundabout from now on, making them our permanent LEGO charity from now on. That's something we've decided tonight," she said.
