Retirement community raises funds

EVERY May and June provides an opportunity to support cancer research over tea and sweets through the Cancer Council’s Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea annual fundraiser.

Hemsley Park residents took part in this year’s events late last month and raised $650 in the process.

About 50 members of the Ballarat East retirement village attended the morning tea, and committee member Evie McColl said it brought the whole community together.

“Everybody brought a plate and we all shared things like sponge cakes, scones, profiteroles. It was whatever people wanted to bring,” she said.

“We had a donation box and raffle tickets with people bringing in paintings, handmade scarfs and different things people just dropped off.”

“For us to get that much with some of our residents still wary of COVID, we’re pretty pleased about that.”

Since starting in 1994, the Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea initiative has raised over $7 million with nearly 20,000 hosts registered.

Hemsley Park also raises funds for cancer foundations like the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute and Shannon’s Bridge.

Ms McColl said it was good to see the community coming together for a worthy cause after two years of lockdown.

“We try to do something at least once a month now to ease everyone back in, and most people everywhere have someone that’s died of cancer,” she said.

“So, our little contribution is a drop in the ocean but for a small community we’re pretty proud of ourselves.”

“I think we do give a lot with what we have.”