Striking a pose for bushfire relief

RESIDENTS of a Hepburn elderly care home recreated iconic movie stills for a fundraising calendar.

The proceeds from A Day at the Cinema at Hepburn House initiative were donated to the Bendigo Bank and Salvation Army Bushfire Relief appeals.

Hepburn House facility manager Dianne Jones said the fund raised over $3000 for the cause.

“It was the resident’s idea to raise money, they initially wanted to fundraise for drought affected farmers but after the bushfires we decided to fundraise for that instead,” she said.

The profits not only go towards helping others in need but the venture turned out to be fun for all residents involved.

Although the calendar itself was shot before the pandemic hit, Ms Jones said it was a great talking point while in social isolation.

“The residents really had fun with it so it’s been lovely to engage the families who have bought a lot of calendars, there’s been a lot of continued dialogue about it,” she said.

Members of the wider Hepburn and Daylesford community also became involved in the project once they heard about it.

For the shoot, the House’s staff were found outfits from nearby op-shops and other community members brought their specialities to the table

“It was a community effort,” Ms Jones said. “Maureen Andrews, a local performer, borrowed us some costumes and the local newspaper helped promote it.

“Kyle Barnes from the paper helped with the cover shot and David White did all the other photography voluntarily.”