2025 Fundraising

Great Lakes Palliative Care Support wishes to take this opportunity to thank our community for the
wonderful support we have experienced this past year. This has allowed us to continue to provide
for Oncology and Palliative Care patients, their families and carers within our local and
surrounding areas.
We provide services that are not readily available, or top up government services to enable
patients to stay at home for as long as possible. These services include assistance with personal
care and housework. We provide food and petrol vouchers when patients are struggling with costs
of daily living especially when their ability to work may have been impacted by their condition or
treatment regime. We are able to assist with utility bills, pharmacy accounts, assistance with
pathology accounts that are not readily available under the Medicare scheme. We have assisted
with costs of investigations and consultant medical visit when patients are not able to afford these
items. All our referrals for assistance come through Oncology, Palliative care and Social Work
services and are taken on an individual need’s basis.
We provide massage therapy to assist with general well-being and stress reduction to carers and
patients, and these can be attended at home or in hospital if needed. We continue to provide a wig
service to Oncology patients, and have a few lovely ladies who provide support and a fitting
service for the provision of wigs. Both these services are provided at no cost to the patient.
We have an equipment loan pool cared for by Equipment Officer; Kevin Stokes who cleans,
maintains and delivers equipment for use of patients as their need arises. Nurses, Occupational
Therapists working in Palliative care community services have access to our equipment.
Our annual Trivia Night was well attended, the theme was Blue and everyone had a good time.
Roger Duggan our Quiz Master and our many helpers and generous attendees helped us finish off
Palliative Care week with a fun night.
On Melbourne Cup Day Tuncurry Beach Bowling Club donated some great raffle prizes and we
spent the morning selling tickets in the club. We are grateful for the Clubs ongoing support. Our
monthly meetings are held there on 2 nd Thursday of the month at 10:15am. New members always
welcome.
One of the annual highlights for over 23 years has been the Matt Nixon Memorial Golf Day. This
special day held annually (weather permitting) has been run by the Nixon Family and their
supporters, in memory of their son Matt, a local police officer who died from bowel cancer at the
age of 28 years. Matt was a very community spirited guy who was not only active in our local
community, but was a keen sportsman and member of Surf Lifesaving Club. Each year we are the
major recipients of the proceeds from this golf day and, this year we have just received a cheque
for $23,367.00 which will be of such benefit to those who require our help. We are grateful to the
Nixon family, their supporters and Forster Tuncurry Golf Club for their ongoing support. The next
Matt Nixon Memorial Golf Day is scheduled for May 2026.
We thank Stocklands, Forster for the opportunity to again undertake the gift wrapping outside of K
mart for the 10 days prior to Christmas. Visitors and residents alike were generous with their
donations and we raised over $3000. Many thanks to members and friends that helped us with the
wrapping, and again thankyou to Stocklands for their ongoing support.
Our annual Christmas hamper raffle was again held, thanks to Helen and Roger Duggan for their
great organisation skills. The winners were drawn at Beach Street Medical Centre on 22nd
December. Our winner of the 1 st prize Christmas hamper was Pat Hammond; 2 nd prize-12 bottles
wine was won by Brian Leggott and 3 rd prize, a beautifully iced Christmas cake made by Nadine

Cakes and donated by Deb Debnam was won by Matt Healey. Thank you to all who purchased
and sold tickets on our behalf. The raffle raised $3151:00.
A huge thank you to Bunnings Forster, who allow us to hold a BBQ at their premises once each
month. These sausage sizzles have been well supported by visitors and residents alike, and many
of our members have rallied around to help out when they can. Thank you to Ian and Sharon
Dwyer for coordinating and purchasing supplies. These regular events keep topping up funds that
are constantly in demand.
Our members have been assisting at Halliday’s Point Op Shop on both Wednesday and Thursday
of each week. Our thanks to Hallidays Point Lions Club for assisting us with some of the proceeds
taken through the shop.
Our wider community including individuals, service and sporting clubs continue to provide valuable
support to our organisation, allowing us to provide the services and assistances that are required
to alleviate the burden of care to patients, their families and carers going through the difficult
journey of Oncology treatment and increased needs associated with life limiting illness.

 

Trivia Night -Palliative Care Week May 2025

                                                                                  Quiz Master Extraudinaire-Roger Duggan

                                                                                                    Crowd

                          Winners of the Prizes

 

Afternoon Tea at Symphonia Tuncurry Memorial Hall

                     L to R Deidre Stokes, Helen Bryan, Marea Binskin, Hune Winmill, Ruth Ruprecht, Toni Angus

Matt Nixon Memorial Golf Day

Presentation of proceeds from Matt Nixon Memorial Golf day ($23,367.00) Pictured left to right Gary                                                                               and Rhonda Nixon, rep from Forster Golf Club, Deidre Stokes and Roz Dreise from GLPCS

Gift Wrapping at Stocklands

L to R Jean Leggott, Deidre Stokes, Helen Duggan and Kay Chapaman

Bunnings BBQ at Stocklands

L to R Kevin Stokes, Toni Angus, Roz Dreise and Ian Dwyer

Peter Dreise on BBQ duty

Morning Tea at Sunrise

Helen Bryan receiving cheque at morning tea from Kristy, on behalf of Sunrise Residents

 

Morning Tea

Christmas Hamper Raffle

Christmas Hamper raffle was drawn by staff at Tuncurry Medical Centre, Beach St Tuncurry 2428

Organisers of our raffles including our Christmas Raffle; Helen and Roger Duggan (right) and President Deidre                 Stokes was present for the drawing of the raffle. Thank you to all who bought tickets or donated goodies.

 

Beautiful, handmade decorated Christmas Cake
donated kindly by Deb Debnam
(Made and decorated by Nadine the Cake Queen.)

Prizes won by
1 st Pat Hammond
2 nd Brian Leggott
3 rd Matt Healey
Over $3000 raised.

 

 

Judith Tyne from Tuncurry
“Our beanie lady”

Judith faithfully knits beanies to sell and all
proceeds are donated to GLPCS. Judith has
been faithfully helping through this way for
many years and has raised thousands of
dollars for our charity. Judith sets up a stall
and sells the beanies at the Forster Private
Hospital and is rarely seen without her
knitting needles in hand. Thank you, Judith.

 

 

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