November 7, 2018
Taabinga Rotary Club’s 2018 Bookarama in Kingaroy sold between 7000 and 8000 books … and has allowed three charities to take home a total of $10,000.
Cheques were distributed to the Kingaroy Hospital Auxiliary ($5000), Royal Flying Doctor Service ($2000) and Rural Aid ($3000) at the club’s meeting at the Kingaroy RSL on Wednesday evening.
Club president Ralph Clark invited representatives from the three groups to come along to a dinner organised by the club to thank the volunteers who had helped out at this year’s Bookarama, which is the club’s major annual fundraiser.
Kingaroy Hospital Auxiliary publicity officer Pamela Lincoln said the cheque would be put towards the Auxiliary’s project to buy a $46,000 portable ultrasound machine for use in Kingaroy Hospital’s Emergency Department.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service will put its money to good use, too. Royal Flying Doctor Service community fundraising co-ordinator Sarah-Jayne Curry said during the past year, the RFDS has flown more than 360 people from the South Burnett for urgent specialist care.
Gail Thornton, from Rural Aid (formerly Buy a Bale) said the group would put the money towards its services, which included nine counsellors working in rural NSW and Queensland, telephone counselling, the distribution of Woolworths food vouchers and Caltex fuel cards, and programs such as Farm Army and Farm Rescue. She said the group had distributed $10 million worth of hay to drought-stricken farmers and recently renovated 14 farming properties in Forbes.
Mr Clark said other funds raised from Bookarama were allocated to Rotary’s own charity, the Rotary Foundation, which assists charity and humanitarian projects in Australia and overseas.
Mark your calendars … Bookarama will be on again on the second weekend in September in 2019.
