Christmas Wrapping Produces Record Donation To Region’s Rescuers

A record donation of $48,000 to those who rescue us in our greatest time of need was made possible thanks to the nimble hands and big hearts of ESA Alpha Rho. The club which is like the lady’s version of Lions volunteered before Christmas to gift wrap presents for a gold coin donation.

ESA Queensland President Faye Dennien said more people had become aware of the gift wrapping service, which last year was in its 19th year, with corporations and groups taking advantage of the time-saving initiative.

“We have families who will drop a trolley load of presents off for us to wrap while they keep the kids entertained in a different part of the shopping centre,” Faye said.

“I believe the largest amount of gifts to wrap in one go was around 130, dropped off by the organisers of the Carmila Christmas Tree, who host the community and provide presents for the children.”

ESA Alpha Rho Mackay Founding Member Judy Johnson said that while the donations to charity were impressive, they wouldn’t be possible without a network of organisations and committed volunteers all lending their hands.

“I want to say a big thank you to all the volunteers, without them, this would not be achieved,” Judy said.

“We have many organisations to thank who donate their time to wrapping; the Neighbourhood Hub, RACQ CQ Rescue, members from the St Patrick's Mercy College, the Red Cross, Councillor Justin Englert, and the Kidney Foundation, to name a few,” she said.

The service was so overwhelmingly popular that at times the ladies struggled to keep up with demand, and went through more than 12km of wrapping paper in the process.

$42,000 of the funds raised were donated to RACQ CQ Rescue and the remaining $6,000 was given to Queensland Remote Area Tracking, a specialised emergency service based in Mackay.

RACQ CQ Rescue CEO Tim Healee said ESA’s dedication to fundraising is truly inspiring.

“It shows that an amount as small as a gold coin from someone in the community can soon grow into a figure like $42,000 with the collective efforts of organisations like ESA Alpha Rho. When you take 10 of these inspirational community groups it becomes half a million dollars, which is what keeps community-funded rescue services like RACQ CQ Rescue in the air.

“We’re probably the most supported community helicopter service in Australia, the passion behind our service in the region is humbling. I think it’s because almost everyone knows at least one person who has been rescued by RACQ CQ Rescue,” Mr Healee said.

“The demand is growing and our costs are significantly higher than they were two years ago, we estimate over the next two years we will need an additional two million dollars to keep the service in the air.”

Mr Healee thanked both Caneland Central and ESA Alpha Rho Mackay for their ongoing generosity and the countless hours volunteers spent manning the stall to benefit such crucial local charities.

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L-R: ESA Alpha Rho Mackay Founding Member Judy Johnson, ESA Alpha Rho Mackay President Annette Wisnewski, Queensland Remote Area Tracking member Matthew Munchow. Photo credit: Amanda Wright

L-R: Judy Johnson, Center Manager Caneland Central Mark, Annette Wisnewski, RACQ CQ Rescue CEO Tim Healee

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