Sunday Sippers Sipping for CQ Rescue

Sunday Sippers presenting CQ Rescue with their big check. All photos supplied by Peter Hannah.

‍

What started as a quiet Sunday afternoon drink at the Queens Beach Hotel has grown into a $57,000 show of support for a service Bowen locals know they may one day need.

‍

For the past five years, the Sunday Sippers have been gathering at the pub each Sunday from 4pm to 6pm, running raffles, sharing a drink and raising money.

‍

The raffles have grown with the cause, now featuring venue vouchers, butcher shop prizes, seafood vouchers and extra BWS prizes when the Sunday crowd is especially strong.  

‍

“In the early days we’d go to the hotel on a Sunday and there wasn’t much happening, so we decided we’d put something together where we could raise funds while having a drink,” said Sunday Sipper Peter Hannah.

‍

“It started out with a little sausage sizzle, two bucks a sausage, and on a big Sunday we’d raise 12 bucks. So we thought, no, we’ve got to do something better than this.”

Since those humble beginnings, the group has gone on to raise an impressive $57,000 for CQ Rescue.  

‍

Choosing an organisation to donate to was easy for the Sippers, as Bowen’s location between Townsville and Mackay, surrounded by rural communities, cattle properties and coastal roads, means the rescue helicopter plays a crucial role when urgent help is needed.

‍

‍

“Our community fundraising supports the helicopter- to ‘keep the bird in the air’ as we say,” Peter said.

‍

“The helicopter visits here quite regularly, so people know that it’s a vital part of how to get out of here if things go wrong.”

“All the people here are behind it,” Peter said.

‍

“We are supported by our community people, the butcher shop and the pub and things like that.” Peter said.  

“I’d like to give them a little pat on the back too.”

‍