Jim Fagan
An off-the-cuff comment seven years in the past has blossomed right into a story to the touch your coronary heart and the hearts of many others in Noosa and the Sunshine Coast.
Since Katie Rose Cottage Hospice within the Noosa hinterland opened in 2016 greater than 300 individuals have chosen to spend their last days peacefully, surrounded by the love of their households in a serene, dwelling away from dwelling surroundings.
And the help by the neighborhood for the “haven on the hill” has by no means been hotter and extra obvious.
Carol Raye, of Doonan, has been board chairperson throughout these years. She retired on the finish of final yr and this week she met Noosa At the moment to speak about her time within the chair plus the thrilling plans the hospice has for future enlargement.
Carol was a volunteer fundraiser at a hospice in Adelaide earlier than she and her pilot husband John determined to retire to Noosa. Beforehand, she had been working in fundraising and advertising and marketing for not-for-profits just like the St John Ambulance.
“Years in the past my mom had handed away in a really scientific setting and for that motive I needed to get entangled with a hospice.
“I observed there was one in Doonan at Eumundi Noosa Highway so I went there and for greater than two years I labored as a volunteer.
“It closed by lack of funds and different causes and, when it ended, the volunteers used to satisfy on the Doonan Café, particularly the gardening group. “It began with two or three and ended up with 15 or 20 individuals.
“After a few months we had been all nonetheless lamenting and any person requested what we had been going to do and I stated, “Why don’t we begin one other one?’
“This was in 2015 and the thought simply fell out of my mouth. Everybody stated, ‘We are able to do it. We all know what we’re doing,’ and John Gabrielson, who’s now our CEO and who had been the volunteers’ manager-co-ordinator on the earlier one, stated he would assist with a strategic plan.
“We used to satisfy each week at Acres Espresso Store in Noosaville and unfold out all our papers on the desk. It was our workplace for the primary couple of months as we fashioned the corporate and received a charity licence. John was the volunteer CEO for the primary six months and I’m very grateful.
“We additionally had a public assembly which we marketed and we outlined our plans to the 200 individuals there. We requested if they might help us. The J was full and Ralph Rogers, the proprietor of Acres stated, ‘I’ll offer you funds to get began.’”
Carol believes people who find themselves terminally unwell ought to be capable to select to go to a spot, a pleasant surroundings which isn’t scientific.
“Hospitals are fantastic they usually save individuals’s lives. A hospice, nonetheless, is a wonderful place for them to decide on to spend their final days.”
She dismisses the thought that infirmaries are miserable. “I believe you could have empathy and compassion to grasp the which means of life and the which means of demise. After a when you really feel it’s a privilege to be across the households and the visitors throughout their final journey.
“To assume that right here in Noosa we’ve got this magnificent facility we ought to be so happy with as a result of it’s a dwelling away from dwelling, a wonderful surroundings the place the nursing is so skilled. A number of the nurses have stated to me many occasions it’s fantastic to be a nurse right here as a result of we are able to really take time to nurse.
“I would love to say, aside from our stunning nurses and our fabulous volunteers, we’ve got been profitable due to Noosa philanthropists Peter and Mac Williams and their unbelievable donation of the million {dollars} which enabled us to purchase the home and land. That gave us the safety and a house base that we would have liked.
“The home is magnificent and it embodies the right dwelling surroundings. It’s a free service to households and visitors they usually discover it unimaginable that they will come to us with out being charged.”
Carol stated this coming yr could be certainly one of enlargement for Katie Rose. It now has the Federal grant of $1.5 million which implies it can now have 5 visitor rooms with a sixth room as a multi objective area till wanted for visitors.
“The grant was particular for the aim of including extra rooms. We labored on it with Lew O’Brien’s (Federal Member for Vast Bay) workplace for 3 years.”
The hospice can be working with Queensland Well being on an Outreach Palliative Care Service within the Noosa space.
“Due to Covid and different points, it’s not off the bottom but however it will likely be within the subsequent few months.”
There may be by no means an ideal time to go away so why is she leaving?
“It’s simply timing. It’s been seven years getting it arrange, six years as chairman and dealing nearly full time as a volunteer. It’s been six years. We’re a really new charity and there was so much to do to maintain it going.
“There have been some arduous occasions, some enjoyable occasions and there have been unhappy occasions. It’s now time to usher in another person.
“I wish to say I haven’t performed this alone. The motive force of an organisation at all times wants somebody to guide, a need to make it work. I couldn’t have achieved what we’ve got if we didn’t have the volunteers and the op retailers which make an enormous donation. They’re an enormous a part of our revenue.
“Our CEO John Gabrielson has stated many occasions, “Day by day about 50 individuals get away from bed and are available to volunteer for Katie Rose. They usually all like it, too. It’s actually a neighborhood pushed charity and it is rather particular.
“We now have some nice sponsors and it will pretty to recognise all of them. We’re grateful for the neighborhood help in providers in addition to individuals.”
She stated retired accountant and present board treasurer, Les Godwin, will assume the position as chairman for an interim interval and the board will work by the alternative course of.
“He has been on the board because the starting and helped us get the charity arrange.
“It will be important for a board to not get stale I believe I’ve given it as a lot as I can. I’ve cherished each minute of it and it’ll at all times be a part of me.”
Carol will nonetheless have a reference to the hospice. She is staying on as chairman of a small fundraising committee.
One of many new tasks in 2023 shall be a raffle of an 18-carat white gold bracelet full of diamonds and different valuable stones like pink tourmaline, rose quartz and amethyst.
The bracelet, valued at greater than $30,000, is being donated Noosa Civic jeweller Eliahi Priest, 41, of Priest Jewellers. He and his household had been tremendously moved by the extent of compassion and care his spouse, Kristy-Elle was given at Katie Rose when she died from cervical most cancers final Might.
Carol stated: “All of us at Katie Rose are particularly touched that Kristy-Elle’s household felt our care and help worthy of such an impressive prize for our subsequent lottery.”
