After 67 years of serving the community, the Rookhurst Gloucester Hospital Auxiliary has been forced to fold because of a lack of willing volunteers.
The auxiliary met on Monday, May 9 to decide its future and came to the conclusion after a callout for volunteers failed to garner much interest.
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The ladies had put posters up around town, and journalist Anne Keen published a story in the Gloucester Advocate in an attempt to gain new members.
"We felt that we'd done all we could," said auxiliary member Judy Hopkins.
"We got two people that had phone in; one that couldn't do anything for a few months and the other one was going to come (to the meeting) and obviously got called away to work.
"That was the only interest that we got from the poster and the article in the Advocate.
"We're all getting older and we can't get volunteers, the younger help."
Judy said the group will be finished once their "books are in order".
The end of the auxiliary is a loss for Gloucester Hospital. Over the years the group has raised more than $300,000 through catering, raffles and Dutch auctions, and the popular lolly trolley, for much needed equipment for the hospital, including beds, electric beds, x-ray beds, instrument trolleys, cardiac monitors and specialised chairs.
It is a particularly sad decision for Judy.
"My parents have been involved with it since it was first formed," she said.
Both the Rookhurst and the Gloucester auxiliaries were formed in 1955 and joined to form the Rookhurst Gloucester Auxiliary in 1966.
Over nearly 70 decades the group has made a substantial difference to the level of care provided at Gloucester Hospital.
Julia Driscoll
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times for seven years. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings. Career highlights have involved environmental stories - bringing the plight of the little known endangered Manning River helmeted turtle to the attention of the public, resulting in wide-spread knowledge in the community and conservation action; and breaking the news of the Manning River ceasing to run for the first time in recorded history.
Julia Driscoll has worked as a journalist for the Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Times for seven years. She values the deep connection with community that being a rural and regional journalist brings. Career highlights have involved environmental stories - bringing the plight of the little known endangered Manning River helmeted turtle to the attention of the public, resulting in wide-spread knowledge in the community and conservation action; and breaking the news of the Manning River ceasing to run for the first time in recorded history.
