Following an annual fundraising day that took place in late February, Shepparton Golf Club produced its final tally of money raised for another sterling contribution to some local community organisations.
A grand total of $35,000 was presented by event organiser Rob Kelly, representing the Rotary Club of Shepparton Central, in the wake of a competition day that had 128 golfers step onto the course in teams for the cause.
Receiving the bulk of the sum was GV Health, represented at Wednesday’s formal exchange by chief executive Matt Sharp and foundation chairman Stephen Merrylees.
All involved were understandably delighted with the money raised and Kelly explained what the lion’s share goes towards.
“Thirty thousand dollars of that money goes to the GV Health Foundation to fund six postgraduate nursing scholarships,” Kelly said.
“The scholarships are worth $5000 each and they support nurses currently working who want to advance their careers.
“The other $5000 is distributed to other programs for Shepparton Central Rotary Club.”
A total of 32 teams, each representing local groups and businesses, stepped out to swing on the fundraising day in quartets.
While the efforts were skippered by a handful of leading major sponsors, having an AFL legend on hand to make a guest appearance certainly doesn’t hurt the ability to draw a crowd.
“The major sponsors had their own teams, where we had Specsavers, Quicklift, Hot and Cold Shop and Darryl Twitt Motors in their four-person Ambrose,” Kelly said.
“Outside of that, there were more than 25 teams fielded by other locals.
“Our guest speaker on the day was Dermott Brereton and he was absolutely fantastic to have on the occasion.”
Of course, those involved in raising the money are always pleased to see locals benefit from the proceeds.
In this case, Kelly beamed at the remarkable retention record brought about by the nursing scholarships, who have chosen to remain in the area after undertaking the programs.
“It’s about our 32nd year of running this annually and we’ve been supporting the nursing scholarships for seven years now,” Kelly said.
“The club has raised in excess of $1.2m over that period and everybody that’s been through the scholarships has stayed on and worked at health services in the Goulburn Valley.
“They’ve all gone on to work here and that’s the ultimate aim.”
