May 19, 2021 Welcome Home Property Guide pages 17-24
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Charities in a clash over cash
Special delivery! It was a team effort when Harley-Jean was born outside Dairy Flat Hall. Pictured are Summer Buckman holding baby Harley-Jean and Summer’s partner Marlin Thompson, with St John ambulance officer Toni Hoult, left, and St John paramedic Adam Harris, right. See story, p5.
More than a decade of supportive relations have soured between Estuary Arts Centre and the organisers of the Harbour Hospice art show over a massive hike in exhibition fees. Hospice’s Queen’s Birthday fundraising art exhibition and sale has been held at Estuary Arts Centre for 11 years. The proceeds support services at Hibiscus House hospice in Red Beach. Initially the not-for-profit organisation was given space in Estuary Arts’ gallery to hold its exhibition free of charge. However, hospice fundraiser and exhibition convenor, Vicki Lambert, says that in 2012, when hospice became aware that the arts centre was short of funds, the committee offered to pay. It paid $480 for its exhibition space for four years. After the centre built its education wing, in 2016, it increased the fee to $650 for the larger space, which is the amount that hospice has paid until this year. Vicki says it was a shock to see a 154 percent increase – $1650, with $1000 of that “a salary contribution” – in this year’s contract. She says it was too late to recoup any of that money by charging artists more to exhibit and they were lucky to find sponsors to foot the bill. “If Forrest Funerals hadn’t offered at short notice to pay the extra $1000, and Harcourts the other $650, we would have had to bite the bullet and take it off our profit,” she says. Covid has caused funding shortfalls for community continued p2
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