Rainbow socks in memory of Elli BY PETER MILLER
T
he tragic loss for a Warracknabeal family and its community has been the catalyst for a new fund that will support families with ill children requiring distant medical care. Elli Butuyuyu was a healthy, happy and active Warracknabeal girl who loved to dance, draw, bake and play with her friends. She also asked questions about God and wanted to understand more. But a little more than a year ago, the six-yearold came home from school complaining of blurred vision. Elli’s mum Hanna said she had complained earlier in the week of nausea. “It was Elli’s first week back to school after the holidays and she seemed to have gastro,” Hanna said. “She was quite floppy and she felt a bit sick but toward the end of the week she was seeing double.” Hanna thought Elli might need glasses but Elli’s father, Warracknabeal GP Dr Franklin Butuyuyu, was concerned about the combination of symptoms and suggested a trip to Horsham for an MRI.
The MRI results crushed the family with the worst possible news. Elli had an inoperable tumour lodged in her brain. In just a few short weeks, her precious life of boundless joy and love would end. Elli was immediately rushed to Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital. The Butuyuyus had to leave their other children with friends, put their world on hold and take up residence in Ronald McDonald House. “It was very sudden and everything changed dramatically,” Hanna said. “It made us realise how much people support people in such a situation. “Some people came to help us straight away on the night she was diagnosed and they didn’t leave until the end. “Others were bringing food or finding accommodation for our friends and relatives who were there to support us.” Elli’s passing and the trauma that engulfed her family prompted the introduction of the Elli Martha fund and a very special sock. Hanna said their final weeks with Elli made her family aware of the challenges and
issues country people faced when their child was sick and needed specialist treatment. “We had so much amazing support from really precious and amazing people who wanted to give so much of themselves,” she said. “They helped us find accommodation for our extended family and made sure our other children were being cared for and could attend school. “But we realise not everyone will have such amazing support and that’s why we are launching the Elli Martha fund. “The fund will support the region’s families who have to travel to cities for specialist treatment for their sick child.” The fund will be open to donations but its launch will be centred on the sale of socks designed in memory of Elli. The rainbow-coloured socks will feature Elli’s signature and a butterfly emblem to signify her affection for the winged insects.
PRECIOUS: Warracknabeal school girl Elli Butuyuyu, 6, died last year after losing her battle with a brain tumour. The Elli Martha fund will help people living in rural areas travel for treatment.
Give generously
The Elli Martha socks pack will be sold with Elli’s special cookie recipe included for $10 a pair and all profits will go directly to the fund. “Elli loved drawing and she
loved colours,” Hanna said. “Butterflies were her favourite creature and she also loved baking cookies so this is a very special pack. “Buying socks will provide a warm memory of Elli.” Dr Franklin will launch the Elli Martha fund in the front garden of Warracknabeal Kindergarten at 2.30pm on August 30. Hanna has encouraged everyone to give generously to help strengthen the community and help families facing such challenges. “The theme of the fundraiser is that it’s good that we have each other,” Hanna said. “I would love to see families get together with their children and bake, have a meal together and appreciate each other and acknowledge that it’s good to have each other. “I would love to see people come together so they can create their own little fundraisers. “All of that can then accumulate to something that can make a huge difference.” The socks will be available at Yarriambiack Medical Centre and Rural Northwest Health campuses. Other outlets will be announced as confirmed.
Growers’ study tour Hero theme for Loop the Lodge run Grain growers can take part in an industry tour next week that will take them across Victoria’s grain growing regions. The focus of the trip, from Sunday to Tuesday, is stubble retained farming systems. During the three-day study tour, participants will visit research sites, machinery manufacturers and farms in the south-west and Wimmera grain growing regions. BCG stubble project leader Claire Browne said the trip was an opportunity for growers wanting to adopt or refine a retained stubble farming system to hear how others had gone about it. “The benefits of retaining stubble are well documented. However there are also challenges that need to be negotiated to maximise these benefits,” she said. A key feature of the trip
will be a visit to the Southern Farming Systems seeder demonstration site, which is comparing the performance of crops sown into stubble using 16 different machines.
Extensive discussions about controlled traffic farming, cover crops, pest management – particularly slugs and snails – in retained stubble systems and how to handle a 4t/ha stubble load will also feature. As the trip heads north, the focus will shift to weed management and row spacings in retained stubble systems, with a visit to the BCG row spacing trial at Kalkee. There will also be a discussion about the merits of disc versus tyne seeding systems, led by Vic No-Till chairman Paul Oxbrow at his Rupanyup farm, followed by a visit to an engineering site at St Arnaud.
West Wimmera Health Service will have a ‘my hero’ theme for this year’s Loop the Lodge Fun Run. Organisers have encouraged people to dress as their favourite hero – whether it be their mother, father, Superman, Wonder Woman or sporting identity – for the event on October 25. West Wimmera Health Service fundraising co-ordinator Kate Kennedy said fun-runners would have the option of three courses: a 4.1-kilometre sealed course suitable for prams and wheelchairs; or a 4.9-kilometre or an 8.7-kilometre scenic trail run winding through the Little Desert National Park on undulating soft sand. She said teams of five people were encouraged to enter this year.
FUN RUN: Chloe Zanker, former Nhill College teacher Amy Foy, Caleb Zanker and Jack White participate in last year’s West Wimmera Health Service Loop the Lodge fun run.
Ms Kennedy said there would also be a colour run and a scavenger hunt. “Children will enjoy facepainting and healthy food options will be available from Casey’s Pantry, along with a West Wimmera Health Service barbecue and coffee from Café de Kerb,” she said. “Come along to enjoy a
fun day out with family and friends while supporting fundraising efforts for the new West Wimmera Health Service rehabilitation centre, hydrotherapy pool and the community gymnasium.” Medal and prize presentations will follow the annual event. Early bird prices, available
until October 24, are adults $20, children $10, families $50 and team $85. Tickets can be purchased online at http://wwhsloopthelodgefunrun.eventbrite.com. au. Ms Kennedy said people could call her on 5391 4268 or email kate.kennedy@wwhs. net.au for more information.
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