THE Moree Renal Support Committee was recognised for their generous support of the local Renal Health Unit during the Hunter New England Health Excellence Awards.
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The committee was named Volunteers of the Year and founding member, Sam Sabine, said they didn’t expect to win, but it was a great feeling.
The locals were against 66 other contenders, then were cut down to the final four before being announced winners.
Mr Sabine was the key asset to Moree receiving the Renal Health Unit and during the past 12 years the committee has raised more than $300,000 for renal health and the Moree hospital.
“In 2001 I was at a Labor party meeting and I was speaking to my friend who said his wife had to travel to Tamworth three times a week to use their renal health facilities. He would drive her there and it’d take 15-16 hours per trip and at 80 years of age it was a challenge for him,” he said.
Mr Sabine announced he would get in touch with the health minister the following day to see how long it would take for Moree to receive a renal health unit.
“Prior to ringing the minister I spoke with a couple of doctors who said they’d been trying to get the unit for 15 years,” Mr Sabine said.
The minister told him the unit was five years away and in that time he had to raise $50-60,000 for the unit’s operational costs.
“That Wednesday we formed a committee; I was elected president and have been ever since. We organised to have a concert and major raffle which raised $14,000,” he said.
Donations from local services, businesses and individuals made sure Mr Sabine had the money.
“I rang the minister in December and said, ‘I got that money’, he said ‘what? We’re about to go on holidays but I’ll see what I can do’.” he said.
On January 6, 2002 Mr Sabine was in Mehi Cluster manager David Quirk’s office when a voice on the phone said “They’ve got the money, you’ve got the unit now get it going by the end of June”.
“I didn’t even recognise the voice or know if he was talking about Moree but we had it up and running by mid-April and the grand opening was in June,” he said.
The unit went from two chairs three days a week to the now six chairs, six times a week.
“It was an amazing thing to see and still is. It continues to grow and be supported by the lovely staff. A special thanks goes to Jodie Slack-Smith, the Moree Renal Unit nurse unit manager, she’s out of this world,” Mr Sabine said.
He said the awards “go to show how well off we are with the Moree hospital and it’s many services available to the community”.
The committee continue to raise funds every Wednesday evening by selling raffle tickets.
