Photo: The Committee of the Eleanor Bryant Memorial Fund: Emily McGrory, Frances Lord, Jacqueline Boyd, James Wagstaff, Natasha Ward, Tim Bryant, Tom Rains, Hayden Guthrie, Mary Skuthorp, Claire Brien, Kate Skuthorp, Lucy Knight (nee Skuthorp).
The big blue shed at Coonamble Showground was packed with people and buzzing noisily as almost 400 friends, family members, colleagues and the home community of Eleanor Bryant came together on Friday evening 26 September.
While Eleanor’s sudden death just 10 short months ago was not far from anyone’s mind, they gathered with a sense of fun and purpose.
Organised by the Committee of the Eleanor Bryant Memorial Fund, the crowd were there to help shore up Eleanor’s legacy to the rural area and the profession she loved.
“Eleanor was incredibly passionate about providing early intervention and therapy services for children in this region,” said her husband Tim in his speech.
“She was acutely aware of the lack of service and support in the area.
“And she believed deeply in human connection and lifting others up — and that’s exactly what this fund will do.”
The Fund received its first donation in April this year, and six months later had already raised an extraordinary $200,000.
That was before supporters walked through the doors at Coonamble Showground.
There were 54 donated auction items on display, with 10 to be auctioned live and the rest by silent auction as the night progressed.
Paintings, photographs, prints, ceramics, and several tempting sets of holiday stays were up for grabs.
“Everybody seemed to be there to support the cause, which was heartwarming,” said Fund committee member Mary Skuthorp.
“All the items which had been kindly donated were sold.
“There was a lot of spirited bidding in the live auction and the meat raffle seemed to be a big drawcard.
“We don’t know a final figure yet but we can well and truly do everything we want to do for the next two years.”
Tim and the Fund committee have identified 2 key pillars to guide how they deploy the money raised.
“The first pillar is to invest in the future,” he said.
“With the support of the Country Education Foundation, we will be awarding our very first scholarship in January next year — helping a young person from the country access the education and opportunities Eleanor was so passionate about.
“Our second pillar of support will be to invest in a series of educational seminars that we hope will be able to raise awareness, education and entice therapists into this region to provide much needed intervention.”
The Country Education Foundation, whose CEO Wendy Mason also addressed the gathering, will manage the scholarships.
Young people from country areas can apply through their local Education Foundation for up to $30,000 to assist them through their studies and training to become occupational or speech therapists, psychologists, nurses or other related health careers.
The seminar idea had already had a trial run right here in Coonamble.
“This morning we hosted our first workshop on “Making Sense of Preschool Behaviour” at St Brigid’s school here in Coonamble and was attended by over 40 people,” said Tim.
“A big thank you to our great friend Micaela Rafferty for hosting this workshop and driving this initiative.
“After this workshop a group of us got together to plan out these events……. please stay tuned as we finalise and execute on this plan.”
Tim also reminded everyone that the night, the workshop and the Memorial Fund itself was a group effort.
“One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been building an incredible team of people who all have a very close friendship with Eleanor and have all been instrumental in bringing this vision to life.”
He thanked Eleanor’s friends, colleagues, sister, aunt and cousins, along with the Coonamble community and the Country Education Foundation for believing in the cause and Eleanor’s legacy.
“We have no way of knowing what Eleanor would have achieved had she been given the chance to continue her work.
“Through the Eleanor Bryant Memorial Fund we aim to bridge that gap – to contribute to positive health outcomes for rural communities because we know that her work wasn’t done.
“And when we run out of ideas or we hit a wall or we think we’ve done enough – we will return to that central question to help guide us – What would Eleanor have done, had she just been given more time?
“I have been coming here for over 20 years now, and each time I return, I’m reminded of why this place holds such a special place in Eleanor and my heart.
“There’s a deep, unwavering sense of community and a warmth in this town that’s hard to put into words.
“So tonight isn’t just about grief. It’s about continuing to live life.
“It’s about legacy. It’s about community.
“And most of all — it’s about love.”
Find photos from the event in this weeks paper or purchase from our Photo Gallery