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Moonyah puts the ‘NOW’ into community care

23 September 2014

The second 'Project Now' fundraising breakfast attracted more than 1000 people in Brisbane (Credit: Photo by Jason Maloiun Photography).


Management at The Salvation Army Moonyah Recovery Services Centre in Brisbane had, many years ago, identified a desperate need to build a separate addiction recovery facility for women.

As the largest facility of its type in South Queensland, Moonyah provided accommodation for 80 men, but could only accommodate 22 women going through the Bridge Program.

On top of this, there were very few residential rehabilitation beds for women anywhere else in the region.

Several years ago, manager Major Graham Tamsett – a member of Rotary for 20 years and a member of the Rotary Club of Brisbane Planetarium – together with his wife Major Christine Tamsett – began to host regular breakfasts for the Brisbane Planetarium Rotary Club at Moonyah.

Club members regularly met the recovery service participants and, around four years ago, at one of the breakfasts, Major Christine explained the desperate need to support local women struggling with addiction.

One Rotary member was so moved that he and his wife pledged $250,000 to help build a new women’s facility.

The rest of the small Brisbane Planetarium Rotary Club came on board and, under the passionate leadership of Rotarian Michelle Davis, and patronage of Penelope Wensley AC (Governor of Queensland from 2008 to 2014), Project NOW (Nurturing our Women) was formed.

Through major fundraising breakfasts, appeals to the local business community and the eventual formation of a partnership with Zonta Clubs of the greater Brisbane area, a staggering $750,000 was raised in just three years.

Michelle explains: “Our main fundraising activity was an annual breakfast, where we highlighted the need. The first year 450 people attended, the second 1000 rolled up.

“The balance of fundraising came from personal, community and corporate donations. Our efforts caught the attention of Zonta in our third year, who threw their support behind ours, and of course the Salvation Army gave tremendous encouragement.”

Salvation Army donors and reserve fundraising made up the other three-quarters of the balance and, in late November, the new 20-room women’s facility (to complement existing buildings) will officially open.

“It has been fantastic for us as The Salvation Army to work in partnership with Rotary and Zonta. It has been such a wonderful experience to see so much community involvement,” Major Graham says. 

He says the new facility will impact not only 20 women at a time, but also their children, families and wider community.

“There have been so many people who have come through our program, who have absolutely turned their lives around. It certainly changes the destiny of a family. We see evidence of that all the time,” he says. 

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