A crowd of almost 200 guests gathered in the magnificent garden of Ian and Susie Geldard at Riverside near Miles last Thursday to enjoy a morning of fundraising for important causes.
The event was hosted by the Murilla Garden Group, and is formerly known in the local area as the Biggest Morning Tea.
The morning featured six major raffle prizes, a cent auction, as well as plant and produce stalls. Guests enjoyed a delicious morning tea, and barista coffee by local coffee van Ludwig & Will, who collaborated with Seven Miles Coffee Roasters and Origin Energy to ensure all proceeds of coffee sales went directly to the fundraising.
A preliminary estimated total of $10,000 was raised, including a $1000 donation from the Condamine Bell Campdraft Committee. The two causes the Murilla Garden Group selected as beneficiaries of the event were the Miles and District Hospital Auxiliary for the upgrade of their Palliative Care Unit, and Olive McMahon Lodge, a Cancer Council Queensland accommodation facility in Toowoomba.
Set amongst established gardens, the morning tea provided the perfect opportunity for a day out in aid of a good cause. Guests attended from the Miles, Condamine and Drillham areas, as well as Chinchilla, Tara, Dalby and Toowoomba. Over the past 28 years the morning tea has become a fixture on the calendar for locals, and this year it returned to its origins in the Fairymeadow area, where the first event was held in 1993 by Don and Joan Brownlie.
"It was fitting to return to Fairymeadow Road where the Biggest Morning Tea began over 25 years ago to start a new era in fundraising for Murilla Garden Group," president of the Murilla Garden Group Helen Wylie.
"This community is inspiring, and the contributions made by both local business houses and corporate organisations helped us reach this amazing total. We are incredibly thankful for all who assisted in any way to make the event the success it was."
The morning tea is made possible by countless supporters, donors and volunteers, and its continued success is testament to the strong community spirit in the region.
The Murilla Garden Group extends its appreciation to the many supporters of the event, and looks forward to welcoming one and all to the next morning tea in May 2022.
