The Annual Meeting of Committees was held at CMRI recently, allowing some of our most dedicated fundraisers to share their successes over the last year – including one which is celebrating their 65th year!
When Fiona Spencer joined the Canberra CMRI Fundraising Committee in 1989, she was eager to contribute to life-changing medical research. What she didn’t realise at the time was just how personally significant that cause would become.
In 2015, Fiona’s grandson was born with Cystic Fibrosis — a diagnosis that would once have brought much greater hardship. Thanks to advances in research supported by CMRI, his prognosis is dramatically improved.
“Luckily he was born now and not 30 years ago because back then it was a much worse thing to have,” Fiona said. “Apart from taking tablets every day he’s just like any other child. He goes waterskiing, loves swimming, is a great sportsperson – and it’s all due to medical research.”
The Canberra CMRI Fundraising Committee has a long and proud history of supporting children’s medical research. It was one of the first committees to back the then Children’s Medical Research Foundation in 1960. The group’s inaugural meeting drew 50 women, and by 1964 it was hosting its first annual luncheon at Michelago Station — used as a filming location for My Brilliant Career.
Over the years, the committee has organised a wide variety of fundraising events, from button days selling custom-made buttons to dinner dances and tennis tournaments. More recently, their calendar has featured film nights, fashion parades and high teas, with an open garden event planned for October.
A major milestone is also on the horizon, with the committee preparing to celebrate its 65th anniversary at Government House in Canberra later this year. “The Governor General is now a patron for CMRI so she is more aware of what we do,” Mrs Spencer said.
Across Australia, CMRI fundraising committees are united in their creativity and dedication. From Melbourne Cup luncheons and bingo and quiz nights to ferret races, local volunteers are continuously finding new ways to support research.
One standout example is the Quirindi CMRI Fundraising Committee, which is hosting an author talk at Springfield Woolshed in Spring Ridge this August. The event will feature an ‘in conversation’ panel with local farmer and ‘bush noir’ author Richard Anderson, joined by writers Leesa Ronald and Sam Guthrie.
Leesa’s 2023 debut novel Special Delivery is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy set in Orange, with her second book due out later this year. Sam’s upcoming novel The Peak is a political thriller set in Canberra and Hong Kong, scheduled for release in July.
“We were fortunate enough to have personal connections with all three of the authors and there was definitely an element of serendipity,” Quirindi committee president Kate Hallman said.
She hopes the event will bring in more than $20,000 for the cause. “We raise funds for this amazing charity but at the same time we create events that bring people in our district together, and both of these things are important to our local community,” she said. “We are celebrating 60 years in 2027 and that would not be possible without the support of our community and sponsors, the team at CMRI and our amazing committee members.”