Rain failed to dampen spirits as hinterland community turned out to celebrate milestone anniversary and support four key local services
RangeCare celebrated 40 years of supporting older residents across the hinterland with Treasures and Togetherness: An Op Shop Festival of Giving, Finding, and Connecting, held at its Mapleton Op Shop on Monday 29 June, as part of the organisation’s ongoing anniversary events.
Despite rainy weather on the day, the festival drew a strong turnout of families, volunteers and long-time supporters to the Obi Obi Road site. The three-hour event featured a silent disco, browsing through the Op Shop’s racks for hidden treasures, a sausage sizzle, and balloon creations for younger visitors, alongside a raffle, a silent auction, a rose chocolate guessing jar and Kitty’s Lucky Dip. A special 40-year celebration guest book was also on hand for visitors to leave a message and add their own chapter to RangeCare’s story.
From A Flaxton Meeting To A Regional Service
RangeCare’s history stretches back to 1986, when local doctor Margaret Griffiths recognised that many of her older and frail patients in the hinterland needed more than medical care alone. She called a meeting of about a dozen residents in Flaxton, a gathering that led to the formation of the Montville Care Group, the organisation RangeCare has since grown from. Original committee member Sue Delaney, who attended that first meeting, was acknowledged at an earlier anniversary event in April, where she was presented with a Montville Rose grown in the garden of RangeCare Services Manager Kate Danielsen-Jensen.
The organisation has expanded considerably since those early days. It became a company limited by guarantee in 2017, opened its first op shop in 2018, and merged the same year with Nambour and District Care, extending its services across the wider Sunshine Coast. In 2021, RangeCare secured funding to open a day and overnight respite centre and begin delivering home care packages in Gympie, and was named Queensland and national winner in that year’s Leading Age Services Australia Excellence in Age Services Awards.
A Milestone Four Decades In The Making
RangeCare CEO Gary Holland addressed the crowd during Monday’s celebration, reflecting on the scale of what the organisation has built since its early years in the hinterland. “We’re all part of something that’s really big, much bigger, and something that has genuinely made and continues to make a difference for living,” he told those gathered. At an earlier anniversary event in April, Holland similarly noted that RangeCare had grown into more than a list of services for the people it supports.
Holland thanked clients, volunteers, staff and community partners for their part in keeping older residents connected to their homes and communities, and invited attendees to share their own RangeCare stories with staff throughout the day. RangeCare’s reach now extends well beyond its original hinterland base, with Holland noting the organisation delivers services from the Blackall Range through to Gympie, Tin Can Bay and down to the Sunshine Coast.
RangeCare Head of Communications Tania Bailey said the festival captured what the organisation’s milestone was really about. “The festival was more than just a celebration of RangeCare’s milestone anniversary, it was a testament to the strength and kindness of the local community,” Bailey said. She thanked RangeCare’s supporters, volunteers, donors and the wider Sunshine Coast community for helping make the event a success, adding that their generosity continues to make a genuine difference to the organisation’s ability to support older residents.
In the lead-up to the event, RangeCare Marketing Officer Rebecca Whitaker described it as an opportunity for locals to come together and take part in the everyday generosity that keeps the organisation running, while Fundraising Officer Stacey Rogers said even a casual visit to the shop helps fund services that support people locally.
Fundraising For Four Key Local Needs
Money raised through the festival’s activities will go toward four ongoing RangeCare initiatives: transport assistance, including fuel vouchers for clients travelling to medical appointments or to buy groceries; emergency meals for locals facing sudden hardship or loss; in-home wellness and dignity services such as podiatry and mobile hairdressing; and equipment hire to help clients remain safe and mobile at home. RangeCare has not released specific fundraising figures from the day, but organisers said turnout and community interest in the stalls remained strong despite the rain.
The Mapleton Op Shop, housed in the historic Old School House on Obi Obi Road, is run day to day by a small team of local volunteers and trades year-round in support of RangeCare’s services, meaning proceeds from a browse through the racks on any given day contribute to the same four programs funded by Monday’s festival.
Holland told the crowd the Mapleton celebration was one of several events planned to mark the anniversary. “Over the next few months I’ll invite you to join in other events that we have and celebrate these special sort of moments like today,” he said.
The RangeCare Op Shop is at 17 Obi Obi Road, Mapleton.
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