By Jenny Donohoe, a Helensburgh VIEW Club member for 18 years

Helensburgh VIEW Club closed on 20 February 2024 after 33 years of fundraising for the Smiths Family’s Children. Over 33 years, this small group raised $54,000 to support disadvantaged children and their families.

It was a very sad occasion for all of us, especially for one of our original members of 33 years ago, Chris Hendry. Chris brought a lot of pleasure to many people by organising trips to spectacular blockbusting shows in Sydney, and, of course, these trips were fundraising events as well.

There are too many past and present members to mention who volunteered on the committee, taking up not one position but another and another, all for the same aim: supporting disadvantaged children.

For many years we had spectacular knitters who produced baby knitting for premmie-babies and over the years boxes of booties etc were delivered to the hospitals. VIEW Club members did fundraising in many ways, street stalls, baking, craft work, and bus trips.

All that has come to a close due to a lack of volunteers taking up committee positions to operate under the rules of VIEW Club.

I have to congratulate all present and past members for a job well done, but more importantly we had a common aim that kept us together. Not only as View Club ladies, but as friends, and that friendship we enjoyed was important to our lives.

Our future has been thought about and I think in March, same date, same day, but a little bit later we all meet again for lunch at the Helensburgh Pub and do more fundraising for the same aims.

I should mention that once we met at the Tradies, but due to them closing on Tuesdays, the pub came to the rescue and supported our group by letting us use their dining room for early meetings. Thank you, pub.