Meryl Usback: President, Inner Wheel Club of Dubbo; Anglican Inner Church op shop volunteer

I’m a member of the Dubbo Inner Wheel Club

that is part of an international organisation. We have different projects we fundraise for and our national project is Cord Blood Research. Inner Wheel Australia, with the help of clubs like ours, have made $2,536,000 towards this important cause and given 45 research grants at $65,000 each that goes towards research. The doctors who are doing research have to put in an application to get the funds, then a panel of three decides who’s going to get the funds. Do the funds stay in Australia?

Oh, definitely! Cord Blood Research helps the treatment of many illnesses from Leukaemia, to stroke and cerebral palsy. We have a lot of really good doctors who are doing the research. Dr Dorin is one who has been doing research for about seven years.

What’s the connection to a garage sale?

We fundraise every year for Cord Blood Research and this year we wanted to do something a little different to a street stall. We’re holding a monster garage sale called ‘Anything Old Is New Again’ at 54 Grangewood Drive on Saturday, March 10.

How can Dubbo Photo News readers help?

We’re asking the public to support Cord Blood Research by going to the garage sale. We’re going to start the sale at 8 o’clock. As this is a charity event we do ask people please respect the start time. We won’t be ready to start selling before 8am.

We’ll have lots of miscellaneous household items and clothes. There’ll also be off-street parking. If people want to learn a little more about Inner Wheel or Cord Blood Research, it’s an opportunity to come along and talk to us and pick up information.

What attracted you to Inner Wheel?

Inner Wheel is a friendship club with service. I joined Inner Wheel because I felt it was a way I could make a difference to what was happening.

You were previously a teacher – how did you get into that?

I was going to be a PE teacher. I got a Commonwealth Scholarship plus a Teacher’s college Scholarship and the Science Master said to me, ‘Do you really want to be teaching PE at 45?’

I was only 16 at the time, and I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh no!’ So that changed my direction. I then became an Infant’s teacher, then I turned into a Special Ed teacher, then I saw an advertisement asking for someone to set up an ‘Intensive Reading Class’ for the district. I applied and got that. These things have changed my life. Inner Wheel’s the same.

You’ve also raised a family?

Family’s my first priority. I have four lovely children. One’s in Switzerland, one’s in Florida, one’s in Brisbane and one lives here. I’m very proud of my family. I’ve had a very lucky life.

What else do you value?

My priorities are life-long education, travel, friendships and voluntary work. I volunteer at the Cultural Centre, the church, and RDF. I just feel it’s important to make a difference and by giving back to your community.

– As told to Yvette Aubusson-foley