Icy cold milk for Wendy
The pain of a tractor bucket of icy cold milk poured over them doesn’t compare to the pain Neerim South resident Wendy Gillam endures every day in her fight against Motor Neurone Disease.
Sitting at home in front of a heater, watching this year’s milk bucket challenge live streamed from the Warragul Farmer’s Market, Wendy and her husband Joe cheered and were overwhelmed by the support of their community.
Last year, Wendy endured the icy cold milk pour herself at Gippsland Jersey’s Jindivick farm.
This year, too unwell to attend the market, she watched as her son Nigel, sister Edna Stolk and other community members braved a cold wintry day and endured the icy chill of a bucket load of milk being tipped on them.
Gippsland Jersey, with the help of Warragul Farmers Market raised more than $5000 for MND Victoria.
Joe said they were overwhelmed by the support. “We couldn’t be there but we sat at home in front of the heater, watching it on live stream and cheering.”
Wendy was not long out of hospital and was too unwell to attend the milk pour but Joe said she was touched by the support given to their family and the support to MND.
Wendy, 59, was diagnosed with MND in December 2016.
“Life has set us this task. Wendy can’t walk now and her talking is virtually nil. It attacks everything.
“But we are doing alright. We are getting good support from the community, especially the Neerim South Football Club.
“We have just had help from everyone. You never think of these things until you are affected,” Joe said.
Wendy grew up on a dairy farm and when Gippsland Jersey’s Sallie Jones become aware of her MND fight last year, she thought an icy milk pour was an appropriate fundraiser given the focus on Neil Daniher’s “the big freeze.”
Sallie said MND had become an important cause “close to our hearts and is very real in our community.”
Sallie said the milk pour was very diluted milk with about 10 per cent milk and the remainder was water from a Warragul CFA fire truck and fresh snow from Mt Baw Baw.
“The 50 litres of milk donated from the farm was approximately worth $25 a litre. Anyone criticising that it was a waste of milk should agree that this is a great return on investment from our community,” she said.
Major donations on the day included Clark Next RE owner Peter Clark who took on the icy milk challenge and donated $1000, Nigel Gillam’s employer BJ Bearings who donated $1000 and Member for Narracan Gary Blackwood who donated $500.
Jenny Waites, who is MND advisor for Gippsland clients said it was fundraisers and events that ensured MND Victoria could deliver services and equipment to people living with MND in Gippsland, enabling them to live as independently as possible as this terrible disease progresses”
MND Victoria was established in 1985 by a group of families as a way to support each other through their journey with MND.
Today MND Victoria employs 21 staff dedicated to helping people with MND live the best life possible as well as fund research into cause, treatment and cure. The association also provides a loan service to assist clients and families such as wheelchairs and tilt-in-space power wheelchairs.
MND is a terminal, neurological disease. There is no known cause, active treatment or cure and on average the time from diagnosis to death is three years.