Bulb life-line

The annual West Gippsland Hospital daffodil bulb fundraiser has been thrown a life-line with a number of local essential businesses volunteering to sell the bulbs with all proceeds to go towards medical equipment.

Chief executive officer Dan Weeks said the cancellation of Farm World and closure of the hospital’s opportunity shops due to Covid-19 restrictions had severely impacted on bulb sales.

“We are humbled by the offers of help by many small retailers at a time when they are also struggling with the impact of Covid-19.

An increased number of ‘essential service’ retail outlets are selling the bulbs with no mark up so 100 per cent of the sales goes directly to the hospital.

Smaller bulb packs of 20 are being sold as well as the larger packs of $20 for 50 bulbs.

Mr Weeks said it was the 26th year the hospital has run the fundraiser thanks to the generosity of the Blyth Bros Farm at Ellinbank which donates thousands of bulbs to the campaign each year. “This fundraiser has helped our health service raise close to $400,000 for important medical equipment and resources to support our allied and community health programs. “

“Patients using WGHG’s physiotherapy, occupational therapy, community rehabilitation, podiatry, dietetics, speech pathology, diabetes education, social work, and counselling, programs all benefit from this annual fundraiser. “

Board chairperson Christine Holland thanked the local businesses volunteering to sell the bulbs.

Bulbs are available for purchase at, Grange Café takeaway at Warragul, The Coffee Pod Warragul, Baw Baw Community Food Hub, Down to Earth Garden Centre, The Hill Top Milkbar Drouin, Home Hardware Drouin, Trafalgar True Value Hardware and IGA Supermarket in Bunyip.

Mrs Holland also thanked the Drouin Auxiliary Opp Shop and Trafalgar Opp Shop volunteers who sold dozens of bags before Covid-19 restrictions closed their doors.