“When I was in Primary School,” says Pam, “My father accepted a position of Principal of Moree Aboriginal School and my mother was on the staff. We were shocked at the discrimination we saw. The Aboriginal children were banned from the public baths and had to sit in the front row at the movies and crane their necks to see. The adults were banned from most businesses and the townspeople treated the Aboriginal Station like a leper colony. My parents were also affected and they had no friends in the town. The third year we were there, the Department of Education built a school residence on the Aboriginal Station, three miles out of town on an unpaved road that was impassable in the wet. We saw first-hand the poverty and despair. It made an imprint on me that I will never forget. When I had the idea to support a regional school, Moree was the obvious choice. The children at Moree East Public School would be the descendants of the children my parents taught.”

On the Trivia Night, the participants overwhelmingly backed Pam and her vision. They shared lots of laughs, answered lots of tricky trivia questions, and generously donated a multitude of auction items, which included original paintings; a giant fruit basket; chocolate; wines and liquors from Australia, Europe, and Japan; beauty and reading vouchers and experiences; and much more.

The Trivia Night raised $4000+, which combined with a Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) grant for $3,000, a District Grant, Christmas pudding sales by Rotary Club of North Ryde, and donations from Chatswood / Roseville and Turramurra clubs, all contributed to meeting the fund-raising target.

Thank you to Rotary Turramurra for this stellar effort and the continuing support for Books in Homes.