Cow Bay Clinic helped by Pink Night in Daintree

The Heritage Lodge in the Daintree was a sea of pink as a local fund-raising group set about once again helping the Cow Bay Primary Health Centre at Diwan. The Friends of Foundation Cow Bay organised a dinner and auction at the lodge, to purchase medical equipment and support the work of the health centre.

The small health clinic services Cow Bay and the Daintree Coast and is vitally important, because the nearest medical help is the Mossman Hospital across the river. Friends of Foundation Cow Bay was formed in 1999 and in the past has donated lifesaving equipment such as defibrillators and electrocardiograms to the clinic. But they are thinking even bigger. 

Negotiations with Queensland Health for a purpose-built Primary Health Clinic for the Daintree Coast community are continuing and the committee is determined to see that happen. Michelle Lamond, Director of Nursing at the Cow Bay Primary Health Centre, couldn’t be there on the special night as she was taking a well-earned 3-month break, the first in 24 years, to visit family and friends in Sydney.

Local businesses donated goods and prizes to be raffled and I was honoured to be the auctioneer for the night. Bidding was spirited and while I’ll never be as good as Milo Rasinac from Ray White Port Douglas, we did manage to raise almost $3,000 for the cause. Auction items included trips to the reef, yoga classes, plants, coffee machines, beauty and health products, plus much more.

Roy Morris from Forest Creek was typical of the many generous people there on the night “It’s such a worthy cause and we need that medical centre to always be here for people this side of the river” he said.