IT WAS a morning filled with celebration and lots of memories as volunteers, both past and present, special guests, and staff gathered at the Coolum Beach Meals on Wheels facility on Santa Monica Avenue to mark 40 years in the community.

Special guest for the occasion was Dr Wyn Lewis, who was instrumental in establishing the facility in the 80s.

A GP in Coolum, Dr Wyn was the founding President of Coolum Beach Meals on Wheels, and it was an absolute honour to have him present.

Member for Ninderry, Dan Purdie, also extended public praise towards Coolum Beach Meals on Wheels.

“I’d like to congratulate them on their 40th anniversary and thank all their amazing volunteers for the worthwhile contribution they make.

“A regular visit and a friendly chat make a huge difference to people who live alone, and this social contact is just as important as a healthy, cooked meal.”

COOLUM BEACH MEALS ON WHEELS HISTORY 
By Gerard Rollo (Service Manager) 

IN 1982, a meeting of the citizens of Coolum was called and held in the Uniting Church Hall. It was felt that there was a need for Meals on Wheels to be established in Coolum to help the sick and elderly. Sandra Daffy, with Dr Wyn Lewis, did the groundwork.

A committee was formed, and a roster drawn up with Uniting Church, Lions, Bowls Club, and Golf Club members, along with other interested people, to cook and deliver meals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The first meal was sent out on May 31, 1982, with the Uniting Church ladies manning the kitchen and making the deliveries. The meal was cooked using utensils donated by people from their own kitchens as well as on loan from Nambour Meals on Wheels.  The soup and juices were sent out in large containers – pouring the juice into a glass provided by recipients and the soup ladled into their bowls.  The meal was packed into an alfoil container, meat up one end, vegies at the other.

By 1985, the number of regular people receiving meals each Monday, Wednesday and Friday had increased from nine to twenty-two. It was felt that it was time for Meals on Wheels to have its own kitchen.

Local Member Tom Watkins helped negotiate with Maroochy Shire Council to lease Lot 9, Santa Monica Avenue, for the growing operation.

The building, as it stands now, was designed by architect Eric Allarf and was built to look like a house and blend in with the residential area. Funding was provided by the Commonwealth Employment Program, and $62,000 contributed to the project.

Further funding, which was needed, saw the local community rally. Raffles, toad races, art shows and a mile of coins each Saturday morning enabled Meals on Wheels to be debt-free within 12 months.

The building of a kitchen and headquarters for Coolum Meals on Wheels began in July 1985. The new premises at 17 Santa Monica Avenue were officially opened on March 8, 1986.

In July 1998, the kitchen extension, including cold rooms, was officially opened, and now, some 40 years later, we deliver 700 meals each week to more than 200 clients.