Beyond the Signboard with Amy Bennett
Welcome to Beyond the Signboard; where you get the opportunity to learn all there is to know about your real estate journey from professionals who are passionate about property.
Beyond the Signboard with Amy Bennett
The Business of Giving Back: It Takes a Village with Mervat Quirke & Julie Penlington
Two extraordinary leaders, one powerful conversation about turning personal tragedy into community transformation. This episode brings together Julie Penlington, President of 4 Paws Animal Rescue, and Mervat Quirke, General Manager of Bloomhill Cancer Care—two women whose personal journeys led them to pioneer life-changing community organisations on the Sunshine Coast.
Mervat's story begins with her husband's devastating brain tumour diagnosis while raising five children. When Bloomhill stepped in with volunteer drivers, meals, and crucial support, she witnessed firsthand the "corridor of support" she now champions professionally—where both those giving and receiving benefit equally from community connection. "It's not transactional, it's transformational," she explains, now leading an organisation that provides 800+ occasions of care monthly to 1,600 clients annually.
Julie's path to founding 4 Paws Animal Rescue evolved naturally from helping elderly pharmacy customers with their pets' medical needs. Twenty years later, her organisation has rescued and rehomed thousands of animals through dedicated volunteers. Her compassionate philosophy—"There, but for the grace of God, go I"—guides how she approaches each situation without judgment.
Both women demolish charity myths throughout our conversation. Despite significant community impact, neither receives ongoing government funding. They emphasize that sustainable charities require both purpose and profit—"Nobody will invest in a sinking ship," Mervat notes. Their volunteer retention rates are extraordinary—Bloomhill boasts 97% retention across 380 volunteers contributing 55,000 hours annually—because of deep "motivational alignment" with their causes.
What emerges is a master class in community-building. These organisations don't just provide services; they create the connected, compassionate community we all desire. As Mervat beautifully frames it, volunteers aren't merely performing charitable acts; they're practicing "active citizenship" by contributing to the community they wish to see.
Want to support these incredible organisations or learn about our McGrath Estate Agents Community Give Back program? Reach out today to discover how you can become part of this powerful community transformation.
Welcome to Beyond the Signboard, where you get the opportunity to learn all there is to know about your real estate journey from professionals who are passionate about property. I'm Amy Bennett, your host, and I look forward to providing you with education, inspiration and a behind-the-scenes look at the world of real estate. Good morning everyone. I am absolutely delighted to have two of my favourite people on the whole entire planet, two ladies who have hearts bigger than this room can hold. I am joined by the amazing Julie Penlington, president of Four Paws Animal Rescue. Good morning Julie. Good Rescue. Good morning Julie. Good morning Good morning Amy. Good morning Mervat. Lovely to be here with you both today. We are excited and I have the most beautiful Mervat Quirk here. She is the General Manager of Bloom Hill Cancer Care and Development.
Speaker 3:Good, morning, amy. Yay, lovely to be here with you today too Exciting.
Speaker 1:We have had the pleasure of knowing each other for quite a while through your incredible work that you do in community organisations here on the Sunshine Coast. We're going to talk about both of those your journey to where you are, and we are also going to talk about the responsibility of business owners and community leaders in giving back to their community. So let's get started. We've had a lovely chat off air, getting to know each other. Like I said, both of you are very valued people in my life, both personally and professionally.
Speaker 1:Thank you, amy, greatly appreciated. You've been beneficiaries of Community Give Back countless times. So for those who aren't familiar with our McGrath Estate Agents Community Give Back program since well gosh, I've been with the team since 2016. And one of the key drivers of me moving into the team was the ability to give back and, I guess, essentially to shape that program to bring communities together, you know, ultimately for people to understand of all of the great work that people do, often behind closed doors, but also to really create a community amongst organisations. And you know we've certainly seen beautiful relationships form. So it was really lovely for you both to meet each other. It is, it's very nice. I really enjoy it.
Speaker 3:Thank you, I've really enjoyed this morning as well, Julie.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, mervat, we have journeyed with your time at Bloom Hill. Initially, you've done some beautiful work with the Thompson Institute as well, and now back at Bloom Hill, which is really exciting. They have the most amazing captain steering the ship. We're going to get to know about Bloom Hill, but what we're going to do is to get to where you are now. There's been a journey. I always like, if you can give us, I guess, your path, your career progression, but very much your first job is always my favourite question to start.
Speaker 3:Isn't that crazy. It's actually Kmart checkout chick.
Speaker 1:I love it, everyone loves.
Speaker 3:Kmart. And do you know what I actually found? My first badge which my dad had kept with my name on it, bless, and I was moving just recently, so it obviously meant something to him seeing me go into my first job.
Speaker 1:Amazing Gosh was that when Kmart had a restaurant in it like a cafe, yeah.
Speaker 3:A cafe and a hot food section. That's what I remember Showing my age here yes definitely.
Speaker 1:It was Incredible, and so how did we get from Kmart to where you are now?
Speaker 3:It's amazing, isn't it, when you think about it? And I stepped out and left school at the age of about 16 and went into the banking system and banking industry and worked with an amazing state bank manager who was a female, which was very different at the time, of course Phenomenal leader. She was sort of in her mid-60s and her professional life was everything and she really was the one that shaped who I was, how I actually worked with clients and customers, and she always inspired me. What a pioneer as well, I imagine Definitely. And during that time I did get married quite young. I had five amazing children and then moved to the coast and stepped into the NFP space, going out of sort of corporate where I was whilst being a mum, and into the NFP space, which I absolutely loved.
Speaker 1:What took you from that corporate world to non-for-profit?
Speaker 3:I think coming to the Sunshine Coast and seeing it was such a community. I just loved the fact that everywhere I turned, there were people who were actually committed to wanting to make their community be productive and be connected.
Speaker 1:We are so blessed, right Like we're all nodding our heads here because that's such a commonality for all of us and very much at the heart and soul of who we are. Yeah, so five kids. Yes, their ages range from Okay at the moment.
Speaker 3:Yes, they're like 35, 31. No, it's not 33. That's terrible. 30 and then 26 and 21.
Speaker 1:Amazing Any of them at home, just the youngest one. Amazing, yeah, the 21-year-old.
Speaker 3:So yeah, amazing Adult children. Yes, you know when you tell people you've got five children, and they sort of tend to think children. Yes, but you can say they're actually all very independent, living their own lives at the moment, which is phenomenal to see.
Speaker 1:And, like we just said off air, that's a credit to who you are as a superstar, mum, and now a tata, yeah, a tata. Tata. Wonderful that's it a tata of three little grandchildren. Beautiful and the origin of tata. It's Lebanese.
Speaker 3:Amazing, beautiful. Yeah, it's where I was born, in Lebanon, in Tripoli.
Speaker 1:Incredible. So three beautiful grandchildren, yes, and three fur grandchildren, three fur, grandchildren Beautiful. We needed to put that in because. Julie and I are fierce fur mamas Absolutely.
Speaker 3:And Julie would like to know that they've all been sort of fostered and then adopted as well.
Speaker 2:That's wonderful.
Speaker 3:Yeah. I love and they're all part of our family.
Speaker 1:Amazing. So your journey with Bloom Hill, I know, came about through a huge moment in your life. Are you happy to sort of share how they came into your life?
Speaker 3:Yeah for sure it was at a time in which you know my husband had a diagnosis of a brain tumour and again, if you can think about it, you know five children working full time and literally you wake up one day and that just totally turns upside down because you just don't ever realise or you really know the impact of what cancer can have on a family until you're really in amongst it.
Speaker 2:I had a one-year-old at the time and he literally overnight.
Speaker 3:His tumour hemorrhaged and was flown to the Royal Brisbane Hospital and I had to stop working and become his full-time carer because he was physically unable. So he was wheelchair bound and was given about three months to live.
Speaker 1:And look, you know, without going into too much detail, you know, recently you shared with me that you were such a fierce advocate for him. Yes, and you know, that meant that you had so much more time.
Speaker 3:Right, absolutely, and that happened because of Bloomhill. Yes, literally, because you know, somebody said to me you need to ring Bloomhill and I'd had a lot of family support, but it's just not the same. Yes, and I'll never forget it, it was. He had to have treatment for eight weeks and we had to go down and to Broad Brisbane and I had to be away from my children. I could only take my youngest with me, who was one at the time. But to be away for eight weeks was a long time to be away from the kids.
Speaker 3:So when I rang Bloom Hill it was phenomenal because they literally within 24 hours, had completed a roster of volunteers who were going to be driving Steve and I down every day and back home every day so you'd be with the whole family.
Speaker 3:To be with the whole family, and it was all volunteer based and they were all local amazing people who actually stayed with us during the treatment. And what the amazing thing is is when I get home at the end of the night there'd be a hot meal and an esky sitting at my door, and the next morning you'd wake up and the volunteer would be at your door and there'd be bread and milk being handed to you for the kids, or a box of like groceries or just things at the community.
Speaker 1:It's incredible, isn't it? Yeah?
Speaker 3:Community. Just it was out and then you know so many things that they did their services around buddy, respite their services, in regards to how the nurses actually really do become the calm amongst the chaos that cancer brings, and that's exactly what Bloom Hill really amazingly do is we work alongside the hospital health system to really you know they're treating the cancer and doing an amazing job. In treating the cancer, we're treating the person and their situation.
Speaker 3:And those are rallies, yeah, and their situation, and that's our true value proposition because we have time. The system is so overwhelmed.
Speaker 2:It's a wonderful gift to be able to give it, is it?
Speaker 3:really is and it's time that actually people need. And yeah, I literally was working for another NFP and I just thought I can see where I can help. Absolutely they were on this beautiful 10-acreage in a small house and we put in, put my hand up to volunteer and got some big grants for them in regards to infrastructure and stepped into the CEO role after that.
Speaker 1:Incredible.
Speaker 3:What a wonderful story, amazing.
Speaker 1:Look, that's what I love most about this podcast and we said that offline like everybody's story and Jules and I said that today is that ultimately, you never know what someone's got in the suitcase or what leads us to where we are. But I always think it is really important to look back, because we don't get to where we are by accident, and what an incredible part that Bloom Hill has played. So before we learn a little bit more about their incredible work and what you do there, I am delighted to have my beautiful friend, jules here Morning, who is speaking of pioneering women. We've known each other now, nearly going on 10 years. Yes, we would be, yeah, about to celebrate the 20th birthday of Four Paws Animal Rescue. Julie, it didn't just start with Four P paws, but look, before we get into your incredible work there, let's hear your journey.
Speaker 2:Oh, my journey. Well, I went to a Catholic school in Sydney, in Lakemba, and I'd always been, I guess, very involved with people and animals. I used to volunteer at an orphanage when I was in high school Amazing, back when they had orphanages down in Strathfield, you'd know Strathfield.
Speaker 3:I do know Strathfield very well A.
Speaker 2:Catholic orphanage there and always bring home animals to be fixed. And then, when I finished year 12, I then went to work in a pharmacy, as we've spoken about, which gave me a good structure in how to do things, because it's very community oriented and that's your goal to help the person coming in, to get them to have a better experience in life. And then what did I do then? Then I managed a pharmacy in Sydney, a big pharmacy in Sydney, and then I met my husband. We got married and we sailed around the world for 12 years and then came back as we passed through the Sunshine Coast. We're going to live there one day. We like this community.
Speaker 1:That's amazing.
Speaker 2:And we did. We stopped here and found it's like no other place in the world. We used to call it Camelot because it's like a big village. Yes, the coast is a very big village and the community spirit, as you said, Mervat is amazing Still to this day, right, still to this day, you know it's just, everybody wants to help someone else Absolutely and it's a wonderful gift we've got by living here.
Speaker 2:I think it's probably not experienced anywhere else that such a we've had massive growth but we've still got that community, heart and love here on the Sunshine Coast. And then one day we had a pharmacy in Mumbai. It was a different place up there. Everybody knew everybody. You'd give everybody a coffee while they were waiting for their scripts and everybody would have a yarn. Yes, you know we're very big on yarns in Mumbai and we had customers that had streets named after them old Mr Ed and old Mr Wilson from Wilson's Lane and we loved it.
Speaker 2:And then I'd start taking medications out to the elderly and then they'd have a dog or a cat that had a problem and I'd say, oh, let me see if I can help with that. Would you let me take it home overnight? I'll take it to my vet, because a lot of the veterinary medications were human medications. They didn't have much money. The vet would say just get Paul to dispense this and do that. So I was the general, you know, runner arounder for a lot of the elderly people in Wumbi, including one elderly gentleman I had to ring every night at seven o'clock, old Norm, because he was frightened he'd die and no one would take the dog. The dog wouldn't be looked after. So it was always going well until he'd forget, and then I'd be back in the car racing up to Wumbi to find Norm sitting there having his dinner, you know.
Speaker 2:But it was just a general love of community and people that got me where I am now.
Speaker 1:It's incredible because we share that commonality. I mean, I was in community pharmacy. Yes, I remember it was 14 years and nine months to the day. I had my first role in community pharmacy in Beawall, very similar railway town to Wombi and Jules, and I chat so much about that and look, pharmacy was a whole different world then we were a photo processing centre, beauty, cosmetics, gifts, everything.
Speaker 2:And you looked outside the box, you could tell if we had someone coming in that was a farmer that mightn't have got their money in for their pines or something, and it was. The doctor prescribed a medication that was a bit expensive. We used to just automatically go well, we put it on the slate for you yeah, amazing, you know. And then they could pay it off over four or five weeks and we never had anyone not pay the bill. But you could always tell, no one had to ask. You could just think this could be a bit tricky for you.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. You say I completely forgot we used to have monthly accounts. Yes, Isn't that amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it was just something you could do. Or if we had veterans coming in I'm passionate about war veterans Veterans would come in and they'd say, oh, I need this dressing. I'd say, look, that's $30 for that box of dressings. You've got a gold card. You go back over and see doctor and get him to write you a script. Then you'll get it for pension price. So, it was always doing that sort of thing, you know, trying to help people, yep.
Speaker 1:Look, it's an interesting thing, isn't it? So we all came from service-based industries where customer service is paramount, and there's just so much synergy with that in life as well, isn't it? But I think you know genuinely the three of us all. I guess we are all very heart-led, community-centric and all know that it's far beyond our ability, but if we can bring people together, so how on earth did we get to Four Paws?
Speaker 2:Well, it was from doing the elderly customers in Wumbi's animals. Yes, that's where it came from. You know I'd always be helping animals that were strays and different things and you know. So 4Paws started from that that there was a need. We got a call from a vet nurse saying look, we need another rescue. There's a lot of animals being euthanised, we need another rescue. And so that's how we started, you know, by going to the pound and getting animals out and putting them in homes.
Speaker 2:And I can't tell you we've rehomed thousands of animals but it's always that if we can't find a home, I've got lots of friends I work with in rescue that we can facilitate. You know, like I've got a friend at Sharpe Rescue. Sharpe's are very tricky to rehome, so you've got to have someone that understands the breed that can rehome that breed. So I've got a friend that does that. I've got another friend that does greyhounds, you know. So we've got we all sort of get on there and send each other emails and try and get animals, because I never like to say I can't help you. It's not in my being to say if I get an email I can't help you. I'll try and facilitate something that the animal can be saved.
Speaker 1:Look your passion and tenacity for that has just had such a huge impact in the community. I know we spoke, you know, recently, and the pound. I mean how often are you speaking to the pound?
Speaker 2:The pound. It's been a bit quieter lately, thank God, Thank gosh, yes, thank God. But private surrenders I think people are surrendering them privately now more. Yes, you know, we're getting every day, we're getting emails for cats, dogs, every day, all day, all night, you know, and people will say the big problem is people not having homes anymore. The number of homeless I'm living in the car with my dog cat, you know. So we try and sort it out from the surrender. I say every week we probably get 50 or 60 people wanting to surrender.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's just incomprehensible. And you know what I always say. You know, jules. You know whenever we're donating items for Four Paws, you know I always say about. You know your team are just so phenomenal with their volunteering and fundraising, but you know that's a lot of bunnings.
Speaker 2:It's a lot of you know. I always put it in sausage currency you know, oh, that's a, you know, 150 sausages, or. But you know, that's the thing, we're 100% volunteer run, which is quite an incredible thing because when you think of the thousands of animals, like you know, like our vet bills sometimes run anywhere from $8,000 to $13,000 a month. So that's a lot of fundraising, that's a lot of people doing things and as volunteers, you know, top to bottom, everybody is a volunteer.
Speaker 1:Your network of supporters, porters, is immense and that is like I said. That is, you know, kate, your secretary.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:She's incredible and you know I've had the privilege of emceeing some of your events and helping where I can, you know, to. You know, like I said, on a Sunday morning, you know, whenever I'm at Bunnings and you know I see the team setting up. You know rain, hail or shine, humidity, you know. And then you've got people that foster animals. That's an immense.
Speaker 2:Fostering is an incredible thing to do. I'm rubbish at it. I will just say they don't leave your house.
Speaker 1:They don't leave.
Speaker 2:So luckily I've got a council permit for four animals, but I've always been pretty rubbish and I always take the ones that are a little bit trickier to rehome. You know missing limbs or you know little health challenges.
Speaker 2:But foster homes. We've had one lady here on the coast, mary-anne, who's been with us now virtually the whole time, and Barbara's another lady. They've fostered literally hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of animals and they go out of their homes, well adjusted and you know, and and happier and go to wonderful homes. And we are strict with our homes because you can't.
Speaker 2:I've got to be able to sleep at night, absolutely so you can't just people get cranky and say, oh, but you know, and we'll say, well, this is, this is what this animal needs. So we can't deviate from that, because we know this and if it has anything different it won't be the right animal. Yes, so we're very particular with that.
Speaker 1:That's, yeah, absolutely incredible. So, look, it's been a long journey. So far it has been a long journey.
Speaker 2:I'm 72 now. I think I'm 72 now. I think I'm 72. I'm 72 now and I think, oh my goodness, you know, and I think really when I think back on it all the things I did when I was working full time, absolutely, and doing forepaws and had the most patient husband in the world. You know something would come home and you'd go, oh my God, that's not going anywhere and we'd end up adopting it. You know the little creature, and that would be how it is, and I'd always try and come up with someone up at the street. I was driving home and I looked over on the left on the motorway and I saw this little dog and he'd just roll his eyes and go oh my God.
Speaker 1:From all accounts. You said Paul was the most patient man. Oh very patient.
Speaker 2:From what I put him through, you know, he's just with animals coming home and all these hours and he used to. Back then there was no real after-hours council number, so the forepaws number was up there so and the home number was up there too, so he would answer the phone and go.
Speaker 2:Mrs Penlington's secretary which was hysterical, but no, it's been a journey. It's been a hard journey. You know, back when we became a charity. It was very hard to become a charity. It took months and months, and months and I remember I used to do a sausage sizzle in Wumbaya, down the road from our pharmacy at IGA. It's another wonderful community organisation.
Speaker 2:Like McGrath's, give back to the community. And I'd shut the pharmacy at 12 because Paul would be off the road on the blocks up to get home to the golf club at 12.30 and we'd do our sizzle. I'd go down after work, Then I'd get the money and I'd take it to the vet our wonderful vet, Nicola Way vet and I'd say here's the money, because back then we had a $300 monthly limit. Okay, yes, and they would say, whatever, I'm short, here's my credit card. Top it up to $300. Yeah, you know. So he was very patient. Yeah, he was a very patient man. But it's been a wonderful journey and I'm very grateful.
Speaker 1:And look you know, it would be remiss of us not to acknowledge every single person that's been there in the journey. I know you were very quick to say you know, whilst you are, you know the El Presidente, as I say.
Speaker 2:Yeah, El.
Speaker 1:Presidente, Because it's a bloody hard job doing that. You know you are a surrounded.
Speaker 2:Oh look, my God, we've got incredible. Like you said, kate's amazing, sue, our treasurer, is amazing For foster carers, you know. And the sizzle team, like I mean, you ever see it, that's a crack sizzle team. Yeah, team red aprons everything's hygienic number one and Bunnings are very good, you know. They're great supporters of community as well, you know.
Speaker 3:I think it's that collective, absolutely, every single time there's such success like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Amazing success, julie. Yeah, oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, same to you.
Speaker 1:And Mervat. Of course that's the same with Bloom Hill right. You've come back into the role and you know there has been a myriad of people. I mean, when I had the pleasure of being up with you recently, I was just blown away by all of the programs. It's hard to capture what a day in the life looks like, but I'd love you just to share, I guess, some of the programs, the key things and maybe a day in the life.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure. I think that you know when you look at a community organisation there's so many different pillars that keep that community organisation. You know, julie just shared some of those areas that keeps it, sort of.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:So, when you're looking at, when we're talking about a day in the life from a management perspective yes, you know, I think that that's the amazing thing you do walk in and the first thing I do is always acknowledge our volunteers. Yes, I go outside to our cafe and I say good morning, ask them how their morning's been, and their response always just blows me away. It gives me something to then look forward to, because they're like amazing, got two hands, two legs, I'm good.
Speaker 1:It's such a good reset right, Look where I am.
Speaker 3:I'm amongst you, know I'm sitting on this acreage. I'm amongst you, know, I'm sitting on this acreage, I'm yeah, they just, and here they are giving their time. We've got about 380 volunteers at Bloom Hill. It's incredible, Incredible, and they do approximately. I think there's like 55,000 hours a year. That's done. It's incredible. So when we go in, it literally is about the fact that we've got our nursing team, we've got our touch therapy team, we've got our allied health team, we've got our professional team retail.
Speaker 1:I know it's so exciting. We love a Bloom Hill op shop.
Speaker 3:I can tell you what.
Speaker 1:Exactly, absolutely, and that in itself is a whole. How many op shops are you operating at?
Speaker 3:the moment We've got a total of ten.
Speaker 1:It's incredible, like it's nine op shops with a big distribution centre.
Speaker 1:Incredible. Look, let's not deviate too far. But what I've loved most and for those that don't know, your team of volunteers within the collection centre. I mean you just told me the other day about you know, mervet has a jewellery team, julie, that actually is regenerating jewellery that comes in, creating new pieces. Your team have been there in the eight years I've been here. They will pick up furniture. You know, like just incredible, it's amazing that that team, my mum, whenever she visits she's like we are going to every Bloom Hill. You know, up shop and everything like that. Like it's just incredible. But talk to us about what those funds actually mean, because you know you said to me bric about what those funds actually mean, because you know you said to me bric-a-brac makes a difference. You know those $1 and $2 items.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Those funds are massive. We are not government funded. Yeah, now we've had grants one-off grants that have supported us, which has been great, but, in all honesty, we don't get any continuous funding at all. All our funding comes from our op shops, but when we're operating, at the moment, we're at capacity, and I don't ever like to say that. But when we talk about that we're talking about probably the funds that we're generating is covering sort of 75% of our budgets to support.
Speaker 3:We're supporting about 1600 clients each day at Bloomhouse each year. Sorry, incredible 30 to 40 new clients each month. Incredible 30 to 40 new clients each month Incredible, and I've just looked at the data. Yesterday there was each month sits around 800 occasions of care a month. It's incredible.
Speaker 1:Let's just chat about the touch therapy, because this is something that just. It's the thing that jumps out for me most as an awareness component of the importance of that and your incredible specialist with the lymphedema, yeah she's phenomenal.
Speaker 3:Deb is our lymphedema specialist and you know, understanding the importance of touch, you know, on a body in regards to when people are going through treatment as well is their specialisation is the fact that they know the impact of tumours on a body.
Speaker 3:They know the impact of treatment on a body. Yes, and that's why it's really important when we talk about it's not a massage or something. Yes, it's a touch therapy. Yes, it is one that is completed by specialists and what it actually does is it does really support people to be, because of the lymphedema and the swelling that happens, that when they do a touch therapy and they do the lymphatic drainage, it actually can keep people, you know, up to two weeks pain-free. It's incredible Because of the flow of the fluid. I'm not a clinician, no, no, no. This is what they share with me, you know, and clients say that they could not survive. So the quality of life. A lot of people, you know, are in their survivorship phase, which is fantastic, you know, they've gone through their treatment. We've supported that, but what ends up happening in a lot of most times is, when people have been through treatment, they are living with chronic illnesses and so the impact of the treatment continues to be beyond the cancer.
Speaker 3:Absolutely so that is the part that we always say we're supporting people to live with and beyond, yes, and that chronic component after treatment and after survivorship is where we find people need most help.
Speaker 1:And I think as well too, I guess from an outside perspective as well, and what I've seen your team do incredibly well is support the loved ones as well. When I came and visited you, I just saw a beautiful lady. She was just by herself writing in a journal, just enjoying that space, and it really made me think you're exactly right. You know the process in hospital and of course, everything has its reason, but it is very clinical and you know they're doing an incredible job. We know that at Adam Crosby Centre we speak about that a lot, but the ability to be able to be supported and loved ones you mentioned about the grant and that ability to expand the space you've got now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely, and I think that's what we're really wanting to do. You know, we've just amalgamated with the Leukemia Foundation which for the Sunshine Coast, is a fantastic thing to be led and supported and powered by Incredible Another major charity.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:What I'm loving about that is that they see the benefits in who we are and how we operate. Like this national organisation who've been doing phenomenal work themselves, want to learn and leverage from a Sunshine Coast-based charity it's amazing and they see the good in what we're doing and they see, more than anything, it's the community collective. So we've sort of shifted a lot of those things. In regards to volunteering, why do people volunteer? We've had those honest conversations and they're the things that we love to sort of hear.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:And the benefits. We call it the corridor of support. So the corridor of support is you've got at one end a client who is in need of support, who's going through a cancer diagnosis and in need of support with their with you know, family and situational unfortunate impact adversity. On the other end, you've got a whole community who want to give their time and but the beautiful thing about it is the impact is evenly shared. The people who are giving their time are receiving you know what they need, as much as what the people who are receiving that support.
Speaker 3:It's incredible, so that corridor is a beautiful exchange that we see, and it's not transactional, no, it's transformational.
Speaker 1:Oh no, that is a good way of putting it. She's an angel, isn't?
Speaker 3:she. Yeah, we get to witness it every day. Yeah, yeah, we get to witness it every day. It's shifted the term volunteerism into more to be around, active citizenship.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3:Because it's no longer I'm doing a charity act. No, it's not a charity act. What you're actually doing is you're contributing. What I hear they're contributing and they're contributing towards a community that they want to live in yes, what does that look like? And to them it looks like a productive, connected community. Absolutely, and we all have a place in that ecosystem. Exactly, yeah, every single one of us.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Has a piece of that puzzle in the ecosystem that makes it.
Speaker 2:All part of the wheel.
Speaker 1:you know what a blessing to be in your company both of you but also to see the impact that you have every day, which is amazing. Both of your organisations have been consistently beneficiaries of our amazing Community Give Back program. It's incredible when you empower somebody to make a contribution to a community organisation that they're passionate about and gosh over the like. I said, nearly nine years, I think. We've met over 250 organisations, from right here in Caloundra to all the way around the world, and it's incredible, isn't it? Because so often it's our own personal journey is the reason why we connected Mervat with your 380 volunteers. Do you feel that they've had a personal connection with Bloom Hill or a cancer journey themselves?
Speaker 3:Yeah, the majority have yes, and I think that that motivational alignment. I call it motivational alignment. Yes, we look at the retention of our volunteers. It sits around 97% retention.
Speaker 1:It's incredible, isn't it? Yeah, I mean, julie, you're the same too.
Speaker 2:You've got a lot of long-term volunteers. Yeah, and it's just a gift, isn't it?
Speaker 3:It's an absolute gift. It really is, and when you look at that retention rate and you think it's because of that motivation. So we know that, like I look at all the different positions of volunteers, the different positions of volunteers, there's cafe people in our cafe. There's people in our op shops. There's people at admin concierge. There's you know transport, there's you know food delivery. There's respite.
Speaker 3:There's everywhere, you look at Even those things. They're different, but everything that motivates them is one thing Correct, you know, and I think that's the beauty of that motivational alignment it is about supporting others and it is about working and living in a connected community and having a purpose, absolutely. And we acknowledge that and I think that that ability to really continuously share with them what every single hour that they're giving gives us.
Speaker 1:That's exactly right. And when we speak, mervat, about the impact that a donation makes as well, it's the same. Jules, what I love is that you're able to be able to tell what that equates to. So this equals a certain number of touch therapy, or this is going to help with the vet bills, and what that looks like. We will talk about the importance of contributing to society, and especially as businesses. One thing I always like to ask our guests is myths and misconceptions, I guess, about your organisation. So, jules, we'll start with you. What would be some myths? You're consistently having to overcome.
Speaker 2:I guess one of the biggest things is just, you know you'll have a dog up for adoption and what people don't realise yes, you get the dog in, but then it may need $3,000 to $4,000 worth of vet work to get it back out again. And we had two little dogs come in. One had to have eye surgery, the other both had to have major dentals and one had to have a growth on its side sorted out. And then the adoption fee doesn't even cover remotely what it is. But the idea is to get them into a good home. But then someone will come on and be sarcastic and say, oh, trying to make money out of animals. And I'm thinking you have no idea. You have no idea the volunteer hours, apart from the vet costs that have gone into giving this little person a wonderful new life. And I think they think we're all being paid, which we're not, which we try to be very clear about.
Speaker 2:That's another misconception and you know people can get very funny because they think they have the right to have the animal. Yes, and it's not about the right to have the cat or the dog, it's about the best home and we will work tirelessly to find that best home. So it might not be the first application that comes in and people will get cranky about that. It might be the 10th, but it's got to be the perfect one. And I guess it can be hurtful sometimes when people say, oh, you're just trying to rip people. There was one man who used to always comment on our Channel 7 posts oh yes, and he used to always go ka-ching, ka-ching four paws. Even for permanent fosters where people don't pay any money for them. They're just an older animal that's come from an older person and we put them in a home with another older person so they've got companionship. So no money changes hands to us and we support the vet bills for the rest of the animal's life. And we support the vet bills for the rest of the animal's life.
Speaker 1:And you just want to, you know, and you try and sit there and think be kind be kind, but I really want to slap you, I know, look, I say that's something about social media, isn't?
Speaker 2:it.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness, you can say the grass is green and someone says it's blue.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:Mervat, mr Misconceptions, I'm assuming, probably also the funding is probably a huge one.
Speaker 3:Definitely. I think there's two things, the funding being a huge one, but I think that's where I've got a bit of a passion around explaining that to people, because the charity, what your charity is doing, is phenomenal, Julie, right, and it needs to be sustainable, right. For it to be sustainable, it has to operate as a not. It's not just a not-for-profit doesn't mean it doesn't have a budget and an income.
Speaker 2:You know Exactly.
Speaker 3:It actually needs to be sustainable. And for it to be sustainable, it's for purpose and for profit, because nobody will invest into a sinking ship, no, no. And for us to continue to do what we do and create the impacts that we do. We know what we're doing. You know the impact that you're creating. The fact is we're definitely relieving the health system, Absolutely. We're keeping people out of hospitals. We're ensuring that, every single day, that people are being supported and are having the best quality of life. For that, we want that to continue into the future, and anyone who thinks that you know, every dollar is like has to be expended on the day no, we need to have some kind of buffer.
Speaker 1:We don't have that at the moment.
Speaker 3:But we will. You will Yep, incredible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but also I think, mervat too, that's a really important point because that's something you're really passionate about. You know there has to be. You know this is ultimately a business operating right. You need to be able to have deliverables and you know, again, having you, you know, at the helm and having that mindset is incredible and people look to leadership with that. But also, you know I know your passion and I know that that's your next chapter is being able to do that and you know from me being able to, just for that smallest moment, have you both to be able to share your journey and increase that awareness, because it is really difficult to be able to communicate these things as well and, I guess, always overcoming these objections and things like that.
Speaker 1:Incredible, beautiful ladies. That is just such a good summary of what you do. Like I said, I knew it would be amazing to have you both here. Let's chat a little bit about life outside of your organisations. Hard to imagine that there is because I know it's interwoven. We all share that commonality. But let's learn a little bit more about you both. I want you to share with me the best day of your lives.
Speaker 2:Oh, the best day of my life so far. So far the best day of my life. I think it was coming back home to Australia. You know, my husband was very adventurous. He wanted to be a boat builder. But his father, who was a brigadier general, said that's no life, you've got to get a career. So he became a pharmacist. In his heart he was always wanting to be. So we built this big 60-foot boat and we sailed for 12 years, continuously, continuously, incredible. I was always chronically seasick and very thin, which was something.
Speaker 2:But that was the only perk. But I was desperate. I was always a home girl. I always wanted to be with my mother and my father and my siblings. So when we came back in through Sydney Harbour Bridge because we sailed as far as Alaska and yeah, came back in and I looked back at the life we had and I thought, wow, what an experience. I wasn't a great sailor.
Speaker 2:but coming back home and having enjoyed that life and looking back at some of the adventures, it was just like wow, look what I've done. That's epic yeah.
Speaker 1:No place like home.
Speaker 3:No place like home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, amazing Mervat, can you choose one day? It's so hard, you don't have to.
Speaker 3:You make the rules. I can't say my children, because there's five of them that make five incredible days.
Speaker 1:You can have five incredible days. A lot of people have said that actually the the day of birth was not great yeah that's right, but I think, when I really think about it, from like Mervat yes, right, yes.
Speaker 3:That's the moment I met my children aside.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:I think about it from the context, because I was born in Lebanon.
Speaker 1:Yes, and.
Speaker 3:I came out here and I'm the youngest of 11 children yes, and came out here when I was about six yes, and I'll never forget. So I grew up and loved that. You know my dad and my mum always championed you know that's that hand up sort of not hand out life that you know we've been privileged to come to a country that's given us life and they really brought us up to know that it's important to give back and really made Australia our home. But my sisters and I well, my sister feeder and Robin we both hopped on a plane in 2018 and went back to our home country for the first time.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 3:And when the plane landed, I had never thought, but I felt my DNA sing. I really felt that DNA saying You're home. Like I was, and it was incredible to be on the soil.
Speaker 1:Yes, where I first came in.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's amazing. So I think, when I look at that, that moment yes, was this, and being there with my two favourite people you know oh, I do Honestly Julie Mervyn has the most beautiful family.
Speaker 1:That is incredible. I had a similar experience when I went to Denmark, because my best of all, my gran, was an incredible part of my life and all the stories she'd shared, and I was the same the first time the plane touched down. It's incredible. We have so many beautiful days ahead, which is really exciting. You just mentioned about a holiday, mervat, but if you could go anywhere else in the world, where would your next holiday destination, dream holiday destination, be? Dream?
Speaker 3:holiday destination. I have to say that because I've recently been to Spain, when I say recently, last year went to Spain. I love Europe.
Speaker 2:Yes, I absolutely love Europe.
Speaker 3:So to me, my dream would be to actually take my children, because I've only ever been with myself and my partner yes, yes, and not my kids, because I travelled as an adult.
Speaker 1:Yes, like after they'd all grown up. It would have been a lot. I would have to finally afford it. Yeah, seven.
Speaker 3:Airfares is even back then that's right. But yeah, I definitely would go. I'd go back to Paris. Yes, that's where I would love to go with my children and experience. It's a beautiful place.
Speaker 2:Yes, jules. Oh gee, it'd be hard to leave the dogs.
Speaker 1:I always say if I could take the pugs with me. Yep yep, yep, yep, All right. Well, let's take the four dogs anywhere in the world.
Speaker 2:Okay, we spend a lot of time when we're sailing in California and I've got a lot of friends back in California. We were moored at the Berkeley Marina and had a lot of friends teaching at UC Berkeley and we all became very close and had some wonderful times there. So I guess I'd go back to California and see them.
Speaker 1:I love it, I love.
Speaker 2:California. Yeah, it's great.
Speaker 1:When you are holidaying and enjoying, wherever you are in the world, your favourite food and drink Jules Ooh, favourite food, mmm.
Speaker 2:Oh gee, I do like Mexican Mexican food. Yeah, yep, I like proper Mexican food, not this Tex-Mex, not Tex-Mex. I don't mind a bit of Tex-Mex, but we sailed all down the Mexican coast and some of the best food we had was when we went into these small Mexican villages further down, you know the coast, and we went into people's homes and farms and they cooked proper Mexican food and it was just really delicious With a sangria. With a sangria, yes, yep. With a sangria, yep. Or a cold beer, nice.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:Yes, light beer. You're speaking my language.
Speaker 1:No alcohol Mervad.
Speaker 3:Favourite food and drink Every time I'm like, even when I'm away on holiday.
Speaker 1:I always miss my Lebanese food. Yes, amazing. I love it because I cook a lot of Lebanese food, do you? Yes? So when I'm overseas.
Speaker 3:I crave it.
Speaker 2:It's very hard to get Lebanese food up here Good Lebanese food.
Speaker 3:I'll have to have you guys over. Thank you.
Speaker 1:You realised you both came from the same part of Sydney too, which is amazing.
Speaker 2:I grew up on virtually grew up on Lebanese food with our neighbours and school friends and everything, yeah, Delicious. But there was always the two kitchens. They always had the two kitchens. The kitchen for the cooking could bring odour into that. And then, yep, no, we had wonderful parties.
Speaker 3:Our family was one of those ones that distributed it to the neighbours and the street mum and dad would cook.
Speaker 1:It's incredible. Community is very much in both of your.
Speaker 2:DNA. It is absolutely.
Speaker 1:Ladies, before we get to my final question, I do actually normally ask if you weren't doing what you were doing now, what else would you do? Is there anything for either of you, that fulfilled career or something that's there?
Speaker 2:I don't think so. I mean, I've always been interested in helping elderly people and animals. Yes, and that kind of combines a bit now because with the demographic on the coast we're getting a lot of people that need help with their animals and, you know, move out. Sometimes we get people we've had people that someone will call us, a social worker, will call us, and the people won't go into palliative care because they've got a cat or a dog. So we'll always jump in and sort that out because nothing's worse, you know, because they're worried, you know, and you know, sadly sometimes there's no one else to take the cat or the dog, and you know, and sometimes families aren't in the position or don't want to deal with that. So that's always been my passion, I guess animals and people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're exactly where you're meant to be, Mervat anything?
Speaker 3:I can't say I've got this sort of passion to want to support us having it's going to sound really boring.
Speaker 1:No, but better systems.
Speaker 3:I want to influence better systems. Incredible, like I sort of understand frameworks that keep community connected.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's a good idea.
Speaker 3:And I just feel this thing that if I can be in a position where you know we can change how funding is provided to communities and the importance of grassroots funding, you know, like co-design, community-led, you know they're the things that I really want to see more of from top down Amazing.
Speaker 2:And bottom up. I think you're right, mervyn, I think you know. This is why the whole McGrath experience is because it creates and keeps a community going, and without community you've got nothing, absolutely, you've just got blocks with people living in them and nothing happening. Without that outreach and support, exactly right.
Speaker 3:And not having like. We need to have more lived experience. People really be the ones to drive. You know those opportunities in which create projects and programs, and I think that's, amy, why the importance of what you do.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:It's phenomenal because you're raising awareness for so many different causes. The advocacy around what you're doing is continuous, because not only is it obviously providing much-needed funds to organisations like ours, but what it's actually doing is raising awareness of someone saying I actually will pick up the phone and call Blumhill Absolutely, or I will actually feel like this, you know behind, you know four paws. Like is a phenomenal, like that's where I know I can trust. Say the next decision that they make in regards to that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think that's the important thing Mervet people being able to trust us that we're doing the right thing.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and I think that's where you have to have advocacy from community to be, able to reiterate that and I know for both of you.
Speaker 1:you know including that in your social responsibility. But look, I think ultimately, today's podcast was about understanding the importance of giving back. I think also, what's really important for me is that you don't have to have a lived experience to do something. Mervat, you know, we painted our house pink and had a big fundraiser for breast cancer and everyone says, have you had a personal experience? And I went, no, but I've seen enough bloody good people that have enough to go. Let's make a difference now. So I think the ability to sit, you know, sit and not be doing anything, and especially in this community, is is an injustice, and I think that's what I feel so passionate about.
Speaker 1:Let's wrap up today's incredible session with a favourite quote. If one drops in for you, it's always the right one. I say.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there, but for the grace of God, go I. I think you can't judge someone if they've got to surrender an animal. You know, like people say oh, you know, you see, on social media someone says I need to rehome my dog. People are going oh, how could you, da-da-da, would you rehome your child? And I think, there, but for the grace of God, go I. You don't know what's happening in that life. You don't know whether they're living in a car, you don't know whether they going on, you don't know the extra circumstances. So I think people have got to just take it back and think what is the big picture here?
Speaker 1:Absolutely. That's my get curious, not furious, always Merva.
Speaker 3:I've got so many. But to think about just what you shared, julie, it was actually something that was shared with me and it was a quote that was shared with me during an interview. When I was interviewing someone and you know I'd ask them about their like. I shared the organisational values with them and I said what values do you have? And she said I live by this quote that she you know. And her quote was literally that she said I have not, and she said it in a much shorter way than I'm going to share it, but she said I've not been part of the history that's created the person in front of me and because of that I refrain judgment.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:Okay, yep, yep, yep. So that curiosity aspect, you know, just that constant that people will make their decisions based on their own experiences, and who are we to jump in, you know, and to me that was such an important and I often reflect on that, if you know, I'm finding, you know, people sort of doing things that maybe doesn't feel right for me.
Speaker 1:I'm like okay well that's not your experience that's their experience Absolutely, and I become more curious. Incredible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very good.
Speaker 1:Well, ladies, what an absolute hour of power with two of my favourite people on the planet. It's my absolute pleasure to have you as my guest. Oh, thank you, amy, and we will absolutely share the message of the incredible work that you're doing.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you, and it's such a pleasure to meet you today, mervyn.
Speaker 3:Oh, it's just yeah, my pleasure.
Speaker 1:I love you both so much. Thank you for listening to this episode of beyond the signboard. We trust you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed making it for you. If there are any topics you want covered in the future, make sure you reach out and let us know. Also, feedback and suggestions are appreciated almost as much as like shares and downloads.