One of Mount Isa’s favourite daughters Elaine Gamer received an award in this year’s Queen’s Birthday honours list.
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Ms Gamer can now add the letters OAM after her name after being honoured with the Order of Australia Medal.
The former Mount Isa resident who now lives in Hervey Bay won the OAM for service to community health.
Ms Gamer was a board member of the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland from 1988-2016 and a volunteer and fundraiser since 1979 and was instrumental in establishing Mount Isa and Sunshine Coast branches.
Ms Gamer said she was surprised and humbled to get the award.
“My accolade really goes to the people of Mount Isa, Hervey Bay and Sunshine Coast,” Ms Gamer said.
“I’ve been a life member in Mount Isa since 1988 and a large part of me still belongs there.”
As the Leukaemia Foundation said Elaine’s dedication is inspiring.
“After the loss of her 16 year old daughter, Lisa, to leukaemia in 1979 and experiencing the daunting and isolating experience of moving from rural Australia to a big city for treatment, Elaine committed herself to her dying daughter’s wish to help leukaemia patients,” the foundation said.
Elaine Gamer has spent the best part of four decades working tirelessly for patients and families whose lives have been devastated by a blood cancer diagnosis.
Elaine and her late husband, Mel, channelled their grief for Lisa and rallied their community to form the Mount Isa Leukaemia Fund, later a branch of the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland.
Their first major project was a television microscope for the Royal Brisbane Hospital costing $28,000.
It seemed an almost impossible undertaking but Elaine inspired her community and in 1980 they presented the microscope, which then cost $50,000, to the Minister for Health.
Ms Gamer was awarded $1000 by Radio 4BC for her efforts, which she donated to the Leukaemia Foundation’s next fundraising project, Queensland’s first ever Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.
She always took a hands-on approach to raising money organising school fundraisers, barn dances, progressive dinners and even collecting dung that sold for $2 a bag.
“The Mount Isa branch has raised in excess of one and a half million dollars since forming in 1975,” the foundation said.
She moved to the Sunshine Coast in 1987 but said that great fundraising work was still carried on today in Mount Isa by Kathy Swift and her team.
Meanwhile Ms Gamer again mobilised a new community, raising yet more funds to beat blood cancers and her determination to make a difference resulted in the creation of the Sunshine Coast Branch of the Leukaemia Foundation. In 1988, Elaine joined the Leukaemia Foundation Board member, a position she held until 2016.
Every Christmas, since 1979, Elaine has personally organised Christmas hampers for every family staying in one of the Leukaemia Foundation’s four accommodation centres and, in 2002, Elaine received Life Membership to the Leukaemia Foundation for the significant role she has played in the fight against blood cancer in Queensland and beyond.
Elaine’s tireless work has significantly impacted the lives of Australians living with blood cancer.