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A generous donation from a Melbourne patron has brought a welcome ray of hope to the future of Dubbo’s Hear Our Heart Ear Bus Project, a vital community service now facing an uncertain future due to a lack of funding.
Joan Graham, a well-known charitable woman in her 80s, recently heard about Hear Our Heart’s campaign to rally community support and made a generous donation to help keep the service afloat. While Joan lives in Melbourne, she has family connections to Dubbo, making her support particularly meaningful to the local community.
Her daughter-in-law, Leah, was previously one of Dubbo’s dedicated Hearing Support Teachers and grew up in the region. Leah was also a former student of Donna Rees, Volunteer Director of the Hear Our Heart Ear Bus Project. Joan’s own remarkable life story has also attracted attention, with her achievements recognised through an Order of Australia Medal.
For Hear Our Heart, her generosity represents more than a donation. It is a powerful reminder of what can happen when people hear about a community need and choose to act.
“Joan’s generosity is incredibly heartwarming and shows what is possible when people come together to support a service that makes such an important difference to children and families,” bus project director Donna Rees said.
“We hope Joan’s contribution will be the beginning of a wave of support from individuals, families and local businesses who want to see this service continue.”
The Hear Our Heart Ear Bus Project began in late 2011 when Dubbo women Rowena Galway and Colleen Bruce joined forces with Donna Rees and Rachel Mills from the Dubbo and District Support Group for the Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Inc., also known as the Dubbo District Deaf Club.
The project was established to improve ear health services for children in Dubbo and surrounding districts, particularly as many members of the Deaf Club had children experiencing otitis media and other ear conditions.
More than a decade later, the Hear Our Heart Ear Bus continues to provide a unique combination of health and education services. The program provides age-appropriate ear health education to students, staff and community members, while clinical staff screen children’s hearing at school when a teacher or parent identifies a possible hearing concern.
Local Hard of Hearing (HoH) volunteers also support the project across Mendooran, Gilgandra, Gulargambone, Wellington, Narromine, Trangie, Warren, Yeoval and Nyngan. However, the service is now at a critical crossroads.
“The future of our service is uncertain due to a lack of funding,” Donna said.
Hear Our Heart is not government-funded and relies entirely on local partnerships and community donations to continue its work. The project is proud to operate as a project of the Dubbo & District Parent Support Group for the Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Inc. (Dubbo District Deaf Club) and holds Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR 1) status.
For a service that has spent more than a decade helping children, families, teachers and communities understand the importance of healthy hearing, the prospect of closing its doors is a worrying one.
Joan Graham’s donation has shown that support can come from anywhere — even from someone hundreds of kilometres away who simply heard about the difference the project makes. Now, Hear Our Heart is hoping Joan’s generosity will inspire others to help keep the Ear Bus on the road.
Local businesses, community organisations and individuals are being encouraged to consider making a donation or forming a partnership with the project. Every contribution could help ensure children across the region continue to have access to hearing screening, early identification of hearing concerns and vital ear health education.
For Hear Our Heart, the message is simple: the journey can continue, but the community needs to help keep the wheels turning.
For further information, visit www.hearourheart.org.