In line with the last six years, the club have managed to donate $62,000 to the Royal Far West in Manly.

The donation was made during the Royal Far West conference held last week, in which President of the Sunshine Club Forbes Branch Molly Neilsen made her annual President’s report and handed over the donation.

“We’re always up around the $60,000,” Mrs Neilsen said, adding the club had donated around that amount every year for the last five to six years.

“When you think of how we get the money it’s amazing where it comes from.”

Mrs Neilsen said the current economic downturn had hit a lot of people and businesses hard, which is why they don’t ask for donations.

“Our main source of income is our opportunity shop,” Mrs Neilsen said.

“We also have bingo on the second and fourth Monday night at the Services Club and cash bingo on Saturday afternoons.”

Mrs Neilsen said the club also ran raffles, which are always displayed in the front window, and sell bags of rags to local garages and car dealerships.

“We’ve only got about 20 working members,” Mrs Neilsen said, adding two of whom were men.

“I don’t know what we’d do without them [the men]. They do pick up and deliveries for us.

“They also cut up the rags.”

Donations to the Royal Far West are used to give children west of the Blue Mountains specialist treatment for issues such as learning and behavioural problems and speech and communication problems.

“There’s no cost to see the specialist – that’s what we pay for,” Mrs Neilsen said, “the patients are taken to Westmead to see the specialists there.”

Once treatment has started, it is continued until it is no longer required.

“That can take a number of years,” Mrs Neilsen said.

“They do get government subsidies but it’s not nearly enough for the number of patients they see every year.”

Mrs Neilsen said the club was very grateful for all of the donations they had received from members of the town and district over the past 12 months as well as the Advocate and the Services Club for their support.

“We’re always grateful for clothing and books – especially cowboy books, we have a big asking for them,” Mrs Neilsen said.