Care centre struggles- Belgrave Mark Lodge’s Dale Sayers, left, and Belgrave Masonic Centre’s

By Tania Martin
FERNLEA House still faces closure despite hills groups and residents digging deep to save the Emerald palliative care unit.
The centre will close in June unless the committee can raise a further $210,000 to keep its doors open.
Unit manager Helen Pike said the support from the hills community had been amazing.
She said over the past month a number of local groups and individuals had dug deep to the save the unit.
This comes after the Mail reported last month that the hospice needed a miracle to continue running.
It reported that the palliative care unit needed more than $300,000 a year to run with Federal Government funding due to run out in June.
Fernlea House was granted an 11th hour reprieve last May following a Federal Government cash injection of $270,000.
But in March, the unit was told that the extra money would not be granted this year.
Residents and the Shire of Yarra Ranges have joined renewed calls for both the State and Federal Governments to support Fernlea.
However, the State Government has maintained that it would only fund in-hospital palliative care service not community based ones. A group of hills Masonic lodge representatives last Tuesday (21 April) pitched in more than $2500 towards keeping the unit open.
After seeing reports in the Mail, the Belgrave Masonic Centre, Belgrave Mark Lodge and Blue Dandenongs Lodge dug deep.
Belgrave Masonic Centre president Ian Harrop is urging others to get behind Fernlea and make a donation.
“I can’t believe the government would let something like this (Fernlea) close,” he said.
Despite raising $90,000, the unit could still close.
“We’ve had a few donations, but it’s not quite the $300,000 we need to stay open,” Anyone can make a donation, big or small, by calling Fernlea House on 5968 3895.