The young and young-at-heart stand to eye the colourful lolly counter at Manning Hospital.
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Pink Ladies watch and wait for direction as to which of the 20 lolly jars they must open to create a perfect mix of lollies. It could be a sale of 20 cents or $15 but with each transaction there is more than money exchanged. There is conversation, laughter, shared memories of corner stores that once sold lollies by the cent. Sweet moments.
Last financial year Pink Ladies picked and packed more than 2300 kilograms of lollies in the kiosk at Manning Hospital. White paper bags filled with red frogs, musk sticks, pineapples, freckles, cobbers, caramel buds, strawberries and cream … 20 lolly types and with every sale the Pink Ladies worked to fund items on department ‘Wish Lists’. Click here to see a slideshow revealing how many kilos of each lolly was sold.
Corinne Lang is the Pink Ladies president and declares her favourite sweet treat is the Allens chewy caramel Cobber but cautions “they can wreck your teeth!”
“They can pull your filling out which can make it a costly treat!”
Around 17 years ago Corinne first walked into the Manning Hospital kiosk dressed in a Pink Ladies uniform. She says the white paper bags were smaller and so too, the lolly sales, but the aim of the Pink Ladies remains unchanged – to buy equipment for the hospital.
“We usually ask for a Wish List from the different departments or I’ll hear someone say something about a need in the hospital,” Corinne said.
Last financial year the Pink Ladies donated items valued at more than $11,650 to Manning Hospital and only last week, Corrine says they were able to buy a new $4500 gynaecological examination couch for Dr Nigel Roberts, the director of obstetrics and gynaecology.
“He was emotional when I said we would get it for him. The one he has been using has been broken down for about 15 years.”
Earlier this year the Pink Ladies footed the $3117 bill to tint windows in the intensive care unit and maternity wards.
“The sun was so hot when it came in there because the blinds had had it. It has really cut down the heat on that side. We also bought some office chairs for the emergency department because they were all broken.”
Other items crossed off department Wish Lists last year include almost $6000 in equipment - a portable monitor, elevation pillows, a head cradle, elevation arms board pads, a wet umbrella bag dispenser, a dining setting, a hole puncher and a picture for the level six patient lounge.
Staff at Manning Hospital visit the Pink Ladies kiosk for “an afternoon sugar hit” but Corinne says they are not the big spenders. It is visitors, and it is local residents who know they sell good, fresh, quality lollies at a great price.
“People will travel from Gloucester to get our musk sticks - they are a good firm musk stick and Australian made.”
The top seller is the Allens Red Frog and last financial year 321 kilograms were sold. Corinne says milk and caramel buds are also popular because they are priced at eight for 20 cents.
Corinne laughs when she reveals that “we do have sugar free lollies but we don’t sell many of those.”
She is tipping the kiosk will again break the two tonne benchmark for lolly sales this year and says the 30 volunteers who are the Pink Ladies are proud of the work they do to support staff at Manning Hospital.
