Sharon Reilly would describe herself as the stand-in-the-corner type.
The kind of person who will happily do anything asked of her, so long as she doesn’t have to be in the spotlight.
It makes sense that it was a friend of hers who approached The News with the firm belief that Sharon and all her hard work needed celebration.
Sharon moved to Murchison from Undera in 1991 and has established herself as a cherished and active member of the town’s community ever since.
She was the one who started the Ribbons of Courage group back in 2015 and has continued to spearhead fundraising efforts in Murchison for almost a decade since.
Together with the group, Sharon has hosted many successful Pink Morning Teas, which have earned a much-anticipated spot on many people’s yearly calendars.
She raised $7000 with the local fire station for Good Friday and even held a garage sale during the pandemic when restrictions made it difficult to host the usual events.
Recently, the group branched out to host a Mother’s Day fundraising dinner for the GV Breast Cancer Support Group, which was also a success.
Every event is thoughtfully orchestrated, each one featuring refreshed centre pieces and decorations, and all steeped in an inspiring, charged devotion to an important cause.
But what seed of inspiration caused such a fountain of compassion to bloom?
“It’s all Kate Ceberano’s fault,” Sharon said.
“I loved her growing up. I thought her singing was so awesome.”
When Sharon saw Ceberano as a National Breast Cancer Foundation ambassador on social media, it lit a fire under her.
“I chatted to a girlfriend, and she said, ‘I’ll help you.’ It started small like that and grew from there,” Sharon said.
These days, the group regularly welcomes over 60 attendees to its events and is keen to welcome even more.
“Luckily, cancer hasn’t touched me or my family, but it’s about family and friends — friends supporting friends,” Sharon said.
“One of the girls I went to school with posted that her tests cost her over $400. She was lucky she could afford it, but many people can’t.
“After a while, I started questioning where all the money we were raising was going.
“We switched to focus on supporting our locals. I thought, ‘Why not support locally?’ — that could be you, or it could be me.”
The Ribbons of Courage group directs all funds raised to locals that need it most, but it’s not all about money — raising awareness is just as important.
‘If you grow them, you should know them’ is the mantra at the heart of Sharon’s mission, a saying coined by good friend and breast care nurse Michelle Parish.
It’s true — being aware of one’s body is the first step to early intervention.
Knowing that message is being heard is what keeps Sharon going.
“One time, after one of the morning teas, somebody came up to me and thanked me,” Sharon said.
“They said, ‘I went to the doctor, and I’m off to Melbourne next week to have it looked at.’ It made me realise that people were listening.
“That’s what it’s all about. Getting it out there, making sure people do their checks, and getting to know them.
“Don’t put it off. Please do it.”
Sharon shared she had been shocked to find herself tearing up at multiple events.
Sometimes, it can be difficult to tell whether its from the stress of organising something so important, the raw emotion of the unique stories she hears, or a mix of both.
Two things are for sure, though: she has produced wonderful results over the years, and her dedicated work has not gone unappreciated.
Sharon was adamant that nothing would be possible without the Ribbons of Courage group and the support they receive from the community.
“I don’t want to say I’m the driving force because I’m not. Together, we are the driving force,” she said.