Make-A-Wish Australia volunteer Sharon Wilson to celebrate 25th anniversary at Dinner Dance

You will find Ms Wilson and other Make-A-Wish volunteers at the Goulburn Workers Club on the second Tuesday of each month, planning ways to make the dreams of sick children come true.

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It was a radio ad on 2GN by Jeff Norman, calling for Make-A-Wish volunteers, that sparked Ms Wilson's interest in the organisation.

She helped set up the Goulburn branch 25 years ago and has since acted in a variety of roles from treasurer to president, although she said she had mainly been a 'wish granter coordinator'.

Ms Wilson said when a wish needed to be granted in their area, which can be any direction within about two and half hours of Goulburn, it was the wish granter coordinator's job to bring it to life.

"We report to Melbourne and then organise the process of getting the wish done," she said.

The Goulburn branch is now at the pointy end of granting a wish they plan to present at an upcoming ball.

The Make-A-Wish 25^th Anniversary Dinner Dance will be held on Saturday, October 15 at the Goulburn Workers Club.

"We've got a young boy who wants a motorbike and we're just in the process of pulling his wish together," Ms Wilson said.

"We can talk about what we do but when you actually see it, when you present someone with a wish, it's a completely different feeling."

Ms Wilson has granted hundreds of wishes over the past 25 years. She said some of the more common wishes included bikes, trips to Disneyland, puppies and kittens.

One of her favourite wishes involved bringing Santa all the way from the North Pole to the Gold Coast, Queensland.

"He was Goulburn's very first wish," she said.

"He wanted to be Santa's Little Helper so we sent him on a holiday for a week up to the Gold Coast and Santa came as if he was on holiday in Australia too, and he got to help him.

"That was a beautiful wish that one."

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Ms Wilson said there had also been some unusual wishes including one that involved Monopoly.

"This little girl used to have a game night with her family and her favourite game was Monopoly," she said.

"She really wanted to go to those spots on the board like Piccadilly Street and Trafalgar Square."

Ms Wilson said sometimes you had to "dig hard" to find out what a child truly wanted but most of the time the kids' imagination led to some "weird and wonderful wishes".

"It's a pretty special thing to go into a family's home when there has been a lot of upset and bring some happiness to the family," Ms Wilson said.

Recently, the Goulburn branch of Make-A-Wish Australia has lost a lot of members and the number of volunteers is low.

The branch is hoping to raise awareness and increase community support for the organisation at its upcoming ball.

Make-A-Wish chief executive officer, Sally Bateman, said the Goulburn volunteer branch had helped countless families experience the life-changing impact of a wish.

"As we continue to navigate the lasting impacts of the pandemic, events such as the Goulburn branch Dinner Dance are so important, helping to raise vital funds so Make-A-Wish can grant wishes to children with critical illnesses," she said.

To attend the dinner dance on Saturday, October 15, tickets can be purchased from the Goulburn Workers Club reception for $65 per person.

Tickets include a three-course meal, lucky balloons, live entertainment, raffles, auctions, and hearing from two wish children who will share their wish journey experience.

If you are interested in joining the Goulburn Volunteer Branch of Make-A-Wish Australia, visit makeawish.org.au or call Sharon Wilson on 0402 744 102 for more information.

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