By JOLENE OGLE
BETTY’S $1 burgers are as much an icon of Noosa as the sun-soaked beaches. Mention Betty’s Burgers to any local and they will tell you of the good-old days when food was cheap, the surf was good and Hastings Street was a dirt road.
Eventually, Hastings Street development forced Betty to move her business to a food van, where she enjoyed another four years serving locals and visitors at the Noosa Spit.
It’s been more than 10 years since Betty last flipped a burger, but Noosa is in for a treat when the 82-year-old takes to the grill at Acres Juicebar this Saturday, all in the name of charity.
Funds from every burger sold on Saturday will go straight to local Ursula Lockwood, who has suffered with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for over 15 years.
Ursula is well-known in the community having worked alongside Noosa’s other icon, Hey Bill, and having spent many years in Sunshine Beach.
“Despite my decision to move to Brisbane to be closer to specialist doctors and medical treatments, I still consider the Sunshine Coast my home and in my heart I remain very much a local girl,” she said.
Since her diagnosis, Ursula has fought hard to raise enough funds to fly to Russia for a Human Stem Cell treatment, which is currently not available in Australia.
“Risky? Yes. But I’m determined to do all in my power to take advantage of this ground-breaking opportunity that offers incredible hope to all of us with MS,” she said.
“The cost is extremely high and the waiting list is long, but I refuse to give up hope of a major improvement in my quality of life.”
In the name of fund-raising, Acres Juicebar owners and sisters Katie and Margot Newman phoned Betty Wallace and asked if she would make a comeback to help raise funds for their dear friend, Ursula.
Betty jumped straight on board, calling her original baker and butcher to ensure only the best burgers are served on Saturday.
Since announcing the event of Facebook, more than 890 people have liked the post, 237 have commented on it and over 400 people have shared the event, but Betty isn’t bothered by all the fuss.
“Oh yeah, I don’t really understand all that stuff,” she said.
And we might even be lucky enough to see Betty back on the grill.
“I’m supervising, but you never know. I might have a go,” she said.
Don’t miss the return of Betty’s Burgers this Saturday only from 11am to 3pm at Acres Juicebar, Gibson Road, Noosaville. Burgers are $1 each for small and $2 for a large burger. All proceeds will be donated to Ursula’s fund-raising campaign.
