Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to talk today about a group in our community known as the Northern Rivers Children's Health Fund, more commonly known as Our Kids. Our Kids was founded by a well-respected and renowned doctor in our community, Dr Chris Ingall. The aim of Our Kids is to improve health services for children, focusing particularly on children in the Northern Rivers area.

Since 2001, they have been an absolute inspiration in the work that they have done, in the services they have delivered and in the facilities that they have purchased. They do this through raising awareness, raising vital funds to purchase things such as lifesaving medical equipment for the paediatric wards; the children's wards; the special care nursery; and the accident and emergency department at the Lismore Base Hospital, and surrounding hospitals for children in the Northern Rivers area.

Without this equipment, many children and neonates would have been sent and are being sent to the cities to receive care that we obviously want to supply locally. Our Kids helps to provide equipment that supports the local medical team.

Recently Our Kids passed a wonderful milestone where they purchased $1 million worth of equipment for our local hospitals, which is a wonderful achievement for our community. Besides this, they also have annual community grants. These are for families who often care for special needs children. These grants are used to purchase equipment, medicine and therapeutic items to help care for these children.

Deputy Speaker, this goes beyond mere numbers and figures. As I said, Dr Chris Ingall and, indeed, his whole team have been absolutely inspirational in our community. The assistance they give families and sick children with needs is renowned, as well as the medical equipment which, as I have said, they have already purchased.

There are many stories behind this organisation. The chief fundraiser is Rebekka Battista. She is very well known. Her husband in fact donated one of his kidneys to one of their children. That got her very much involved in health care for children in our community. Rebekka has now become the chief fundraiser. So everyone has a story—often sad and traumatic—of why they have become associated with Our Kids and of the wonderful work they do in our community. They have many fundraisers throughout the year. They put out a calendar every year, they have different sporting challenges and they have a Melbourne Cup luncheon. I could go on and on. But this Saturday night they have their annual Our Kids Winter Ball, one of their biggest fundraisers. I am very much looking forward to going along and, again, celebrating this great institution in our community.