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Annual Report 2008-2009

strengthcourage healing believe legacy laughter hope discovery

Our Vision: A community of healthier kids

Our Mission: Working wonders for sick kids

Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation CEO Karenlee Spillane reads to Hayley 3, and Peter, 8, who both had brothers in hospital

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Overview 3 Reports 4 Discovery - Queensland Children’s Medical Research Institute 8 Strength - Cerebral palsy 16 Courage - Oncology 22 Inspiring - Online health 28

Spirit - Nutrition 34 Healing - Burns 40 Believe - Infectious diseases 46 Hope - Respiratory 52

Laughter - Patient services 58 Legacy - Bequests 67 Reaching out …across the state 70

Reaching out …across the nation 73 Friends - Celebrity partners 76 Spotlight - Media 78 The Board 81 Corporate governance 85 Financial summary 88

Every year at the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, we add a new chapter to our story about working wonders for sick kids.

This is our 2008-2009 contribution to that story – and it’s only possible because of you.

With your generous and valued support our brilliant researchers and clinicians are searching for the answers to some of the most important questions about the illnesses affecting children today.

This year you helped raise $11.6 million for groundbreaking medical research, vital paediatric equipment and other important services that exist to make the lives of sick kids and their families a little easier.

This brings the total we’ve raised over the past 23 years to an amazing $167.3 million.

With your support we’re creating a better future for sick kids like Kalhan, 5, (front cover) who staged a heroic battle to overcome a life-threatening staph infection.

Throughout this report you’ll meet some amazing little people like Jack, 5, (page 52) who has cystic fibrosis – a life-threatening disease with no cure.

If Jack was born 20 years ago he would have been unlikely to live beyond his teens.

Today, medical discoveries and improved treatments mean he’s got a good chance of living to see his own children attend school.

Every advance our researchers make, even the smallest ones, when added together over time, make a difference to the lives of sick kids, not only here, but around the world.

That’s why your ongoing support is so important, because it’s not just about helping kids now – it’s also about creating a healthier and brighter future for tomorrow’s children.

NOTE: Throughout the report the term “this year”

refers to the 2008-2009 financial year.

Imagine …… every sick child’s story having a fairytale ending.

Contents

The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation was established in 1986 to help raise much needed funds to support groundbreaking research to find faster diagnoses, better treatments and ultimately cures for some of the most devastating childhood illnesses. Every year the Royal Children’s Hospital helps more than 30,000 children from all over Queensland, parts of Australia and overseas.

With your help, one day they might

4 Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Annual Report 2008-2009

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Reports

Lotus, 3, skin graft

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The collapse in the Australian financial markets this last year has impacted on most companies and individuals.

As a result, the Foundation fundraising was affected, although we believe that the focus that we applied to deal with those issues has protected us as much as possible.

With the economic recovery that appears to be commencing, we believe that the Foundation is positioned now to benefit from that recovery and to continue to provide funding for both the ongoing research projects and for the new areas of ‘family-centred care’ that we are developing.

After some years in planning, the Foundation, together with the Hospital and Queensland Health, established the independent Queensland Children’s Medical Research Institute to provide direction and support to medical research into children’s health in Queensland.

All of the research projects currently funded by the Foundation will be transferred to the Institute and the Institute will seek additional external and government funding for both existing and new projects.

The establishment of the Institute is a major step forward for paediatrics in Queensland. It demonstrates the real benefits that the Foundation has been able to bring to paediatrics in the Hospital and generally.

The Foundation, as a Founding Member of the Institute, will continue to fund and work with the Institute Board and management to ensure that

the Institute becomes a major national paediatric research centre.

We are also working on new programs to help families both during and after their contact with the Hospital. We have had assistance programs for some years (entertainment, hospital volunteers, welfare) but we are now planning extensions of these family assistance concepts.

This is potentially a significant area and we will progress this over the next year.

I thank the management and staff of the Foundation for their dedication over the past year. There has been substantial organisational change in the way in which we approach our tasks and both management and staff have responded very well.

I also thank the Board and external Committee members for their dedication of time, skills and experience. It is of great value to the Foundation.

Specifically I thank David Liddy who retired from the Board during the year and I welcome Melissa Watter who recently accepted our invitation to join the Board.

Colin Ryan AM Chairman

Chairman’s Report

The establishment of the Institute is a major step forward for paediatrics in Queensland. It demonstrates the

real benefits that the Foundation has been able to bring to paediatrics in

the Hospital and generally.


The past year has been challenging with the global financial crisis impacting individuals and businesses the world over.

But even in these uncertain economic times, we were heartened by the generosity and compassion of our community who continued to give, taking our fundraising to $11.6 million, in line with results from the previous year.

I’d particularly like to thank our partners in the resources sector, Xstrata and BMA Coal, for their investment in creating a community of healthier kids.

This year we have again invested more than 70 percent of our grant funds into groundbreaking medical research to find faster diagnoses, better treatments and ultimately cures for some of the most devastating illnesses affecting children here and around the world.

It’s because of you that our brilliant researchers can focus their attention to better understand life-threatening conditions like cystic fibrosis and cancer and move quickly to find tests for viruses like swine flu. It’s because of you that one day, in the future, children who suffer disfiguring burns may be able to heal without scarring – a vision that drives research by our world-leading burns team.

As Queensland’s population continues to grow, so too does demand for services that work wonders for sick kids. This year more than 30,000 sick or injured children from across the state received treatment and care from the Royal Children’s Hospital, with more than 50 percent coming from regional areas outside metropolitan Brisbane.

With so many of our young patients living outside Brisbane, this year we expanded our Christmas Appeal to help regional hospitals support their sick kids back home. With your support we hope to build on our regional fundraising activities to fund

equipment and programs that will help sick kids in their local communities.

Wherever they may live, for many of our little patients, a trip to the Hospital is just another regular outing. For some, like long-term patient Gus, 9, it’s a second home that’s become a very special part of

his life.

Gus, who has recovered from a serious illness enduring 18 separate operations, adds ‘visiting the Hospital’ to his birthday and Christmas wish list every year.

Our cover child Kalhan and Gus are just a few of the many brave little heroes who are mature beyond their years because of their experiences. You’ll read some amazing stories about our young patients who inspire us every day; who occupy the minds of the brilliant researchers and clinicians devoted to taking their pain away or preventing the illness or infection causing it.

It’s these children who inspire our tireless volunteers to give so freely of their time in the hope of seeing a smile, or making life a little bit easier for our young patients and their families.

I would like to thank the incredible staff at the Royal Children’s Hospital and our dedicated Foundation Board members, staff and volunteers for continuing to go that extra mile every day to work wonders for sick kids.

But none of this could be possible without you – our generous and loyal donors. Your ongoing support is driving discoveries that are giving sick kids the best chance at life.

Karenlee Spillane Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation CEO

CEO’s Report

It’s because of you that our brilliant researchers can focus their attention to better understand life-threatening

conditions like cystic fibrosis and cancer and move quickly to find tests

for viruses like swine flu.

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Dr Steer was appointed CEO of the Children’s Health Service District in January 2009. This follows a long and distinguished career as a neonatologist, senior medical administrator and academic both in Australia and overseas. A graduate of the University of Queensland, Dr Steer was most recently the President of McMaster Children’s Hospital in Canada. During this time Dr Steer was Chief of Paediatrics at the Hospital as well as at St Joseph’s Healthcare at Hamilton. He was also a Professor and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at McMaster University. Dr Steer has previously held senior leadership roles at the Mater Children’s Hospital, School of Public Health at the University of Queensland and the Centre of Clinical Studies for Women’s and Children’s Health.

South East Queensland is Australia’s fastest-growing region, attracting an average of 55,000 new residents each year over the past two decades. As Queensland’s population grows, so too does the demand for health services.

Queensland Health is embarking on a massive expansion of acute health services to meet the growing needs of our population. The cornerstone of these vital improvements includes building a brand new state-of-the-art hospital for children – the Queensland Children’s Hospital.

When the new Hospital opens in 2014, it will become the hub of our statewide paediatric health service.

Our new Hospital will provide acute care for seriously ill children and young people, no matter where they live, extending its reach well beyond the city of Brisbane and out into rural and regional communities.

One of my tasks as CEO of the Children’s Health Service District is to oversee the merger of the best ideas and practices of the Royal Children’s Hospital and Mater Children’s Hospital into one outstanding facility.

I’m pleased to say we are well on track to deliver a family-centred hospital which has more capacity, more room and better parking and transport options.

The District was established last year to bring together the services provided through the Royal Children’s Hospital and Health Service District and

Mater Children’s Hospital. Once fully operational, it will be responsible for providing children’s community health and mental health services in Brisbane and supporting all paediatric health services in

Queensland to ensure health care is provided close to home wherever possible.

A significant part of the responsibility of the District is to provide an improved children’s emergency department network in Brisbane. To this end, the Government has announced capital funding to develop a paediatric emergency department at The Prince Charles Hospital in Chermside as well as to upgrade emergency facilities at Redcliffe, Caboolture, Logan, Ipswich and Redlands. These upgraded emergency departments will form part of a network of children’s services within the Children’s Health Service District.

In the longer term, the emerging Children’s Hospital and the broader District will ensure appropriate and seamless health care is provided for Queensland children.

Dr Peter Steer Children’s Health Service District CEO

Children’s Health Service District CEO’s Report

Our new Hospital will provide acute care for seriously ill children and

young people, no matter where they live, extending its reach well beyond the city of Brisbane and out into rural

and regional communities.

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Daina’s fighting spirit helped her survive neuroblastoma – a life-threatening cancerous

tumour that affects one in 100,000 babies and toddlers.

Professor Keith Grimwood, Director of the Queensland Children’s Medical Research Institute

“Adult health can be influenced by events in early childhood. Healthy children living in a safe and nurturing environment will grow into healthy adults.”

The Institute will build on the impressive research portfolio and culture of inquiry which the Foundation has fostered over the past 15 years and take it to a new level.

The Institute will administer the funds you generously donate to the Foundation, to support research that will ultimately make life a little brighter for some of Queensland’s sickest kids.

You made it happen2009 was a defining year for paediatric research in Queensland with the creation and incorporation of a new institute solely dedicated to solving the major health issues affecting Queensland children.

The Queensland Children’s Medical Research Institute – the state’s first specialist child health research hub – is already creating a welcoming rallying point and home for the family of researchers who have been quietly toiling away in far-flung corners of the Royal Children’s Hospital.

In May, about 40 researchers from key areas, including respiratory medicine, cerebral palsy, oncology, infectious diseases, endocrinology, telemedicine, biostatistics and burns and trauma, took up their posts in the new Institute, based in the Royal Children’s Hospital.


… creating a research hub where some of the most respected and promising scientific and clinical minds in child medicine can come together to study, question and discover new ways to heal little bodies, prevent sickness, find cures and ultimately work wonders for sick children.

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The researchers at the Institute only have to take a walk through the Hospital to see the tiny faces that inspire them to continue their quest to push the boundaries of medical understanding and practice.

Little Northern Territory schoolgirl Daina, with her big green eyes and infectious smile, is one of those inspiring little people.

In 2003, at the tender age of three, the shy toddler was diagnosed with a life-threatening cancerous tumour called neuroblastoma.

“At first it was obviously a massive shock,” Daina’s dad Kevin recalls, saying at the time doctors gave Daina a 16-18 percent chance of survival.

She was facing the fight of her life. But doctors had a treatment plan that would give her every chance of beating the cancer.

It involved four rounds of chemotherapy, stem cell harvesting, two more rounds of chemo, an operation

to remove as much of the tumour as possible, high-dose chemo, stem cell transplantation, 20 sessions of radiation and then finally six months of oral medication.

Daina responded well to the marathon round of treatment which finally finished in May 2005. In 2008 the family dropped down from quarterly check- ups to six-monthly check-ups at the Hospital.

“She still remembers a fair bit of her time in hospital. For a long time it was part of growing up for her,” Kevin says.

The doting father-of-three says Daina, now nine, has blossomed from a shy toddler into a bubbly and charismatic little girl.

“She’s come into her own. She’s a real little entertainer. She’s got a good little voice and whenever she can, she gets dirty because she had to be clean for so long!”

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“She still remembers a fair bit of her time in hospital. For a long time it was part of growing up for her.”

You’re helping work wonders for sick kids like Daina


Working wonders behind the scenesQueensland Children’s Medical Research Institute Director Professor Keith Grimwood says maintaining contact with patients “keeps you humble and puts into focus what we are all trying to achieve”.

Professor Grimwood says the role of the Institute is to bring together a critical mass of researchers across a wide variety of disciplines to help solve the major health problems facing Queensland children like Daina. He says many researchers at the Hospital are already recognised internationally for their work, citing the team in respiratory medicine as a prime example.

“It stands to reason that by bringing many researchers with different skills together to look at issues on a broader front, you’re much more likely to make progress than one person working in isolation.”

In addition to having a quiet space to write, read and think, researchers will also be mentored by senior clinicians who will help them work through their research project, from establishing their research question to navigating the grant application process.

Professor Grimwood says training the next generation of child health researchers is one of the key goals of the Institute. “Ultimately we would like to offer career development awards to support promising young researchers who’ve got their PhD and who are now clinicians, but who still want to pursue a research career.”

We couldn’t have done it without youEstablishing the Institute would not have been possible without the generous support of our friends at Queensland Health, Golden Casket Lottery Corporation which contributed $1 million through the Austereo/B105 Christmas Appeal and the Estate of Alexander McIvor.

Thanks must also go to: 1200kms for Kids, Mall to Mall Bike Ride, Council of Queensland Insurance Brokers, Bank of Queensland, Heritage Building Society, Swim4Kids’ partners and Lola Hughes Efstathis.

With your help, we’ve taken the first step towards creating a centre of excellence in paediatric researchWith your continued support, in 2009-2010 we hope to:

strengths of the Institute

nearby universities and research institutes

the National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC)

stipend and the monitoring and supervision of their higher degree projects

pre-eminent paediatric research physician from Perth who was recently awarded a prestigious five-year Queensland Senior Clinical Research Fellowship based at the Hospital and Institute. His research will focus on understanding the underlying causes of chronic childhood lung diseases.

Alice Che-Ha Chen, PhD student, burns

In 1973 when Melbourne researchers discovered the rotavirus – the most common global cause of severe early childhood gastroenteritis – it made headlines around the world.

Since that time, ongoing research into the virus has seen dramatic improvements in the treatment and prevention of this devastating disease.

Until recently, in Australia alone rotaviruses were responsible for about 10,000 hospitalisations, 22,000 emergency department visits and 115,000 general practice consultations in young children each year. Twenty years ago most children admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis were starved and required intravenous drips to rehydrate their parched little bodies. Through research it was shown children could be more safely treated by special oral rehydration solutions and moreover the early reintroduction of food hastened their recovery. This change in practice now means children with severe gastroenteritis no longer need to stay in hospital for between three

to five days. Instead they are either managed in the emergency department alone or if they require admission to hospital this is for only about 24 hours.

Further good news is that in 2007 publicly-funded rotavirus vaccines became available to newly born babies in Australia.

A recent study by researchers from the Institute found a dramatic drop in the number of rotavirus cases (65 percent) within two years of the vaccine’s introduction.

Despite only a small number of children being eligible for immunisation, the study noted that children who had been vaccinated may indeed be protecting other children in the community by not spreading the virus. Similar observations have also been recently published in the United States. If the direct and indirect benefits of the vaccines are sustained, this offers great hope for preventing many of the 600,000 rotavirus-associated deaths occurring each year in children from developing countries.

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The power of research

Dr James McMillan, laboratory head, burns, and Ashley Pei-Yun Liu, research assistant, burns


Nurturing Queensland’s next generation of researchers

Kristie Bell, Clinical Postdoctoral Research Fellow and senior paediatric dietitian

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When mother-of-two young sons Kristie Bell started her career as a dietitian, she never envisaged entering research.

But after spending two years providing nutrition support and advice to the families of children with cerebral palsy, her desire to help improve their lives prompted her to take the road less travelled into research.

Doing research, Kristie says, was the only way to answer some of the many questions she had faced from parents about their child’s growth and development and how to give them the best chance in life.

“There wasn’t a lot of good evidence available to guide clinical practice and I felt like this was an area where I could really make a difference to children’s lives,” she says.

Eager to learn more about the role nutrition plays in the health of children with cerebral palsy, Kristie embarked on a Foundation-funded PhD scholarship to test the long-held clinical assumption that children with cerebral palsy often grow poorly and are underweight simply because they have the condition and children with milder forms of cerebral palsy (those who are able to walk) are generally thinner than other kids because they burn up more energy.

Her research showed that being short and underweight were not inevitable outcomes for children with cerebral palsy and that while they certainly expended more energy than typically developing kids doing the same activity (such as walking), their overall daily energy requirements were lower because they compensated by doing less activity.

The findings from Kristie’s research, combined with the learnings from other studies, helped the Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre, Children’s Nutrition Research Centre and a US-based research collaborative, secure a highly sought-after grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Kristie and her colleagues are currently recruiting families of children with cerebral palsy born between 2006 and 2009 for the study which will look at how children with cerebral palsy grow and develop and

the influence of diet and physical activity on their brain development.

Kristie says taking her research to the next level wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of donors investing in, not only her research, but also the operation of specialist research hubs like the Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre.

“Without this bedrock of support we wouldn’t be able to develop the ideas and write the grant

submissions which make larger and more complex research projects possible,” she says.

As satisfying as it is to complete one study, Kristie says research is never complete, with every project sparking off a multitude of new questions.

“The more you look into something the more you realise something is missing. Research is about filling in some of those gaps and being able to impact the lives of young children with cerebral palsy and their families.“

Kristie has now turned her attention to answer another burning question which emerged during her PhD research.

“I’m planning some new projects that are looking at the role of diet in brain growth and development in very young infants at very high risk of cerebral palsy,” she explains.

“We want to firstly determine the nutritional requirements of these infants and secondly look at the role of providing an optimal diet and how that might improve these infants’ brain growth and outcomes longer term.

“We want to investigate whether we can improve their long-term outcomes at two years of age and potentially even longer just by giving them a good

diet for the first year of life. What is really exciting is that we will be able to use the new MRI compatible incubator (see page 21) to help perform brain scans

safely at a very young age for this new study.”

It’s a simple question, but one without an answer …. not yet anyway.

“I felt like this was an area where I could really make a

difference to children’s lives.”

“The more you look into something the more you realise something is missing. Research is about filling in

some of those gaps. “



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Born three months premature, brave

little battler Layne has faced every

hurdle life has thrown at him with

a smile, including cerebral palsy.

Every year one in 500 Australian babies is born with cerebral palsy, including 120

in Queensland.

In November 2009, the first MRI compatible incubator (see page 21) in the Southern Hemisphere will be delivered and will open new worlds for cerebral palsy research.

In another first this year, cerebral palsy researchers were successful in securing a grant from the United States National Institute of Health – the country’s top research funding body – to look at the relationship between the presence of a specific gene and the severity of cerebral palsy.

Improving the quality of life of children living with the condition and developing new positive parenting programs (such as Triple P) for families of children with cerebral palsy is at the heart of research programs.

With your support researchers are improving the quality of life and enhancing the participation of children with this life-long condition and establishing Queensland as a centre of excellence in cerebral palsy and paediatric rehabilitation research of national and international standing.

You’re helping make this possibleCerebral palsy is the most common cause of

physical disability in children, affecting one in 500

young Australians.

It happens when a baby suffers a brain injury,

usually late in pregnancy or around the time of

birth. All children with cerebral palsy will have

some form of movement problem, whether it’s

difficulty with coordination, walking or grasping

objects. In severe cases, children cannot sit alone

and are completely physically dependent.

These problems don’t go away and progress through

childhood into adulthood.

This year, with your support, the Queensland

Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre

moved one step closer to being able to use

advanced brain imaging to help answer some of the

most burning questions about how the brain injury

occurs and evolves in babies and young children

with cerebral palsy.


… being able to photograph the brain of a pre-term baby as young as 24-weeks-old, examine its structure and function, diagnose problems and then intervene early to improve the lives of children with cerebral palsy.

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It’s hard to imagine how a little boy born at 27 weeks could continue to smile after enduring 19 operations in just the first three years of his life.

But that’s just Layne – a happy little boy with the most amazing fighting spirit.

It’s his innocent sparkling smile that lifts his devoted parents Rebecca and Timothy and his doting grandparents and aunties and uncles when they feel at their lowest.

“Layne has been fantastic through all that he’s endured,” Rebecca says. “I honestly wonder how much more he can take at times, but he’s such a little fighter.”

Little Layne’s battle for survival began at 27 weeks when he was born pre-term and suffered a brain bleed. Doctors operated to put in a brain shunt which has since been changed several times because of infections and blockages.

Rebecca says the early stages of his life were a blur, but she knows the possibility of Layne having cerebral palsy was on the minds of his nurses and doctors. But he wasn’t diagnosed until the age of two.

“I knew nothing about cerebral palsy,” Rebecca admits, but over the past year the family has read up on the condition and the best forms of

treatment and therapy.

Layne is now one of 120 Queensland children taking part in a major study into the relationship between

brain injury and a child’s growth and development.

Rebecca says she hopes the study will give her better information to help improve Layne’s quality of life.

“It’s a lot about awareness for ourselves. We haven’t met anyone with cerebral palsy before so it’s all new to us.”

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“I honestly wonder how much more he can take at times, but

he’s such a little fighter.”

You’re helping work wonders for children with cerebral palsy like Layne

Scientific Director of the Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre Associate Professor Roslyn Boyd says research may help answer some of the many questions parents like Rebecca have.

“These questions will inform the direction of research for years to come and may make the difference between a child being mobile enough to walk without the aid of equipment, to enjoy the simple act of eating unaided, or to communicate well enough to fulfil a dream of being a news reporter, doctor or teacher,” she says.

Associate Professor Boyd says research into cerebral palsy has “come a really long way in a short period of time”.

“New developments such as advanced brain imaging, early interventions and motion analyses, have really advanced our understanding and management of cerebral palsy significantly,” she says.

“We’re also thinking outside the box in what we’re doing. We’re not just looking to understand the obvious things like motor development.

“We’re now looking at the impact of nutrition, bone health and physical activity. We’re taking a much broader view of cerebral palsy and what might be possible and the potential effect of interventions.”

This year researchers recruited 120 Queensland families for the Queensland Cerebral Palsy Child study – an expansion of a Victorian study – in order to examine the relationship between the nature and extent of a child’s original brain injury and how it affects their early motor, hip, feeding, language and cognitive development.

In an Australian first, researchers, in collaboration with the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre, have started looking at the impact of growth, nutrition and physical activity on secondary brain development in children with cerebral palsy.

Investigating better rehabilitation therapies is also a key focus of inquiry. This year researchers completed the largest study internationally of novel ways to improve a child’s hand function by putting a special glove that constrains movement on a child’s good hand to encourage use of their hemiplegic hand (after a stroke or early brain injury).

They found this approach improved a child’s ability to use their hemiplegic hands for eating, dressing, leisure and school activities and had a profound impact on stimulating the damaged brain.


Research is giving parents more answers

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Unlocking the secrets of brain injury in babiesIt looks like a high-tech humidicrib.

But the MRI compatible incubator, which will be arriving at the Royal Children’s Hospital in November 2009, does much more than keep critically ill and pre-term babies warm and safe. It also gives doctors and scientists the chance to study their tiny brains in a way they’ve never been able to before.

Every year, more than 5000 babies are born very pre-term with only about 2600 surviving. Of these little survivors, 10 to 15 percent will have cerebral palsy.

The incubator will be the first in the Southern Hemisphere and will allow researchers to take images of the brains of pre-term babies as tiny as 24-weeks gestation and measure their brain function and structure in a non-invasive and safe way.

It will also allow doctors to examine how the infant brain reorganises itself in response to early brain injury and then develop specifically targeted interventions to give children every chance of living a pain-free, independent life.

The MRI compatible incubator has been made possible through funding from the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Royal Children’s Hospital, the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and the

We couldn’t have done it without youEven the smallest steps in research take plenty of time and investment. But when you add them together they can make a huge difference over time.

Thanks to an anonymous donor who has supported our Cerebral Palsy Research Program, to Allergan Australia and New Zealand, the Cressbrook Committee, the Stand Tall Ball and Flipside Circus for their support in advancing knowledge and treatment of cerebral palsy.

The future of research into cerebral palsy looks even brighter With your support, our hope in 2009-2010 is to:

images of Australia’s tiniest babies to better understand the nature of early brain injuries and link this to existing studies of children with cerebral palsy to plot possible development problems and intervene early with targeted therapies

bone density in adolescents and what link this has to the incidence of fractures, pain and physical activity.

University of Queensland, with infrastructure funding support from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

A significant part of the Foundation’s contribution, $100,000, came through the incredible fundraising efforts of the Cressbrook Committee whose army of volunteers has worked tirelessly for the Royal Children’s Hospital for more than 40 years and manages the parent accommodation, Leonard Lodge.



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Beau’s dad battled leukaemia at age five – now Beau, 6, is sadly following in his footsteps after

being diagnosed with a different, but similarly life-threatening

childhood cancer.

Dr Andrew Hallahan, Paediatric Oncologist and Director of the Children’s Cancer Research Laboratory

“Cancer research is like walking along a trail which people have never walked before – sometimes you don’t quite know where you’re going and then you look back and realise where you’ve come from.”

This year the Bank contributed tumour

specimens to important leukaemia and

sarcoma studies occurring around the nation.

Every year the Children’s Cancer Research

Laboratory adds to the national and global

knowledge pool about childhood cancer. This

year they’ve worked in partnership with other

researchers in Brisbane and America on a high-

profile study to determine the effectiveness of

blocking specific cell signal pathways critical for

the growth and survival of brain tumours.

On another front, the Children’s Cancer

Research scientists have an exciting new

approach to study relapsed brain tumour cells

resulting in new insights into this currently

untreatable problem.

With 40 to 50 percent of brain tumours returning

in children, the findings have the potential to

make a real difference to the lives of these little

patients, who at this point in time, have no

treatment options.

You’re helping make this possibleCancer – it’s a word that strikes fear into the hearts of all parents. Each year more than 120 Queensland children are diagnosed with this potentially life-threatening disease.

Despite the growing body of knowledge and improved treatments, cancer continues to cut short the lives of too many children. Those who do survive, frequently have long-term health problems related to their cancer and its treatment.

Cancer is the second most common cause of death in childhood with brain tumours responsible for one third of all cancer-related deaths in children.

Oncology researchers at the Royal Children’s Hospital are working in partnership with researchers across the nation to better understand the biology of cancer in the hope of developing better therapies that not only do less damage to children, but also rid the cancer from their tiny bodies.

One of the vehicles contributing to this national research effort is the Queensland Children’s Tumour Bank. The Bank holds a collection of tumour tissue samples donated by cancer patients which are stored and used for current and future scientific studies.


… understanding how cancer cells tick so that better therapies can be developed that have fewer side-effects and improve cure rates in children.

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From the time her twin sons, Beau and Jahrad, were born, Amanda harboured a dreadful fear – would they follow in their dad’s footsteps and have to battle leukaemia before they even learned how to read?

It was a gnawing fear that grew with every passing year.

So when Beau started complaining of headaches and suffering nose bleeds shortly after his fifth birthday, Amanda’s maternal instinct told her something was very wrong.

“I always looked out for leukaemia, because of his dad,” she says.

“I told the doctors I wanted him checked out for leukaemia, but the results came back fine.

“What I didn’t know at the time is that tumours don’t get picked up in the blood until the cancer has progressed.”

Several months after Amanda’s initial fears surfaced, Beau was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma – a highly

malignant tumour which accounts for over half of the soft tissue sarcomas in children.

The Sunshine Coast mother says she had never heard of the tumour, but the “aggressive” sounding name of it made her sick with fear.

As we were writing this story, Beau was still undergoing chemotherapy.

This was his ninth month. But devastatingly, the treatment has failed to reduce the size of the tumour.

Amanda is now looking at joining a clinical trial of a new drug which “may or may not be successful”.

“Beau is a fighter,” she says. “You just can’t give up hope until he does.

“His dad fought leukaemia 30 years ago and he is very determined – he’s very much like his dad in many ways.”

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“Beau is a fighter. You just can’t give up hope until he does. His dad fought leukaemia 30 years ago and he is very determined – he’s very much like his dad in many ways.”

You’re helping work wonders for cancer patients like Beau


Working across borders to cure cancerDirector of the Children’s Cancer Research Laboratory Dr Andrew Hallahan says only a handful of Queensland children are diagnosed with Beau’s cancer each year.

Dr Hallahan says that’s why the Tumour Bank is so critical in providing very rare specimens for studies like the sarcoma research being undertaken by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute in Melbourne.

“Cancer research is complex. No one laboratory is going to cure cancer,” he says.

“That’s why it’s a matter of working together; helping each other along.

“And that’s what the Tumour Bank is about, as well as providing a resource for future generations.

“We’re now seeing useful biological studies on childhood tumours that would otherwise be more limited.”

Dr Hallahan says there have been many small steps in cancer research over the past 20 years, such as more effective chemotherapy regimes and better treatment of pain, nausea and infections, which when joined together, represent major advances.

“What we do is clinically good, but it’s far from perfect,” he says.

“We see a lot of side-effects with treatments and unfortunately we see cancers come back too often.

“This motivates me enormously to go back to the lab.

“There’s always room to do things better in cancer medicine and each and every child I see puts that right in front of me.”

Finding cures for cancer is possible; it’s a matter of taking one step at a timeWith your ongoing support in 2009-2010 we hope to:

relapsed brain tumours has already uncovered to improve the effectiveness of radiation treatment

Institute of Medical Research and the Institute for Molecular Bioscience to better characterise the critical tumour propagating cells that are responsible for treatment resistance and disease relapse

across Australia and the world through the Tumour Bank.

We couldn’t have done it without youStriving to reduce or eliminate the pain experienced by children is a powerful motivator to continue investing in cancer research.

Some of the new knowledge that Queensland’s oncology researchers have uncovered about childhood cancer has only been possible through the generous support of Coles, Ray Huxley, the Siemon family including Siemon Investments, Peter Senior Golf and The Coffee Club.

Thanks must also go to: the Friends of Jimmy Bazley, Murwillumbah Ladies, the Cressbrook Committee, Walk for Kids with Cancer, the Estate of Olga Denham, Hills Industries Charity Support Scheme, Marjorie Biggs Charitable Trust, Honda Foundation, Bankwest Business, BOS International/HBOS Foundation, June for Juanita, Caloundra Police Station/Sunshine Coast Police, Mincom Ltd and the Brisbane Advertising Association.

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Tricia Lusby, research assistant, oncology



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An Australian-first trial of a new mobile health screening service in Cherbourg found Melissa, 8, needed to have her

tonsils and adenoids removed and grommets put in her ears.

Dr Anthony Smith, Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Centre for Online Health

“The tyranny of distance presents significant challenges for the health system. All kids should have access to the best available health care, no matter where they live.”

scans, down to Brisbane where specialists can provide diagnoses from afar.

In four of the six regional hospitals where the mobile telemedicine units are operating, they’ve taken the form of a child-friendly ‘robot’ and have already earned a legion of fans in both patients and clinicians.

For the past 10 years, the Centre for Online Health – an internationally recognised pioneer in telemedicine – has broken new ground in the use of telehealth to bring specialist paediatric services to regional Queensland.

It is now one of the largest providers of paediatric telemedicine (telepaediatrics) services in the world.

Since the centre began this work, more than 8500 telehealth consultations in 37 paediatric sub-specialties, such as burns and cardiology, have been conducted for more than 3000 regional families, saving them countless hours and kilometres in travel to Brisbane.

You helped make it happenThis year an Australian-first trial of a new mobile health screening service with the potential to revolutionise health care for indigenous children was launched in Cherbourg.

The idea behind the service was a sensible one: provide a remote community with a mobile clinic, fully equipped with medical facilities for the onboard assessment of children and telecommunications which enable information to be shared with Brisbane-based paediatric specialists from a distance.

This is just one way telemedicine is changing the way health care is delivered to country kids.

With your support, innovative applications of new communication technologies are also enabling doctors, whose tiny patients may be receiving specialist care at a different hospital, to attend ‘virtual ward rounds’ when local clinicians are discussing their progress.

These same custom-made mobile telemedicine units – which are fitted out with video-conferencing systems – are also beaming real-time video of regional children and babies and their x-rays and


… using technology to give sick kids living in some of Queensland’s most remote towns access to the same expert care as children living in Brisbane.

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When a striking new van, emblazoned with brightly coloured indigenous artwork, hit the streets of the tiny Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community of Cherbourg in January 2009, it was the talk of the town.

The mobile health clinic – Health-e-Screen4Kids – represented a new way of delivering health care to children in the region.

Staffed by a senior indigenous health worker, the mobile clinic is fitted out with all the equipment needed to test a child’s hearing and vision and conduct a general assessment of their health and well-being.

Once an assessment is done, clinical information including digital images and test results are uploaded to an online database located inside the van.

This information is then available to selected paediatric specialists based 300km away via a secure website. These specialists are responsible

for reviewing cases, identifying any problems and recommending the most appropriate treatment.

Studious and quietly-spoken Cherbourg primary school student Melissa was among the first children to be screened by the new service.

Her grandmother Francis says the check-up showed Melissa had some surprising health issues.

“She had to come down to Brisbane to get her tonsils out, adenoids removed and grommets put in her ears. I was surprised. She never complained of having sore ears, just a sore throat,” she says.

“I said to Melissa when she got her tonsils out, ‘oh Melissa no more snoring, that will be very good!’.

“It was good to find out about my grandchildren; all the mothers feel the same,” Francis says. “They’re doing a good job helping keep the kids healthy.”

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“I said to Melissa when she got her tonsils out, ‘oh Melissa no more

snoring, that will be very good!’.”

You’re helping work wonders for sick kids like Melissa


The trial is uncovering alarming rates of hearing loss in childrenCentre for Online Health Senior Research Fellow Dr Anthony Smith says the groundbreaking Health-e-Screen4Kids trial is uncovering alarming levels of hearing loss in children. Based on anecdotal evidence from medical experts, it is thought that up to 90 percent of indigenous children in regional communities have some form of preventable hearing loss.

In the first six months of the trial, more than half of all children in the target communities (590) have been assessed by the mobile health screening service. Of this group, about 40 percent have failed initial hearing tests and required follow-up care. This compares with just three percent of the Caucasian population.

“A comprehensive clinical database will provide some concrete evidence around the prevalence of hearing loss and other childhood chronic health conditions in this region,” Dr Smith says.

“During the three-year research trial, our aim is to dramatically improve the scope of routine screening services from an estimated 25 percent to over 90 percent of all indigenous children in the South Burnett region (including Cherbourg),” he says.

According to Dr Smith, an important feature of Health-e-Screen4Kids is the community involvement in the daily operation of the service.

“We have provided experienced health workers with the necessary equipment and technical support to carry out the health assessments. The community does an excellent job and is extremely committed to this project,” he says.

“Once the assessments are completed, paediatric ear, nose and throat surgeon Dr Chris Perry reviews the children’s results and identifies which kids need to be seen as a matter of priority. So when the surgical team travels out to the community, the kids with urgent conditions are treated according to clinical need.

“While we would like to see a significant drop in the number of kids with ear infections in these communities, our main objective is to ensure that primary and specialist health care services are delivered in the most efficient and effective manner.”

We couldn’t have done it without youDr Smith says trialling new telemedicine services like Health-e-Screen4Kids would not have been possible without the Foundation and its philanthropic supporters, particularly Virgin Blue, the Telstra Foundation and the Australian Children’s Trust.

“With the backing of the Foundation we can continue to develop and investigate novel telemedicine applications which have a genuine benefit for families living in regional and remote areas,” he says.

Thanks must also go to the following groups for their generous support of the Centre’s cutting-edge telehealth work:

Health-e-Screen4Kids project: the Sidney Myer Fund, Merret Foundation Gift Fund – Perpetual Trustees, Ian Potter Foundation, Zig Zag Foundation, Rio Tinto Aboriginal Fund, Grosvenor Foundation – Equity Trustees Ltd. Robots Project: Xstrata Copper and Mr Geoff Carrick.

Cecil Brown tests the hearing of Xapheniah Ramsey-Tanner, 2, with mum Sandra. Photo courtesty The Courier-Mail

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We’ve achieved a lot, but the true potential of telehealth is yet to be realisedWith your help, in 2009-2010 and beyond we hope to:

‘robot’ trial from general wards into intensive and emergency care situations. Currently the telephone is the primary way regional hospital staff seek out expert medical advice for seriously ill or injured children. The project would investigate using mobile video-conferencing technology to transmit the images, scans and other health information from very sick children in regional hospitals to paediatric specialists based in Brisbane. These specialists would be on the spot to diagnose and recommend treatment in consultation with local medical staff.

Telemedicine works wonders Regional doctors like Michael Williams often need to be in two places at once. Now they can be, thanks to telemedicine.

Each Thursday morning, within minutes of doing his rounds of the children’s ward in the Mackay Base Hospital, the Director of Child and Adolescent Health joins doctors on their walk through the neonatal intensive care unit at the Townsville Base Hospital to get an update on the progress of the tiny Mackay babies receiving care there.

Dr Williams says a mobile video-conferencing unit enables him to see and hear what’s happening at the baby’s bedside just as if he’s physically in the room.

“Some of our mothers are transferred up to Townsville before their babies are even born, so this is a good way for us to remain updated on the baby’s medical care and to meet the parents before they come back home,” he says.

The power of telemedicine was brought home to the experienced paediatrician when a nine-day-old baby went into cardiac failure in 2002.

“Within an hour of seeing the child we were on

The power of telemedicine

consultations carried out for children with burn injuries showed potential travel savings of about 1.4 million kilometres (this is the amount of travel families would have made to the Royal Children’s Hospital for appointments). This distance is the equivalent of two return trips to the Moon!

appointments at the Hospital are now done via video-conference

he 145 newborn babies who have undergone urgent cardiac consultations via video-conferencing over the past eight years, only five have required retrieval for specialist care in Brisbane. Without telemedicine many of these tiny babies would have been flown to Brisbane to be assessed by a cardiac specialist.

video-conference with specialists in Brisbane doing a heart scan to find out exactly what the problem was,” Dr Williams recalls.

“The parents were able to talk to the cardiologist directly and we were able to put the baby on the right management plan. It also allowed the heart surgeons to plan the baby’s surgery ahead of time so they were ready to proceed as soon as the infant arrived in Brisbane.”



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For reasons science cannot explain yet,

Jai’s body cannot digest food. He gets

all the nutrients an active little boy needs

through a tube.

Professor Peter SW Davies, Director of the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre

“Good nutrition is a key element in growth, development and well-being in all children. This is especially so in children with chronic and acute disease.”

Researchers are also looking at the role nutrition plays in the treatment and management of sick children.

This year researchers continued trialling a probiotic in the treatment of children with inflammatory bowel disease and examining new methods to determine nutritional status in children with cancer.

Other areas of research where new knowledge is being gained include infant feeding, growth, development and body composition and nutrition and genetics.

You’re helping unlock these secretsThe rising incidence of childhood obesity and the

domino effect it is having on lifestyle-related chronic

diseases in the community have health professionals

and governments worried.

In recent years health experts in countries around the

world have issued the following dire warning: if the

rapid rise in childhood obesity continues unchecked,

this generation of children may be the first in history

to die younger than their parents.

According to current figures, one in four Australian

children are now overweight or obese.

The impact of their expanding waistlines is being seen

on the hospital front line, with doctors now frequently

diagnosing children with type 2 diabetes and heart

disease – conditions previously only found in adults.

The Children’s Nutrition Research Centre, which is

at the forefront of paediatric nutrition research in

Australia, is working to better understand obesity

and the best nutritional diet to manage or improve

the condition in children.


… knowing the kind of ‘super diet’ healthy and sick children need to thrive and grow based on clinically-proven research.

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Jai is a medical mystery. For reasons no-one can explain, he can’t digest or absorb food.

Imagine being a kid and not being able to enjoy special treats like ice-cream or lollies, or even regular foods like bread, yoghurt or sausages. All these foods send Jai’s system haywire, giving him debilitating stomach cramps.

The only way he can get all the nutrients his active little body needs to grow and thrive, is by pumping a pre-digested liquid diet through a gastrostomy tube which he is hooked up to several times a day. Even though he can now have some gluten and dairy-free foods, his body simply can’t absorb the nutrients from them.

His mum Alison says because Jai was in and out of hospital from five weeks of age battling multiple complications and infections such as excess fluid on the brain, pneumonia, rotavirus, RSV and severe

reflux, his food allergies and malabsorption problems weren’t picked up until he was seven.

“We thought he wasn’t putting on weight because of everything else that was going on inside his little body,” she says.

“There’s no real answer to why it’s happening. His younger brother Eli has a known condition called eosinophilic oesophagitis (his oesophagus was torn as

a result of major food allergies) which also requires him to be fed through a tube. But his condition has a name and there’s knowledge around it.

“But Jai, we don’t know what’s causing it or how to fix it. We don’t know how long-term it’s going to be, if it will change as he matures or if it will rectify itself.

“We’ve just got to hope that by the time he wants to have children himself, more advancements might have been made to know whether it’s a condition that he could pass on.”

“We thought he wasn’t putting on weight because of everything

else that was going on inside his little body.”

You’re helping work wonders for sick kids like Jai

There’s a lot we don’t know about the role of nutrition in growth, development and healingThat’s why in 2009-2010 and beyond, with your support we hope to:

infant feeding and diet and their effect on later outcomes such as food allergy and overweight and obesity

scheme to train the next generation of nutrition researchers.


Food allergies are on the riseDirector of the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre Professor Peter SW Davies says the incidence of food allergies is continuing to rise, which is fuelling the urgency for more research to be done in this important area.

“Food allergies can be related to the timing of the introduction of certain solids into an infant diet,” Professor Davies says.

“We are trying to understand the relationship between early infant feeding and later outcomes, including allergy and response to potentially allergenic foods.”

We couldn’t have done it without youThe food we give infants and children can have a profound influence on their long-term health and quality of life.

That’s why there’s such an imperative to advance nutrition research.

Some of the new knowledge that Queensland’s nutrition researchers have gained in this field has only been possible through the generous support of the Woolworths Fresh Food Kids Hospital Appeal and the Australasian Paediatric Endocrine Group.

Nutrition researchers have shown children are literally pouring sugar down their throats Did you know?

15-18 teaspoons of sugar

contains about 13 teaspoons of sugar and 4.5 teaspoons of fat

10 teaspoons of sugar.



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Playing with a cigarette lighter in the backyard of his

home, Dylan sparked a potentially deadly

fire that left him with extensive burns.

Professor Roy Kimble, Director of the Centre for Children’s Burns Research

“We’re no longer in a battle to

save the lives of kids with burns. Scarring is the

biggest challenge now and how to

prevent it.”

If successful it could lead to major improvements in the way people with extensive burns are treated by reducing or eliminating the need for doctors to take skin grafts from other sites of a patient’s body. Instead new skin could be recreated from a patient’s own cells to heal painful burn wounds. Headway is also being made on a range of other long-term studies focused solely on reducing the devastating scars that result from burns injuries.

Researchers have taken their world-first finding that an unborn foetus will heal a burn without scarring and have isolated a protein from foetal wounds that could be added to wound dressings to help heal burns faster. Many of the modern-day changes to the treatment and management of burns have emanated out of the leading-edge research performed right here in Brisbane.

With your help its brilliant and passionate researchers are continuing to make major medical breakthroughs that are shaping tomorrow’s treatment and management of burns today.

You’re helping researchers inch closer to this goalYou only get one skin. So when babies are seriously burned by fire at the start of life, they can face more than 50 operations by adulthood to mend their deeply damaged skin. Preventing children from experiencing this fate is at the heart of some of the wide-ranging research which has been undertaken at the world-leading Centre for Children’s Burns Research this year.

Few parents who have a treadmill or hair straightener would realise the incredible danger these new lifestyle must-haves pose to the safety of their children.

But researchers have identified an ‘epidemic’ of burns cases resulting from a child’s natural curiosity to touch and play with these common household devices. Off the back of these research findings important public awareness campaigns have been developed to warn parents about the dangers and improve design and safety standards.

However, despite ongoing efforts to reduce injuries, more than 700 children with burns attended the Royal Children’s Hospital this year.

That’s why the Centre is also at the forefront of groundbreaking research into improving the treatment of burns. This year researchers commenced studies into recreating human skin from a patient’s own cells. This long-term study, which is part of a wide-ranging “scar wars” project, could turn science fiction into science fact.


… a time when a child with burns could heal without scarring.

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Every year 6000 Australian children receive emergency hospital treatment for burns injuries, mostly sustained around the home. In 2007 Goodna Primary School student Dylan, then 10, was one of them.

When he found a cigarette lighter and set fire to a small pile of leaves, the active young boy couldn’t have foreseen the dangerous chain reaction his natural childhood curiosity would set off.

Dylan’s jeans immediately caught fire causing him to jump around and knock over a petrol can beside his quad bike. This saw the small fire he had lit erupt into a minor inferno.

When he raced into the house to alert his dad Guy to the fire, Dylan didn’t tell him that he’d been burned. But he’d been seriously injured – only he wasn’t showing any tell-tale angry red splotches generally associated with burns.

“People see a red mark when they burn their finger on

an iron. But when it covers a big area, it’s pretty much unnoticeable until it all starts to go wrong,” Guy says.

For Dylan and his family the true extent of his injuries didn’t emerge until the next day when the skin on his

left arm and hand, right knee and forehead started to swell and blister.

He spent three weeks in hospital and underwent four painful

operations for skin grafting and dressing changes.

“He was very lucky when they did the grafting, the majority of which is on his left arm and back of his hand. They managed to do it very seamlessly, with two big strips of skin, so he doesn’t have that patchwork appearance that you see on some burns victims,” Guy says. “And instead of wearing a compression garment for two years, he only had to wear it for eight months.”

Guy says new dressings that weren’t available even a year before Dylan’s accident, also helped improve his healing and reduced his discomfort.

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“With kids you want the minimum trauma possible

for every single stage of the burns healing process.”

You’re helping work wonders for burns survivors like Dylan

Groundbreaking research is improving the treatment of burnsDirector of the Centre for Children’s Burns Research Professor Roy Kimble says researchers are looking at “every single aspect of the journey of our patients through burns – from prevention right through to scar management and rehabilitation”.

“Obviously if we can prevent it happening, that’s the best thing,” Professor Kimble says.

One of our eight PhD students recently completed several years of research into the best first aid treatment for burns.

Professor Kimble says the study’s finding that cold running water is the best first aid treatment for burns is now being adopted around the world.

“We’ve dispelled all the myths about ice and alternative treatments like aloe vera and tea tree oil,” he says. “We’ve shown water lessens the depth of the burn, which speeds up healing, which in turn limits scarring.”

But prevention is only one front researchers are fighting burns injuries on. Professor Kimble says a multitude of laboratory studies are also underway to tackle the “big enemy of burns – hypertrophic scarring”.

As part of the “scar wars” project, researchers are investigating a range of approaches to prevent the unsightly, thick, red, raised scars which result from severe burns.

They are also undertaking complex laboratory studies to grow skin and develop dressings with special foetal proteins that help heal burns faster.


We couldn’t have done it without youProfessor Kimble says the invaluable support of groups like the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS), through Bike4Burns, the Firefighters’ Calendar and the QFRS Payroll Giving program, is helping take research from “bench to bedside”.

“The techniques we’re using now and the great reduction we’ve been able to achieve in scarring, are a direct result of the studies we’ve been doing in the lab,” he says.

“We know from our studies that for certain burns, if you operate very early and remove the dead tissue and cover that burn with special biological dressings that we’ve developed, then you can get the wound to heal faster.

“The faster a wound heals the less scarring there’ll be.”

Other supporters who have also given generously to support burns research include Mick Power AM, the Cressbrook Committee and Eureka Landscapes.

New lifestyle burn trapsResearch into the way kids get burned has uncovered some deadly traps around the home:

treatment for friction burns from treadmills, with about half of these children needing painful skin grafts

emergency treatment for hair straightener burns, with half of these children also requiring skin grafts.

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We’ve made some amazing advances, but there’s still so much more to doWith your help, our hope in 2009-2010 and beyond is to:

our “scar wars” project to reduce and ultimately one day eliminate the scarring suffered by children with burns injuries

hazards and sharing our findings with the community to prevent burns injuries

treatment for burns to determine how this first aid works.

Margaretha Kempf, (left) research assistant, burns, and Marjorie D’Souza, PhD student, burns

Dr James McMillan, laboratory head, burns, and Ashley Pei-Yun Liu, research assistant, burns



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Meningococcal disease stole Brayden’s right hand, the

fingers on his left hand, part of his left leg and the toes on his

right foot – but not his spirit.

Despite significant breakthroughs in the

identification of different bacteria and

viruses circulating in the community, the underlying

cause of respiratory illnesses in one in four

Queensland children cannot be diagnosed.

As soon as an advisory was issued recommending all Australians returning from affected countries be screened for the virus, a team of researchers swung into action to develop a rapid swine flu test.

Within 10 short days, researchers completed their mission, creating a one-hour test that confirmed the first case of swine flu in Australia.

The test was then shared with laboratories around the nation.

This is one of a raft of breathtaking breakthroughs in infectious diseases research you helped make possible.

With your support researchers could one day achieve this ambitious goalInfectious diseases are the biggest killers of children worldwide.

While researchers have identified many of the viruses that cause some of these infections, they don’t know all of them.

Finding new viruses and developing rapid testing to accurately and swiftly diagnose childhood infections are the driving forces behind groundbreaking research at the Queensland Paediatric Infectious Diseases Laboratory.

A significant part of the lab’s work is looking at emerging viruses within the community and their impact on children.

So when news first broke of the swine flu outbreak overseas in April this year, the ears of infectious disease researchers at the lab pricked up.


… being able to identify, within one hour, the “bug” attacking a child’s system and how to treat it in 100 percent of cases.

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It was the lightning speed and ferocity of the meningococcal disease that Mackay mother Amanda still can’t get over. Within six hours of showing signs of a fever, her bubbly 22-month-old son Brayden became very lethargic and quiet and couldn’t stand on his own.

Amanda immediately took him to her local hospital. About half an hour later, the tell-tale red spots of meningococcal disease started appearing. Eight hours after that, little Brayden clinically died for one minute, but was revived by hospital staff.

Within 24 hours he was flown to the Royal Children’s Hospital for emergency care. But the real battle was only just beginning. After he was stabilised septic shock stopped the blood flow to his hands and feet.

Amanda faced a terrible ultimatum – do nothing and gangrene would set in, putting Brayden’s life in greater jeopardy, or consent to having the affected limbs amputated.

It was a “Clayton’s decision”. “I didn’t have a choice,” Amanda says. “That was so hard, to sign my name

to do it, but I knew I had to otherwise I wouldn’t have my little boy,” she says.

Doctors removed Brayden’s right hand down to his wrist, the fingers from his left hand down to the first

knuckle, his left leg to the knee and the toes on his right foot. Brayden spent three months in hospital recovering from meningococcal disease and surgery. A few months after he returned home, he had his first prosthesis fitted.

When Brayden, now 5, asks about his leg and why he’s different to the other kids, his mum tells him that his “leg got sick and the doctor had to take it off”.

Meningococcal disease has forever left its mark on Brayden’s body, but not his spirit.

“It hasn’t stopped him at all,” Amanda laughs. “I still have to run after him.”

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When Brayden, now 5, asks about his leg and why he’s different

to the other kids, his mum tells him that his “leg got sick and the

doctor had to take it off”.

You’re working wonders for kids like Brayden


Research has given children a fighting chance against meningococcal diseaseEver year about 125 Queensland children contract meningococcal disease. The test used to diagnose the meningococcal bacteria in Brayden was developed in 2001 with research funded by the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

The rapid-fire test slashed the waiting time for results from three days to just one hour – a breakthrough that has helped slow the damage the deadly disease can do to children. Co-unit Director of the Queensland Paediatric Infectious Diseases Laboratory and “Bug Detective” Associate Professor Michael Nissen says replicating the success of advances like the meningococcal test drives much of the current infectious diseases research program.

“What motivates and inspires us is bringing rapid testing closer to the patient, so the clinician can get fast and accurate results and then treat children early for the infection,” Associate Professor Nissen says.

“That’s why we need to work out which are the important microbes and which are the ones we can readily test for, so we can bring that technology to the clinician and the bedside,” he says.

“Our work is looking after every-day children who have respiratory tract infections, gut infections, bone and joint infections and children with decreased immunity to infection, such as those with cancer. Over the past 10 years the identification of respiratory viruses has improved dramatically. Ten years ago we could only ascribe a virus to 60 percent of children with respiratory illnesses in Queensland. Today we can now diagnose about 75 percent. Our Holy Grail is to test 100 percent of children, name the cause of their infection within an hour and prescribe the best treatment.”

We couldn’t have done it without youBreakthroughs in infectious disease research are only possible with the support of generous donors like Woolworths.

With your support Queensland’s “Bug Detectives” have achieved some amazing firsts:2001 – developed a world-first test that reduced the diagnosis time for the deadly meningococcal disease from three days to less than one hour

2002 – first in Australia to identify a new respiratory virus – human metapneumovirus (hMPV) – which affects the majority of children by the age of five

2004 – first in Australia to discover the human Coronavirus NL63 – a respiratory virus that belongs to the same family as SARS – in children

2007 – world-first discovery of a new childhood respiratory virus – the WU polyomavirus – that may have links to cancer.

Only with your help, could we ever hope to achieve our goal of a perfect diagnosis rateWith your support in 2009-2010 we hope to:

swine flu next winter when it’s likely to re-emerge in full force, by further examining its severity and resistance to Tamiflu

how common it is in children with respiratory illnesses and how it affects them. This could lead to improved testing and diagnosis

which common ones affecting children in the first two years of life cause the most disease.



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Jack was just four weeks old when his parents were told he had cystic fibrosis –

a life-threatening disease with no cure.

More than 50 percent of Australian infants will be affected by some kind of respiratory virus in their first year of life. By the age of two this figure will have almost doubled to a staggering 95 percent.

While there is ongoing research to find a cure, researchers in Queensland are also investigating how to improve the quality of life of children living with cystic fibrosis.

The focus of current research is the bugs and bacteria that can lead to severe respiratory infections which damage the lungs of these children and ultimately limit their life expectancy.

Researchers believe there’s a real opportunity to prevent or delay this damage in the first year or more of life if they can identify how these bugs find their way into the little bodies of children with cystic fibrosis and identify ways to reduce this exposure.

Their hope is to show that early monitoring and active intervention in infants improves the prognosis of children born with cystic fibrosis.

Your support is helping researchers unlock the secrets of childhood respiratory illnessesWatching a child struggle to breathe is a frightening experience nearly every Australian family will experience at some time.

That’s why the imperative to better understand chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, bronchitis and cystic fibrosis is so great.

This year the internationally-recognised Queensland Children’s Respiratory Centre at the Royal Children’s Hospital continued its quest to prevent and better manage respiratory illnesses in children.

One of its priority research areas has been cystic fibrosis – the most common life-threatening recessive genetic condition affecting Australian children.

Every year about one in 2500 babies born in Australia is affected by the condition which has no cure.

Once almost universally fatal in childhood, research has already dramatically improved the life expectancy of sufferers with most now living into adulthood.


… being able to eliminate or reduce lung disease in adults by identifying and treating respiratory illnesses in children.

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Unlike many five-year-olds, Jack is not afraid of doctors, needles or hospitals.

In fact, he’s spent so much time in and out of hospital, getting scans, x-rays and finger prick tests, it’s just a normal part of growing up for him.

Jack has cystic fibrosis – a life-threatening condition which has added nebuliser treatments, chest physiotherapy and the ingestion of 30 different tablets to his daily routine. His parents do this just to keep him healthy.

“He’s just great,” Jack’s devoted mum Toni says of her son’s acceptance of his condition. “We’ll go to the Hospital and we’ll go to get a blood test and he’ll just hold out what finger he wants, or just hold it out knowing he will get a sticker or something like that as a reward,” she says.

“He knows that he has to go through some of these things to keep him healthier.”

It’s hard to comprehend that the bright-eyed little boy with the ear-to-ear-smile is battling a debilitating disease which has no cure.

But children carry the signs of cystic fibrosis on the inside. They suffer serious lung and digestive problems – they don’t make a critical

protein, causing mucus in the lungs and pancreas to become thick and sticky. This means digestion doesn’t work properly. It also puts sufferers at greater risk of infection because it’s the perfect environment for bacteria to grow.

Despite his parents’ vigilance, Jack’s been hospitalised six times for respiratory infections.

“The minute he catches anything his cough starts and it’s relentless,” Toni says. “Whereas you or I might have a cough for two weeks, his standard is about six weeks even with medication and antibiotics.”

“Whereas you or I might have a cough for two weeks, his standard

is about six weeks even with medication and antibiotics.”

You’re helping work wonders for sick kids like Jack

We are making progress, but success takes timeIn 2009-2010 with your support we will:

making advancements that extend the lives of children living with this life-threatening condition

understand the causes of childhood asthma, which is the most widespread chronic health problem in Australia, affecting one in four children

factors, such as cigarette smoke and other allergens, on the respiratory health of children, and identify how to intervene early to reduce or halt the respiratory chain reaction they set off in children.


On a good day – which is every day he’s not in hospital – Jack’s just like any other curious, fun-loving youngster who loves play tackling and running around with his adoring three-year-old brother Luke.

If Jack had been born 20 years ago he wouldn’t have lived beyond his teens.

Today, thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, improved treatment and dedicated and brilliant researchers and clinicians, he has every chance of living into his late thirties.

Toni is grateful for the extra years these advances have bought her son, but it still isn’t enough and never will be for parents facing the prospect of living longer than their children.

“If Jack says, ‘Will I be able to ride a motorbike?’ I say, ‘Yes of course’. But in the back of my mind I wonder whether he’ll be around to,” she says. “That’s the hardest thing.”

Research is helping improve and extend the lives of children living with cystic fibrosis That’s why Jack, Toni and the rest of their family have taken part in research studies.

“We’ve taken part because anything the researchers do gives them more information to assist us to fight for Jack and for others like him,” Toni says.

Professor Alan Isles says cystic fibrosis isn’t as well known in the wider community because it doesn’t have the same profile as other diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

“Researchers are fighting cystic fibrosis on two fronts,” Professor Isles says.

“We’re continuing to look into the early detection and treatment of bacteria which finds its way into infant airways and multiplies, causing nasty infections and complications,” he says.

“We’re also part of a national trial to determine if early detection and treatment improves the prognosis and outcome for children with cystic fibrosis.”

We couldn’t have done it without you Unravelling the mystery of respiratory illnesses such as cystic fibrosis could not have been possible without the support of patrons like the Telstra Foundation, BMA Coal, Big W and the Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union.

You’ve already helped shed light on some of the burning questions in this critical research area.

Thanks must also go to the Beryl Graham Family Fund – Perpetual Trustees, the ANZ Trustees, the AMAQ Foundation Limited and the Cressbrook Committee for their backing of this important work.



hope healing

spiritbelieve

laughter

59

Chelsi, 3, is a paraplegic following a car accident that

also left her mother with serious injuries. But nothing

can dim the light in this brave little girl’s eyes.

This year almost 30,000 children experienced the magic of the Wonder Factory.

Patients and their brothers and sisters can choose from a multitude of activities, such as making cards, racing cars, colouring-in and watching DVDs.

For teenage patients there’s even a place called ‘the zone’ where they can close the door, like they do at home, and chill out, surf the Net, email their friends or just play games.

Children can also take a bit of Wonder Factory magic back to their hospital beds by borrowing a favourite movie, board game, toy or book.

A lot of work has been done this year to catalogue more than 5000 books ahead of the opening of the ‘book bunker’ next year.

This year the Wonder Factory opened another window of fun for kids, extending its hours to open for a third two-hour slot in the morning from 10am-12noon.

With your support we’re continuing to add a touch of wonder to the lives of sick kidsIn a child’s world, some of the most exciting places can be found in books.

So it’s not surprising that the Wonder Factory at the Royal Children’s Hospital conjures up images of the childhood classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

While the walls don’t taste like lollies and there’s no river of chocolate running through it, the brightly coloured Wonder Factory holds the same promise of fun.

The Wonder Factory, which underwent a major refurbishment more than a year ago, is an escape for sick kids – a safe haven away from medical procedures and serious faces.

It’s a place where they can slip back into normal life for a little while and remember what it’s like to be a regular kid again.


… creating a welcoming place where children can forget about their illness and just be kids and where the only medicine dispensed is kindness and laughter.

imagine...

This gave the little ones who don’t attend school and the many day visitors to the Hospital the chance to have some fun.

The kids entertainment hub has not only proved a drawcard for children, but also special visitors including, clowns, magicians, Australia Zoo’s Creature Feature, bands, medieval sword fighters, monster trucks, the Queensland Theatre Company and representatives from the army, navy, police and fire authority.

The Hospital’s four-legged friends from the Pet Therapy program, Dolly and Nikki, Lockie, Wolfie and Hamish also continued their regular visits to the wards, leaving a trail of smiling faces in their wake.

In addition to the visiting entertainers and pets, television remains an important distraction for the Hospital’s little patients.

This year we changed the format of the stations broadcast into the wards to meet the needs of patients of different ages.

Toddlers now have a station with all their favourite programs, like Dora the Explorer and The Wiggles. Teenagers also have their own dedicated movie channel.

School is another part of every day life which is also replicated at the Hospital. However, some children can’t get out of their beds to make it to class, so the school goes to them.

This year the Adam Scott Foundation made bedside schooling a little easier with the donation of mini-laptops.

The small portable computers are loaded up with a range of learning programs which enable kids to keep up with their studies.

laughter laughter laughter

61

While the walls don’t taste like lollies and there’s no river of chocolate running through it, the brightly

coloured Wonder Factory holds the same promise of fun.

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We’re also investing your valuable donations in a range of other support services and research programs to help sick children and their families.

Welcome satchels Going to hospital can be an anxious and stressful experience for children and their families. Many don’t know what to expect or what support is available.

That’s why, with the help of Xstrata Coal, the Foundation has produced a welcome pack with all kinds of comfort items to support kids and their families during their time in hospital. There’s even a teddy to cuddle and information on Foundation services, like relaxing massages for parents.

Caring for our most vulnerableThey are the most vulnerable members of our community – children who have been abused and neglected.

With the support of Golden Casket, research is being conducted into serious child protection issues to strengthen and promote ways to prevent, assess and respond to child abuse and neglect.

A major focus of the research effort this year was a study on abusive head trauma in Queensland infants and a study of the health needs of children in care.

The findings from both studies will help inform prevention and support programs that will hopefully make a difference to the lives of these children.

Jahmarley, 10, (left) with his younger brother Peter, 8. Their older brother Jared, 16, was in hospital for a bone marrow transplant

63

Music magicMusic is a powerful form of therapy for sick kids.

With the support of Xstrata Coal, the Hospital’s Music Therapy Department runs two therapy groups for regional children aged between one and 12 who either have a chronic illness or spend long periods in hospital.

The groups provide an opportunity for our children and parents to connect with others who have had a similar medical experience and also allow children to express their feelings through music and other age-appropriate activities.

It’s often very difficult for children living in regional areas to continue this important therapy after they leave hospital.

But thanks to some generous donors now they can. With the help of an anonymous donor, Dorothy Stringer OAM and BICARE, researchers developed an educational music therapy CD-Rom for regional therapists, parents, carers and teachers.

The CD, which is the first of its kind in Australia, also contained an interactive music program that children with acquired brain injury could use after leaving hospital.

Making life easier While life may seem to stand still when you have a sick child in hospital, in reality it continues on quietly in the background.

Bills still need to be paid and friends and family still want to keep in touch. To make balancing the needs of a sick child with the demands of daily living a littler easier, this year Xstrata Coal funded internet kiosks in every ward. It’s just a simple way of helping parents take care of those little worries, so they can concentrate on the really important mission – to help their children get well.

Wonder StationsTaking that Wonder Factory magic back to the wards was at the heart of a research project completed by the Centre for Online Health this year.

Researchers developed a prototype Wonder Station which incorporated music, movies, games, the internet, educational tools and hospital information into a mobile unit that patients could use at their bedside.

Investigating the idea could not have been possible without the generous support of Harvey Norman.

Hayley, 3, (left) and Chelsi, 3, with volunteer Steven


Big hearts lend a handThis year about 500 volunteers committed almost 35,000 hours (the equivalent of $845,000) to supporting children and families at the Hospital.

They hail from a range of professions and generations, but are united by their simple desire to help make life a little easier for sick kids and their families.

These volunteers are the smiling faces who greet families at the entrance to the Hospital and help them find their way through the maze of corridors and wards, easing the stress and anxiety of getting lost or running late.

They are the men and women who staff the Wonder Factory and bring a little ray of sunshine into the wards.

They entertain and play games with the children – giving mum and dad or another family member a much-needed chance to have a breather, go to the loo or grab a coffee.

They are the ones who sit with parents before a child enters theatre to explain the process, help them gown up, guide them into theatre and slip them a tissue when it’s all too much.

But our volunteers are not just attached to the Hospital.

We also have a network of dedicated volunteers working in community child health centres across Brisbane.

They support mothers’ groups in various centres as well as provide important administrative and back-up support to centre staff.

Volunteer Lois with Nikkita, 4, who has epilepsy

Volunteers Gina (left) and Rebecca

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When Lois’ eldest son turned 23, she asked him the burning question many mothers ask their adult children: ‘When am I going to be a grandmother?’

When her son informed her it would be at least seven years before she could play with, read to and cuddle any future grandchildren, Lois started looking for volunteering opportunities in the community where she could help children.

“I rang the Royal Children’s to see if perhaps I could go and read to the little ones.

“I love children so that’s how it all really started,” she recalls.

After being prodded and poked by nurses and doctors, Lois says the children were initially wary of another strange adult.

But they warmed to her and within minutes were engrossed in play.

“I believe all children, no matter how ill they are, still want to play and do fun things,” she says.

Creating make-believe adventures, hosting tea parties and shaping play doh into interesting shapes, are the highlights of Lois’ Monday ward visits.

During her 12 years at the Hospital, Lois has met thousands of little patients and is well-known to many of the long-term families.

In addition to her volunteer work at the Hospital, Lois also spends time with the Leukaemia Foundation and still does tuckshop duty at her son’s old school.

This year the dedicated 59-year-old was recognised for her 30 years of service to the community with an Order of Australia Medal.

Lois says the medal was a huge surprise and a little overwhelming.

She doesn’t expect recognition or praise for lending a hand where it’s needed.

“If you have a child who’s unwell and all of a sudden you have them laughing – that’s the best reward,” she says.

Lois now has a few more children to entertain these days after her son made good on his promise to make her a grandmother.

She says she’s now added climbing through small holes and somersaults to her extensive resume of play.

Meet one of our special volunteers


With your support, in 2009-2010 we will:

in the Royal Children’s Hospital some extra comfort and cuddles when their parents can’t be there, through the introduction of a new ‘Cuddle Carers’ program staffed by trained volunteers

to recharge their batteries and relax through the expansion of free massages, which are provided by fully qualified therapists who donate their time

new ‘book bunker’ which will house more than 5000 books for children to borrow.

You’ve helped bring laughter into the lives of sick children

Jethro, 4. His sister Angelique, 2, was in hospital recovering from complications following a tonsillectomy

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Little Jake, 3, has been in and out of hospital his

whole life with stomach and bowel problems. But the

cuddles and comfort of his great grandmother Patricia

make his stays a little easier.


courage hope

spirit

legacy

An enduring giftLeaving a legacy that will help improve the quality of life for sick children is a powerful and enduring gift.

This year 21 generous donors bequeathed part of their estate to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation to work wonders for sick kids.

Some were simply passionate about making life better for children struck down by illness or injury. Others were well-known to the Foundation and had a strong connection to the Hospital, either through spending time there as a child themselves or having visited a tiny family member.

Many families choose to leave a residual gift or a portion of their estate so that, despite the movements in the broader economy, their intentions remain unchanged.

These incredible acts of philanthropy drive discoveries that help reduce the pain and time children spend in hospital and ultimately help them lead longer and richer lives.


… leaving a legacy that helps work wonders for sick kids now and in the future.

imagine...

A lovely surpriseWhen the Foundation received an unexpected letter in the mail in March 2008, no-one was prepared for the breathtaking moment that followed.

The letter, written by the lawyer of an elderly Gold Coast couple, contained news that the Foundation had been named as the sole beneficiary of their estate.

“It came out of the blue. We didn’t know about it,” Royal Children’s Hospital CEO Karenlee Spillane recalls.

Mr and Mrs Alexander McIvor, who their lawyer described as a good natured, but quiet couple, hadn’t had any previous contact with the Foundation.

“It was a lovely surprise. We certainly would have loved to have known simply to have expressed our untold thanks for this wonderful gift while they were still alive,” Ms Spillane says.

The bequest, which totalled $580,000, was the most significant received this year and is already making a difference to childhood research. The McIvors’ generosity will pay enormous dividends into the future as the Hospital’s dedicated researchers apply themselves to unravelling the mysteries of some of the most serious illnesses and diseases affecting children here and around the world.

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This year we received enduring gifts from:

Estate of Alexander McIvorEstate of Oriel Rose Conaghan

Estate of Thelma Gertrude Elizabeth MooreEstate of Irene Ivory Sutcliffe

Estate of Gwendoline Muriel WilsonEstate of Geoffrey John Shepherd

Estate of Olga DenhamEstate of June Marie Brewer

Estate of Marjorie Ethel EastEstate of Dianne Elizabeth Schabel

Estate of Frank Ernest ThomasEstate of Dorothy Anne Foreman

Estate of Orme Augusta Marsh BlackEstate of Clifton Davies

Estate of Florence Maynor SmithEstate of Norman Hurll

Estate of Veronica May PickardEstate of Isabel Margaret Sim

Estate of Frances BernsteinEstate of Reginald Neale SteeleEstate of Barbara Monica Goy



courage hope

spirit

reaching out… across the state

Sickness knows no boundaries Queensland’s sickest and most seriously injured children are treated at the Royal Children’s Hospital with more than 50 percent coming from rural and regional parts of our state and northern New South Wales. That equates to five children a week being transferred to Brisbane for specialist care.

Cape York

6

Cairns and Hinterland

540

Townsville296

Mt Isa135

Torres Strait- Northern Peninsula

18

Central West80

Mackay252

South West98

Central Queensland527

Interstateand Overseas

727

IN-PATIENT SEPARATIONS

BY DISTRICT 2008-2009

SEE SEQ INSET

SEE SEQ INSET

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

INSET

Darling Downs-

West Moreton

1404

Sunshine Coast-

Wide Bay1939

Metro North

9730

Metro South

3427Gold CoastGold Coast

966966

Not only do rural and regional kids need support when they’re in Brisbane, they also need it when they return home. Thanks to the generosity of our major partners BMA Coal, Coles, Regional Radio Kids Xmas Appeal, Woolworths and Xstrata Coal, we’ve been able to fund important medical equipment and other services to make life a little brighter for sick kids in the regions.

This year we reached out to local hospital foundations to support them in their vital fundraising efforts. We took our Christmas Appeal on the road for the first time to Cairns, Townsville, Mackay and the Sunshine Coast to work with local foundations to raise money for much needed hospital equipment and services in these major regional centres. It’s all about ensuring regional children have access to the best health care to help them overcome or live as comfortably as possible with their illness or injury.

Thanks must also go to Xstrata Copper for investing in our ‘Robots telehealth program’ which is helping sick kids in regional Queensland.

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Levi, 5, neurofibromatosis type 1, with volunteer Sophia

Virtual care When children with cancer get the all-clear to return home, it’s not the end, but rather the start of another phase in their recovery.

Most will need ongoing treatment and check-ups to ensure their cancer doesn’t return.

Each year more than 120 Queensland children are diagnosed with cancer – the majority of these children live in regional and remote areas.

Thanks to a new research project funded by the BHP Billiton Cannington Community Fund, these children may not have to travel to Brisbane for their ongoing specialist care. Researchers are investigating how the internet and webcam technology can be used to support ‘virtual appointments’ between regional children and their Brisbane-based doctors.

This has the potential to reduce the long distances many regional patients and their parents have to travel and the family stress and upheaval such travel can cause.

However, where children do need to travel to Brisbane for care, researchers are also looking at how to use webcams to link in family members who have to stay at home. This way everyone can be involved in the discussion with the specialist and get the information they need first-hand.

Recycling saves kidsMining and medical miracles aren’t two subjects that you’d usually associate together.

But mine sites this year found a valuable use for their scrap metal – to work wonders for sick kids.

The Recycling for Kids program creates the opportunity for mine sites to quickly and easily collect scrap metal, move it off site and donate the funds out of its sale to the Foundation.

Some of the funds raised go to caring for kids in regional hospitals, with the balance invested in groundbreaking research and medical equipment to help sick kids at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

The first mine site to embrace the new program was Emerald’s BMA Coal Gregory Crinum Mine. The site recycled more than 700 tonnes of scrap metal this year, raising more than $230,000.

Half the funds went towards purchasing specialised equipment for children in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emerald Hospital. The remaining half was invested in respiratory research at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Levi, 5, with volunteer Anne

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courage hope

spirit

reaching out… across the nation

Australians have big hearts. That’s why five of Australia’s leading Children’s Hospital Foundations are working together to give corporate Australia a way to help sick kids across the nation.

Children’s Hospital Foundations Australia (CHFA) provides a single gateway for big companies that may have a presence in a number of states, to raise funds for groundbreaking research to help Australia’s sickest kids.

This year the national partnership received a major boost with the announcement that Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC would be its patron.

Governor-General Her Excellency Quentin Bryce


The national partnership has helped little lives shine all over Australia this year thanks to the support of its generous corporate donors.

Thanks to their support we recruited a second staff member to the role of National Development Manager.

We also presented our vision ‘Helping Little Lives Shine’ through a new website and collateral. Our Heartfelt thanks to Digital Garden for their probono website development and ongoing multimedia support.

Bank of Queensland continued its exceptional commitment to child health with branches, staff and customers raising more than $170,000 through the ‘Banking on our Kids’ appeal.

Jake, 13, auto immune enteropathy

Philips Australia staff and customers helped little lives shine through innovative fundraising opportunities and by donating profits from sales of light bulbs and headphones. Other Cause Related Marketing partners included Crest Electronics, PartyLite, Bloom, Toot’n’Tinkle, Living Image, Supercheap Auto, Female Friendly, Gyrocar, Playtime Hometime, The Coffee Club, Gecko, Charity Greeting Cards and Unique Ceramics.

Collins Foods Groups launched their Workplace Giving program achieving an unprecedented level of staff commitment with over 75 percent of staff in some restaurants regularly donating. Other companies offering staff the opportunity to support child health pre-tax through their pay included Coles Group Ltd, SKILLED Group, Bank of Queensland, Baxter, Host Plus, Amalgamated Holdings, J P Morgan, ASIC, ABB, Supercheap Auto Group, Departments of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Trade, Science, Education and Training, Health and Ageing, Finance and Regulation, and CRS Australia.

As the first company to support the ‘Investing In Hope’ Dividend Donations program, thanks go to Bank of Queensland and its shareholders for continuing their support as well as to Australasia Investor Relations Association, Computershare, Link, Orion Equities, Queste Communications and Cue & A for their assistance in promoting this concept.

In its third successful year, Rugby League’s One Community raised funds and awareness for children’s hospitals.

Sincere thanks to all companies and individuals who donated time, money or services to raise funds and awareness for the national Foundation collective.

Thank you Pengana, Count Wealth Accountants, Cam White, Pharmacy Online, AIRA, BBS PR, Ian MacIntosh, Melinda Ransom, De Pasquale, Yippee-Yi-Yo and Digital Pacific.

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Bailey, (left) who is in remission from leukaemia and best friend Samuel attend a Sharks v Dragons game thanks to Rugby League’s One Community program


friends discovery hope inspiringstrength

courage hope

spirit

Georgina Lewis, Network Ten news presenter

“There’s no greater reward than seeing the eyes of a sick child light up. They are the ones who remind us how precious life is and how much we must cherish it.”

Network Ten news presenter Georgina Lewis with Georgia, 5, limb reconstruction Photo courtesy The Courier-Mail

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imagine...This year we were again overwhelmed by the generosity of our many celebrity partners who lent us their time and star power to work wonders for sick kids.

Legendary golfer Peter Senior has achieved some incredible milestones during his career on the golf course. This year he achieved one off the green, when his fundraising efforts surpassed the magic million dollar mark. Peter, who has been associated with the Foundation for more than a decade, hosted some big charity events for us this year including an inaugural Celebrity Sportsman’s Lunch and a Pro-Am which gave amateur golfers the chance to play alongside their idol. Peter has been a long-time supporter of the oncology unit at the Royal Children’s Hospital and through his work with the Peter Senior Charity Club Japan, has also raised vital funds for liver transplant research.

We’re also proud to call one of Queensland’s favourite sons, Broncos’ captain Darren Lockyer, our friend. This year Darren gave up his time to sit for a portrait by talented artist Nikyla Smith. The combination of Darren’s image and Nikyla’s artistic talent proved a winner with a generous rugby league fan happy to part with $21,000 for the original painting. But fans who couldn’t bid didn’t miss out, with 100 limited edition framed and autographed prints also sold. Together the portrait and prints raised more than $65,000 for sick kids.

Network Ten news presenter Georgina Lewis has been a long-term supporter of the Foundation and is never too busy to lend a hand. This year she threw her

support behind the Everest Virtual Challenge which dared Queensland’s business community to put together teams to make a virtual trek up

Mount Everest.

Olympic swimmer Duncan Armstrong is another great Queenslander who loves working wonders for sick kids. This year he helped promote our Swim4Kids campaign and despite his career in the pool, he wasn’t a fish out of water as our ambassador for

the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Bike4Burns annual charity bike ride. Duncan rode the final leg of the Rockhampton to Brisbane journey helping raise more than $30,000 for burns research.

The motivations behind our celebrity partners’ acts of kindness are sometimes very personal. Ten years ago, retired Australian and Queensland cricketer Jimmy Maher was touched by the battle of young cancer patient Jim Bazley. He became very close with the Bazley family before Jim passed away and still keeps in touch. In August he shared the limelight at his own tribute lunch celebrating his 10-year cricketing career when he acknowledged the brave battle of Jim and kids like him. Jimmy raised more than $20,000 at the lunch for neuroblastoma research and continues to help raise funds for the Friends of Jimmy Bazley Neuroblastoma Research Fund.

Foundation friend and rugby league strongman Billy Slater touched our hearts when he sent us his $20,000 prize purse from winning Rexona’s Greatest Athlete. The contest pitted Billy against the likes of Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker.

… being able to call some of Queensland’s and Australia’s favourite sporting stars and

television celebrities your friends.

We can and we’re grateful for their incredible support

“People reckon rugby league is a sport for warriors and gladiators.

But what we do on the field is nothing compared to the battles

some of Queensland’s sickest kids face every day. They’re my heroes.”

Darren Lockyer


courage hope

spirit

spotlight

Malakai, 4, with volunteer Rebecca. His baby sister Kristen, 10 months, was in hospital with chronic neonatal lung disease

The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation and many of our generous supporters featured in the media this year.



courage hope

spirit

Leadership

Jake, 3, serious stomach and bowel problems and Jake, 13, auto immune enteropathy

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Colin Ryan AM, BCom, LLB, FCA, FAICD

Chairman

Colin Ryan is a current or former Chairman or Board member of several public companies including CMI Ltd, Softlink International Ltd, Brisbane Airport Corporation Ltd and Port of Brisbane Corporation. He was Queensland Managing Partner of the international accounting firm Arthur Andersen and is a current and former member of various business, government and university committees. Mr Ryan holds Bachelor degrees from the University of Queensland in Law and Commerce and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He was awarded the Order of Australia in 2004 and was appointed an Adjunct Professor in the University of Queensland Medical School in 2008. Mr Ryan is the founding Chairman of the Queensland Children’s Medical Research Institute Board. Currently Chairman of the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board, he has been a founding Board member since July 1985.

Kerry Prior AM, LLB

Deputy Chairman

Kerry Prior was Chairman of McCullough Robertson Lawyers for more than 18 years. He continues to practise as a consultant in the Corporate Advisory Group of that firm and has extensive experience in commercial and resources law and taxation. Mr Prior was Chairman of Devine Ltd for many years and a Director of other public and private companies. He is former State Chairman and National Councillor of the Taxation Institute of Australia and former Chairman of the Queensland Office of Financial Supervision. Mr Prior is a founding member of the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board, which was established in July 1985.

The Board

The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation is governed by an independent Board which is responsible for the activities of the Foundation and determines policy matters and strategic direction. The Board ensures the operations and affairs of the Foundation are in line with the expectations of the community and our supporters.


The Board

Douglass Brown BBus (Accountancy)

Board Secretary

Douglass Brown is Chief Operations Manager for the Royal Children’s Hospital. From September 2006 until July 2009, he was Acting District Manager of the Royal Children’s Hospital and Health Service District. He has held senior finance positions at the Royal Children’s Hospital including, Finance Manager and Executive Director Corporate Services. Prior to that he held the position of Finance Manager/Director of Planning and Budget at the Queensland University of Technology. He joined the Queensland Audit Office in 1974 were he worked as an Audit Inspector, auditing the accounts of government departments and statutory authorities. He gained a Bachelor of Business Accountancy at the Queensland University of Technology. Mr Brown was appointed to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board in July 2007.

Adrian Di MarcoBSc, FAICD

Adrian Di Marco is the founder and Executive Chairman of Technology One Ltd, one of Australia’s largest publicly listed software companies. Mr Di Marco has founded and developed a number of successful Australian IT companies. He has played a major role in promoting the Australian IT industry, as past director of the Australian Information Industry Association, the peak body for the Australian IT industry and as a founding member of Software Queensland, an organisation specifically established to promote the Queensland Software industry. He is currently the Chairman of the Advisory Board for inQbator, a company that incubates young start-up IT companies by providing them with funding to commercialise their ideas. He has been a past Director of a number of IT companies. Mr Di Marco is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants and a regular speaker at business forums both inside and outside the computer industry. Mr Di Marco won the highly coveted Pearcey Award in 2004 for “innovative and pioneering achievement and contribution to research and development in IT”. In 2001 he was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Mr Di Marco was appointed to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board in 2004.

Jenny Hutson BCom/LLB, FAIM

Jenny Hutson is the Managing Director and founder of Wellington Capital Limited, a merchant bank and fund manager. Ms Hutson was Queensland Business Woman of the Year 2007, Australian Institute of Management Owner/Manager of the Year 2007 and the Australian Business Awards Winner for Enterprise in Finance 2007. She is a Director of Big River Timbers and was previously a partner for 10 years in the corporate division of McCullough Robertson Lawyers. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Laws from the University of Queensland, is a Fellow, Emmanuel College, University of Queensland and is a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland. Ms Hutson was appointed to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board in 2007.

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Professor Alan Isles MBBS (Hons), MSc, FRACP, FRCP(C)

Professor Alan Isles holds the positions of Senior Medical Advisor, Children’s Health Service District and Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Queensland. Professor Isles did his medical training at the University of Queensland and began working at the Royal Children’s Hospital in 1975. He trained in paediatrics at the Hospital before spending four years at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, where he undertook advanced training and research in clinical pharmacology and paediatric respiratory medicine. Professor Isles returned to the Royal Children’s Hospital in 1984 to take up the role of Staff Specialist and then Visiting Medical Officer in respiratory medicine. He was District Manager of Royal Children’s Hospital and Health Service District from 1998 to 2006. From 2006 to 2008, he led the initial phases of planning for the future Queensland Children’s Hospital. In December 2008, Professor Isles was awarded the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation’s inaugural Medal of Excellence for Service to Paediatrics. He is also a founding Board member of the Queensland Children’s Medical Research Institute. Professor Isles was appointed to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board in July 1997.

Eileen Jones BA

Chairperson of the Children’s Health Services District Health Community Council, Eileen Jones has a background in research and policy. She was former Secretary/Manager of the Forde Commission of Inquiry into the Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions. Ms Jones spent 20 years in the public sector in policy and research roles for the Office of Cabinet, Health Department and Arts Queensland. She has occupied research posts at the University of Queensland, Royal Brisbane Hospital and Medical Board of Queensland. For seven years Ms Jones served as research officer and speech writer to two Governors of Queensland. She was Deputy Chairperson of the Forde Foundation and former committee member of the Domestic Violence Resource Centre, Zonta Club Brisbane River and Women’s Committee, Keperra Country Golf Club. She was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to people formerly in care of the State. Ms Jones was appointed to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board in 2007.

John Lyons BBus, MBA, CPA, FAICD

Founder and former Chairman of Marketshare, John Lyons is an Independent Company Director, businessman and author. His current Board and Advisory Board appointments include Softlink International Ltd, O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat and Vineyards, Wotnews, McGuires Hotels, Principal Properties and Jupiters Casino Community Benefit Fund. He is an Adjunct Professor at Bond University and a Queensland Councillor of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is co-author with Dr Edward de Bono of Marketing Without Money which examines the “different thinking” skills of top entrepreneurial innovators and has published more than 400 newspaper columns most recently in the Australian Financial Review and Business Review Weekly. Mr Lyons was appointed to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board in October 2000.


Andrea Staines BEcon MBA GAICD

Andrea Staines is a professional Non-Executive Director and Company Advisor. She is a Director of the Australian Rail Track Corporation, the Gladstone Ports Corporation and the publicly-listed Early Learning Services. She advises various companies on implementing board governance, strategic planning and risk management and mentors several CEOs. She is a former CEO of Australian Airlines, a Qantas subsidiary flying between Asia and Australia which she co-launched in 2002. At this time, she was also a member of the Qantas Executive Committee. Before Qantas, Ms Staines worked in various financial roles with American Airlines at their Dallas headquarters. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is an MBA Guest Lecturer at Bond University. She has an MBA majoring in Finance from the University of Michigan in the United States and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Queensland. Ms Staines was appointed to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board in 2007.

Ray Weekes BCom, Grad Dip Bus Admin, Grad Dip Ed, ACA, FAICD, FAIM

Ray Weekes is Chairman of the CEO Institute, Queensland. He was previously Chief Executive and Executive Director of Rothman’s Holdings Ltd and Managing Director of Castlemaine Perkins Ltd. He holds various directorships and corporate advisory roles. He is CEO-in-Residence/Adjunct Professor for the Queensland University of Technology’s Faculty of Business. Mr Weekes was appointed to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board in March 1996.

David Liddy MBA

David Liddy is the Managing Director and CEO of Bank of Queensland Ltd and has more than 40 years experience in banking. Mr Liddy is a senior executive management professional with significant broad based general management competencies and a proven record in achieving strong business performance. Since his appointment at the Bank of Queensland in 2001, the bank has recorded a succession of record half and full-year profits which has occurred through a complete transformation of the bank, with the opening of new branches and a return to more traditional, face-to-face, people-focused business and commercial banking services. He is a Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and sits on the Australian Bankers’ Association Council and the Federal Treasurer’s Financial Sector Advisory Council. He was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2003 for distinguished service to business and commerce in banking and finance and AB&F’s Financial Services Executive of the Year in 2009. He is a Board member of The Brisbane Lions Australian Football Club and is the Chairman of the Queensland Museum Foundation. Mr Liddy was appointed to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board in August 2006. He resigned as a Board member on October 30, 2008.

The Board

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Corporate governance is the way the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation is controlled and governed in order to achieve our strategic goals and operational objectives through accountability, leadership and direction. This framework encourages the efficient use of resources across the Foundation and maintains a balance between financial and social goals. Our Board guides and protects the development of the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation to best enhance the quality of outcomes for sick children.

The Role of the BoardThe Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation is a statutory body incorporated under the Hospitals’ Foundations Act 1982 by Order-in-Council dated 18 July 1985. The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation is a registered Public Benevolent Institution for Commonwealth Income Tax purposes.

The Board membership is up to 12, with members appointed for a three-year period. Board members have elected to serve in an honorary capacity and therefore receive no fees for their services on the Board or Committees. The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation is subject to the provisions of the Financial Administrations Audit Act 1977 and in accordance with relevant acts, the Foundation appoints the Queensland Audit Office as external auditor and maintains a register of Board members’ pecuniary interests and any areas of activity that may lead to a conflict of interest. The Board currently meets bi-monthly. The Board is accountable to the general public and to all Foundation stakeholders to ensure that the operations and affairs of the Foundation are in line with the expectations of the community and our supporters.

The role of the Board includes:

stakeholders and external regulators

environment

and corporate governance responsibilities

examining and approving strategies, policies, plans and budgets

adequate risk management controls and reporting procedures

responsibly and openly.

Executive ManagementThe Board delegates responsibility for implementing strategies approved by the Board and day-to-day management to the Chief Executive Officer, who in turn is accountable to the Board.

Board Attendance 1 July 2008 – 30 June 2009

Board Member No. of No. Meetings Attended

C.G. Ryan 6 5

D.N. Brown 6 4

A. Di Marco 6 5

J.J. Hutson 6 4

A.F. Isles 6 4

E.D. Jones 6 4

D.P. Liddy* 2 1

J.C. Lyons 6 3

K.P. Prior 6 4

A.J.P. Staines 6 5

R.K. Weekes 6 5

K.R. Spillane 6 6

C.J. Emery** 2 2

B.T. Chapman 3 3

*D.P. Liddy resigned on 30 October 2008 **C.J. Emery resigned on 20 November 2008

Board CommitteesCommittees are established directly by the Board and are used to bring additional attention and guidance to areas the Board considers appropriate. A member of the Board is appointed Chairman of each Committee and members will include other Board members and/or invitees from outside the Foundation who have specific skill sets that are relevant to the aims of the Committees. The Board Chairman and the CEO are ex-officio members of each Committee.

Corporate Governance


Finance, Audit and Risk Management CommitteeChairman: Ray Weekes

Members: Doug Brown, Alison De Groot, Jenny Hutson, Celia Swales

As an independent Statutory Corporation responsible to the Minister for Health, the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation operates within the Department of Health Children’s Health Service District and therefore has, in practical terms, a duty to keep the management of the District informed of any relevant Foundation activities. The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation is not specifically subject to Public Service or Queensland Health administrative and staff regulations and has therefore adopted its own policies, procedures and guidelines. In order to attract and retain appropriate executive staff and to operate freely in the marketplace, it is important that the independence and flexibility that the Foundation currently possesses is maintained. The Foundation is a high-profile and successful fundraising organisation under the sponsorship of the State Government. The role of the Committee is to ensure that while the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation’s administration independence is maintained, the administrative and financial reporting responsibilities of the Foundation are being complied with; that the general administrative structure is appropriate; and that the Foundation’s financial administration relationships with State Government Departments of Queensland Health and Treasury are appropriate and efficient.

Terms of reference include:

1. To provide advice and recommendations to the Board on the financial affairs of the Foundation.

2. To monitor, review and provide advice and recommendations on the Foundation’s investments.

3. To review the Foundation annual budgets prior to submission to the Board and make recommendations in accordance with broad guidelines provided by the Board.

4. To undertake broad review, monitor performance and report to the Board on the following compliance matters:

requirements

standards

operations of the Foundation

Foundation

the Foundation.

5. To undertake broad review, monitor performance and report to the Board on any matters contained in the Foundation Finance, Audit and Risk Management Committee terms of reference.

6. Review and monitor the implementation of performance measurement systems including the reporting of actual performance against Key Performance Indicators.

7. To ensure an appropriate internal audit program is conducted, consider the major findings of any internal audit reports and to advise the Board of the outcomes of any internal audit investigations.

8. To receive the report of the external auditors and to monitor measures taken by the CEO and the Director Corporate Services to rectify any areas of concern.

9. Monitoring the performance evaluation and remuneration processes administered at the Foundation.

10. To ensure that a suitable risk management system exists and is actively utilised by Foundation management.

11. To ensure that a proper crisis management plan is in place with adequate contingency planning.

Grants CommitteeChairman: Kerry Prior AM

Members: Doug Brown, Prof. Keith Grimwood, Prof. Martin Lavin, Michael Mullins, Dr. David Slaughter

The Committee sets the Grants Program for each year and monitors the disbursement of Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation funds as grants for paediatric research projects, welfare and patient and families services, clinical initiatives, volunteer programs and children’s entertainment. The committee ensures that the disbursement of funds for grants reflects the intentions of specific donors and that the Foundation’s fundraising strategies and marketing opportunities are properly considered in the selection process. A Research Review Committee is established to ensure the proper assessment of the technical merits of applications by use of a ‘peer review’ process and that there is appropriate consideration of any ethical issues

87

that may be involved in accepting particular research projects. The committee also assists applicants in seeking funds from other funding organisations both Australian and International and to co-ordinate the receipt and administration of external grants being utilised at the Hospital.


1. To provide advice and recommendations to the Board on allocations from the Foundation Annual Fund to fund applications for grants from the Foundation.

2. To provide advice and recommendations to the Board on allocations from any special purpose trust (SPT) funds administered by the Foundation.

3. To ensure that such advice and recommendations are informed by consideration of the following:

Hospital and Health Service District

people throughout Queensland

donors and supporters of the Foundation and Hospital and Health Service District

4. To ensure that all recommendations to the Board are properly costed and that any forward commitments implicit or explicit in the recommendations are properly identified and considered.

Fundraising and Marketing Advisory CommitteeChairman: John Lyons

Members: Andrea Staines, Melissa Watter and Ray Weekes

The Committee seeks the advice and assistance of suitably qualified persons to advise the Committee on any matter within its terms of reference and to make recommendations to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Board. The Fundraising and Marketing Committee’s primary scope is to advise on fundraising and brand-building initiatives to increase revenue and raise community awareness of the Foundation’s cause and the impact on outcomes for sick children.


1. To provide advice and recommendations to the Board on the Marketing and Communications activities of the Foundation.

2. To provide advice and recommendations to the Marketing, Communications and Fundraising managers on new campaigns and the development of existing campaigns.

3. To review, assess and approve the Marketing Plan.

4. To receive, consider and make recommendations to the Board on significant Marketing, Communications and Fundraising campaign proposals.

5. To monitor and advise the Board on the performance of all Marketing, Communications and Fundraising campaigns against objectives and other Key Performance Indicators.

6. To review, assess and make recommendations to the Board on the efficiency and effectiveness of the Marketing, Communications and Fundraising activities of the Foundation.

7. To receive, consider and make recommendations to the Board on the Marketing and Communications annual budget and Fundraising campaign budgets.

8. To review, assess and make recommendations on the means by which the marketing activities of the Foundation can achieve maximum benefit.

9. To facilitate mutual understanding and cooperation between the Foundation and its principle markets including relations with the Hospital, corporate and business supporters and individual donors by advocating for the Foundation as a major contributor to working wonders for sick kids in Queensland and beyond.

Strategy CommitteeChairman: Adrian Di Marco

Members: All Board members are invited to attend.

The Committee reviews the Foundation’s medium and long-term strategic plan with management and oversees performance against objectives. The Committee provides input and guidance to the Executive and Leadership Teams as they develop and update the Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan is presented to the Board by the Executive Team as part of the budget development process and regular updates are provided by the Leadership Team.


Result Overview -Year Ended 30 June 2009 In the past year, the Australian economic environment, like the rest of the world, has faced increased uncertainties as the financial markets continued to be volatile and both companies and individuals were uncertain of the financial future.

Our fundraising activities were therefore very challenging as we adapted to the changed environment.

The Foundation receives no government funding; all of our funding comes from the community. So our challenge is always to efficiently maintain and expand community support so as to deliver the maximum level of grants to our collaborating institutions to fund research, training, specialist equipment and other family-centred programs that will work wonders for sick kids. That was particularly so this year.

But despite the economic downturn and uncertainty, the Foundation was able to maintain its level of fundraising revenue from our generous community and corporate partners. Refer to figure 1.

GrantsAfter the Foundation closed its accounts for 2009, the Queensland Audit Office (the Foundation’s auditor) issued advice changing the way in which the timing of the grants commitments were to be recognised for the 2008-2009 year.

This change in policy required the recasting of the grant liability and expense figures recognised in the accounts from 2006-2007 to the present and has materially changed the net result reflected in the Income Statement for 2008-2009. It has not, of course, changed the actual amounts of the grants made, but it has changed the reporting of when they are made, in a way that is materially different from prior years.

The financial statements for 2008-2009 now show that we funded $9.6 million in grants for the year. If we had reported on the same basis as the previous year, the amount funded in grants would have been $6.8 million (2008: $8.3 million).

During the 23 years since the Foundation was incorporated, grants in excess of $100 million have been awarded. Refer to figure 2 for further detail in relation to grant distributions.

Financial Summary

Total Fundraising Revenue

Year

$ Th

ousa

nds

14,000

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

Figure 1.

Grants Distribution

Year

$ Th

ousa

nds

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

Figure 2.

Key financial highlights:

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Financial OutcomesFundraising revenue was $11.6 million and net revenue (exclusive of investments) was $7 million. Total revenue received from fundraising activities was in line with results for 2008.

Fundraising costs as a percentage of fundraising revenue exclusive of commercial activities increased slightly to 22 cents in the dollar. However, this is still in line with budget.

This is an excellent result given the continued increase in competition for fundraising dollars and the difficult economic environment we continued to operate in during the financial year.

Refer to figures 3 and 4 for further detail in relation to fundraising statistics.

Administration costs, as a percentage of total revenue, showed a slight increase in 2009 to 20 percent which included some increases in consultancy fees, insurance and depreciation as a result of investment in and implementation of a document management system during the year. This percentage is affected by the loss in fair value of the Foundation’s investment portfolio during the year.

InvestmentsReturn on Foundation investments was ($713,000) or (4.6 percent). The investment portfolio is managed by Goldman Sachs JBWere under investment policies determined by the Board.

The Foundation’s conservative approach and the holding of significant cash reserves inside the portfolio, attracted higher than equity market returns during the year protecting the Foundation’s portfolio from some of the worst returns experienced by financial markets in history.

During 2009 and at the height of the economic uncertainty, the Board decided to move the cash investments component of the portfolio to various deposit gathering institutions to take advantage of the Government’s guarantee for balances up to $1 million.

Net AssetsAccumulated funds (net assets) of the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation at 30 June 2009 are $15.29 million.

The Foundation is committed to existing grants of $16.93 million which will be paid over the period of the various projects.

The Foundation forecasts that, based on present trends, it will continue to commit to additional grants at the same or increasing annual levels during the next five years.

The level of accumulated funds and the Foundation’s strategic fundraising plan provides reassurance to grant recipients that approved grants are able to be funded and that new grants will be able to be awarded.

Full Financial StatementsA full copy of the Foundation’s 2008-2009 financial statements can be found at www.workingwonders.com.au or requested on 07 3852 1199.

Cost Ratio

Year

$ Th

ousa

nds

14,000

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

Fundraising Revenue Fundraising Costs

Figure 3.

Average Fundraising Dollars per Fundraising Staff Member

Year

$ Th

ousa

nds

1,000

900

800

700

600

500

400

100

200

300

98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

Figure 4.


We hope the stories of strength, hope, courage, inspiration, healing, belief, spirit and laughter you have just read, have given you an insight into how important

your support is and how much we value it.

We hope you’ll help us write another chapter in our story that’s just as inspiring and moving;

full of brave little heroes and great tales of discovery.

Thank you to the brave little patients who have featured in this report and their families.

Kalhan, 5, Staph Infection


strengthcourage healing believe legacy laughter hope discovery

Lady Norman Wing,

Royal Children’s Hospital, Bramston Terrace, HERSTON, QLD, 4006.

PO Box 99 ROYAL BRISBANE HOSPITAL, QLD, 4029.

t: 07 3852 1199 f: 07 3852 2597 e: [email protected]

workingwonders.com.au

ABN 38 936 879 794

Focus Paper (Qld) is a privately owned Queensland company proud to support the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation. The paper stock used in this report is sourced from 100% sustainable timber sources and produced to the

highest possible environmental standards including those determined by ISO 14001.

Our thanks to photographer Derek Moore for his incredible images which capture the courage, strength, laughter and spirit of our little patients.

laughter hope discovery strength believe

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