A single anonymous donation of $3 million will cover the running costs of Queensland’s first children’s hospice for a year when it opens in 2016, the Prime Minister has revealed.
Hummingbird House is being built on the campus of Wesley Mission Brisbane’s Wheller Gardens site in Chermside, north Brisbane.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who attended a ceremony to mark the turning of the first sod this morning, told the gathered crowd how one person’s generosity meant a solid start for the hospice.
“Whoever that splendid anonymous person was who pledged $3 million to this project, from the bottom of my heart, I am sure from the bottom of all our hearts, thank you so very much,” Mr Abbott said.
The hospice will operate as an eight-bed, 24/7 medical facility including physician and nursing support, pain and symptom management, both scheduled and emergency respite care and end-of-life care.
It will be Queensland’s first hospice just for children, and the third for Australia.
The $6 million project is a joint initiative between Queensland Kids and Wesley Mission Brisbane.
Half of the construction bill has been funded between the state and federal governments.
Queensland Kids co-founder Gabrielle Quilliam said they hoped to complete construction by the end of the year with a gradual opening in the first quarter of 2016.
“A children’s hospice is meant to be a home away from home where kids who have life-limiting conditions that mean they may not reach age of 18, they can come receive a holiday space … away from the clinical space of a hospital,” Ms Quilliam said.
“They can receive medical care and have their full care needs met but while they’re in a place where there’s a dog, where siblings can come and stay with them … where families can come and stay and have a break from being 24/7 carers and just be the mums and dads and siblings to their child that’s sick.
“It’s very much about removing the clinical aspects of a child’s life … getting them into a place they can be a kid for a moment.”
Staff at the hospice will wear casual clothing instead of uniforms, and will work on all-accessible tree houses where beds are placed in the “tree tops”.
“It really is about supporting the clinical needs of the child in a very child-like environment,” Ms Quilliam said.
There will also be an end-of-life room, which they will call the Hummingbird Suite, where families can spend days with a child who has passed away.
“The family can say a slow, long goodbye rather than having to say a very quick one that might take place in a highly medical situation such as a hospital.”
She said the project was still seeking donations.
“The best way at the moment that people can support us is to give what they can to Hummingbird House at this point … particularly while we’re in this building stage so when we are open, we can open with great certainty we have longevity and sustainability in place,” Ms Quilliam said.
Prime Minister praises donation efforts
Mr Abbott said he and his wife Margie often attended the children’s hospice Bear Cottage in his electorate of Manly, Sydney.
“I have raised some money as a bike rider for Bear Cottage but I have to say, as a charity fundraiser, you can raise a little bit, as the leader of a government, you can provide quite a lot more and I know that all of you are delighted that the Commonwealth,” Mr Abbott said.
Mr Abbott said facilities like Hummingbird House were much needed.
“There are those amongst us, very precious to us, who aren’t going to live as long as we would like and we need a place where they can be looked after with all the love and tenderness that we wish to give them,” he said.
“All life is precious. Young life is particularly precious and when those young lives are not as long as we want them to be, they are absolutely special and the most precious things we can imagine.
“Nearly all of us here are parents and we would all do anything we could for our children and when our children are sick, the best thing we can do for them is give them the very best care in the most loving possible environment and that is what Hummingbird House will do. It is so necessary.”