Joanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Fiona Lodge Ronald McDonald Beach House is a special type of house located close to Bateman’s Bay, in my electorate of Gilmore. It is a special place because it provides free holidays to families of children and adults who are fighting a life-threatening illness. Fiona Lodge came about through a partnership with McDonald’s Australia and Des Phillips, Rachael Sweeny-Johns and Jim Johns, who in the late 1990s established the Bay of Dreams committee. From there commenced an active fundraising campaign, with the result that work began on the site in July 2000. Sadly, one of the instigators of the project, Des Phillips, the man who united the community with his passion to help people, was diagnosed with a terminal illness and lost his own battle with cancer. Over $1 million was raised in just four years. This is a remarkable effort from the community for a facility that offers respite to the families of children blighted by cancer. It is a chance for them to forget their woes, at least for a short time, and have a sunny holiday in the midst of gloom.

In late February this year I had occasion to be invited to visit Fiona Lodge, and the memory of that visit will stay with me forever. I was invited by Jim Johns, who is the owner of Bateman’s Bay McDonald’s and one of the founders of Fiona Lodge, to come down to have a look around and to join them for a lunch with visitors from China. The visitors included three orphaned Chinese children, two boys and a girl, who had been abandoned at birth because of their physical defects and whose chance of adoption was very slim because of those defects. The Chinese police had found them lying in the streets and had taken them to an orphanage, where they have lived since.

The children earned the sponsorship of Fiona Lodge to come to Australia for a holiday by behaving well and working hard at their studies. New Idea helped sponsor the trip and will be doing a story on them. The intent of the gathering was to welcome the children into our community but not to seek their adoption. In fact, the Chinese government had issued clear instructions that this was not an option to be canvassed.

Fiona Lodge is situated close to a private beach called Nuns Beach, at Rosedale near Batemans Bay, and has to be seen to be appreciated. It is really more of a retreat than a beach house. Part of the house has been specifically set up for families. The second section of construction is more suited to adults who are suffering the after-effects of cancer treatment. The concept of Fiona Lodge is that of a community partnership sponsored in conjunction with a corporate entity, and it was the first of its kind in Australia. There are now four other similarly styled facilities in Australia. One will soon be built in New Zealand and another in Canada.

A banner of thanks was presented to Jim Johns and to Fiona Lodge, and I was very humbled by the fact that I was thanked as well and actually given a copy by the Chinese delegation of Mr Rudd’s book, a biography written in Mandarin. There was some embarrassment when they heard that I was from the other side, but I was flattered when someone told them that I was a very good community politician and that it would be okay to give me the book. I was very honoured to accept it and have since had Mr Rudd sign it for me, and I am practising to read it. In return, I proudly exchanged an Australian flag, which I hope will be flown in China. In the letter of invitation that was sent to me, Jim Johns wrote:

Your handshake will not replace a lifetime of love and affection these kids have never had, but it will show them that there are people who are willing to take the time to come and visit them to show they care.

In closing, I would like to draw attention to the organisation that has been created to assist orphaned and needy children in China.