League of Former Trainees (LOFT) Auxiliary

Main funding purpose: Elizabeth Fearon Scholarship

The story so far

Founded in 2003, the LOFT Auxiliary supports the advancement of nursing at the RCH through the provision of a scholarship for exceptional nursing staff. It also raises funds for projects associated with paediatric nursing.

The Auxiliary consists of past and present nurses who have worked, trained or undertaken graduate or post graduate education at the RCH. The unique membership of the Auxiliary means that all the members are not only nurses, but they’ve contributed over many years to the hospital, and many have been leaders in the profession. LOFT raises funds through the sale of Auxiliary merchandise and giftware, as well as holding sausage sizzles and other social and community events.

In 2008, the Auxiliary began fundraising for the establishment of The Elizabeth Fearon Scholarship. Awarded annually from 2011, the scholarship supports nurses in clinical research with the aim of improving outcomes for patients.

The recent fundraising efforts of LOFT have resulted in the production of a book, Caring For Our Children: The History of Nursing, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, by Margaret McInnes. The book is a tribute to the nursing service of the hospital and proceeds from sales are used to support the Elizabeth Fearon Scholarship.

2022/2023 Auxiliary Report

Through the generosity of our members, we have increased the Elizabeth Fearon Scholarship to $8,000 for 2023. Our main social function, the AGM and Reunion Lunch, was held in May. This year’s event was a runaway success due to the hard working committee and great support from our members. Our guest speakers, Adjunct Professor Kath Riddell, Executive Director of Nursing and Allied Services, and our 2022 Scholarship winner, Jess Taranto, were outstanding. Kath’s support for LOFT is greatly appreciated. The lunch is our major fundraiser – the raffle, silent auction, merchandise sales and donations raised almost $4,000, which will be recorded in next year’s financial results.

We also attended the Christmas and Easter Markets at the RCH and held a stall at the pod in May. These contributed to our fundraising efforts and enabled us to raise our profile. We would like to thank the RCH Foundation for facilitating these events.

Over the year, our membership has remained static. Although we lost some members who have passed away, we are delighted to welcome a number of younger members to our fold.

Office bearers

President: Dianne Paul
Secretary: Amanda O’Brien
Treasurer: Margaret McPherson

Contact

Email
[email protected]

Mail
PO Box 7163 Hawthorn North 3122