Parra forges hospital link

HMAS Parramatta plans to help Westmead Hospital raise more than $100,000. Twelve members of the ship’s company will cycle from Mackay in Queensland to the hospital in Sydney, stopping to collect money from 19 towns and cities along the way.

Photo: ABPH Helen Frank.

Personnel from Australia’s newest warship, HMAS Parramatta, declared the Microbiology Research Department of The Childrens Hospital in Westmead as the ship’s favoured charity.

It was marked with an official ceremony on March 23 on the flight deck of the 3,600 tonne frigate.

The announcement has created yet another link with the Parramatta district, forging the way for new fundraising efforts to assist the hospital. From April 26, the ship’s company, with help from their friends, will seek to raise more than $100,000.

Twelve members of the ship’s company will set off from Mackay in Queensland to pedal 2,000 kilometres to the hospital, stopping at 19 towns and cities along the way seeking donations.

A campaign to seek sponsors is already underway with several major companies already onboard.

The money will be used to determine if the vaccine currently used to stop seven strains of pneumococcal disease can counter the other 83 strains of the scourge.

“The pneumococcus bug is in the nasal passages of one in three children,” Dr Michael Watson, the director of the research unit, said.

“It causes ‘glue ear’ and middle ear infections.

“It is when the bug enters the meninges of the brain that serious if not fatal problems occur.

“We want all parents to have their youngsters vaccinated at two, four and six months with another at around two years.

“They should have the vaccinations as they would the polio vaccine or the measles and chicken pox shots.”

A group of 20 family members whose children and grandchildren had been afflicted by the disease along with staff from Westmead Children’s Hospital were collected by the DMS launch Bilgola from the Parramatta Ferry Terminal and brought to HMAS Parramatta at Fleet Base East for the official announcement.

With it came the launching of a new poster and disease prevention program dubbed “Kids Initiative”.

This stands for Kids Infectious Diseases Surveillance Initiative.

Dr Watson, in accepting the framed poster, applauded the ship’s company for the support given so far and its planned bid to raise $100,000.

“You leave our shores to protect our children. We protect them at home,” he said.

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