Red Nose Day is a cause close to bereaved parent and CDC Northern Territory Customer Experience Manager Ross Robertson’s heart; he and his wife’s daughter was stillborn.
“She would be 30 today,” he said.
While Mr Robertson said he and his wife had support from other charities during their time of need, he said he was passionate about raising funds for Red Nose Australia because he believed research being carried out into the reasons why little lives were cut short was vital.
Staff at CDC depots in Darwin and Humpty Doo have always dug deep for Red Nose Day, with pens, noses and stickers being purchased in the weeks leading up until the day.
Red Nose Day has been marked on the second Friday of every August since 1988.
“I’m not sure how long we’ve been supporting them for, but it’s been a very, very long time,” Mr Robertson said.
“Everyone here at the depot is always ready to support Red Nose Day and other initiatives.”
Funds raised on Red Nose Day in the last 30 years have resulted in an incredible 85 per cent reduction in sudden infant deaths – that’s 11,357 babies saved and counting.
New data, released last week by Red Nose Australia, shows that demand for its specialist and around-the-clock grief and loss support services continued to spike during the pandemic.
From March 2021 until April 2022, Red Nose:
- Delivered more than 22,147 support sessions to devastated families whose baby or young child died – up 8% on the previous year. These sessions included phone calls to their 24/7 support line, Walks to Remember, wellbeing activities and more.
- Delivered 3,417 Treasured Babies items to families whose babies had died – up 9% on the previous year.
Red Nose’s vital work in delivering these programs is made possible through the generosity of Australians on Red Nose Day.
This year, the charity is aiming to raise $800,000. Australians are encouraged to get silly for a serious cause by getting involved or donating via rednoseday.org.au.
