News

The Good Friday Appeal has announced $219,000 for Albury Wodonga Health (AWH) in 2025, part of a $600,000 regional allocation across the Hume dedicated to strengthening paediatric care. 

This new funding – made possible by the incredible $237,526 raised locally by the Albury Wodonga community through the 2025 Appeal – will expand specialist equipment, programs and training, ensuring more children and families can access world-class care closer to home. 

This announcement builds on the extraordinary impact of $250,000 in 2024 funding, which has already advanced paediatric and newborn care at AWH through: 

• The purchase of vital equipment including a neonatal transport cot, paediatric ultrasound machine, paediatric echocardiogram machine, syringe drivers, and Bili blankets for newborn jaundice. These allow more children to be diagnosed and treated locally, reducing the need for families to travel to Melbourne.
• Establishing the Paediatrics at the Child’s Home (PaTCH) program, helping children recover at home with hospital-level support and oversight, enhancing family-centred care in our region.
• Building a highly skilled team, including training to perform paediatric echocardiograms on site, supporting postgraduate studies such as adolescent mental health, and enabling Hospital in the Home nurses to attend the Royal Children’s Hospital to upskill in caring for children with chronic disease at home. This supports AWH in building a highly skilled team delivering specialised care regionally.

"Visiting Albury Wodonga Health allows us to showcase how regional funding is strengthening paediatric services across the Hume region," said Rebecca Cowan, Executive Director of the Good Friday Appeal. "Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, $600,000 from the 2025 Appeal is being invested in Hume Local Health Service Network, helping local children and families receive high-quality care without the need to travel to the RCH."

“This is a direct reflection of the generosity of our community,” said Anthony Hernan, AWH Board Director. “The Good Friday Appeal has become a lifeline for regional health services, ensuring families in Albury-Wodonga and across the Hume Local Health Service Network can access world-class paediatric care closer to home. This investment is more than equipment or programs - it is about confidence, trust, and giving local families the assurance that the very best care is available close to home.”

The Good Friday Appeal has long supported the Royal Children’s Hospital, and in 2024 expanded its reach to regional and rural Victoria. For families across Albury-Wodonga, this shift has been life-changing, strengthening services and bringing world-class care closer to home.

The Albury-Wodonga community demonstrated outstanding support for the Good Friday Appeal in 2025, recording the second-highest fundraising total across regional Victoria, behind only Ballarat.

Julie Wright, Director of Nursing, Women’s and Children’s, said, “Every dollar raised through the Good Friday Appeal carries a story of hope. For our clinicians, it means the tools and training to deliver specialised care; for families, it means fewer journeys away from home; and for children, it means the chance to recover surrounded by those who love them most. The regional allocation from the Good Friday Appeal is helping shape paediatric care on the Boarder, and its impact will be felt for generations.”

Albury Wodonga Health extends heartfelt thanks to the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, local volunteer groups, fundraising partners, and the thousands of community members who support the Appeal year after year. We especially thank our wide range of local emergency services and community groups who bring the Appeal to life each year.