GLASSON APPOINTED CHAIR OF SELECTORS

BY AIDAN DAVIS

Steve Glasson OAM will help shape the country’s future success on the international arena, after being confirmed as the new Chair of Bowls Australia’s (BA) National Selection Panel.

Glasson, who was elevated to Hall of Fame Legend status last year, is unquestionably one of Australia’s most accomplished competitors on the green and the most successful national coach off it.

As a former world and Australian number one ranked player, Glasson’s named was etched into the sport’s annals as the first Australian to win a world title in the Northern Hemisphere.

After concluding his glittering playing career, Glasson helmed the sport’s high performance program as national coach of record-breaking Commonwealth Games and World Bowls Championships campaigns across a ten-year tenure concluding in 2021.

Following a thorough expressions of interest process, Glasson was appointed to the important non-voting Chair position on the National Selection Panel by Bowls Australia’s Board.

BA CEO Matthew Kennedy said Glasson would make a significant contribution in the role.

Jonathan’s family leaves a legacy

Three-year-old Jonathan had a rocky start to life, after being diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) within 24 hours of being born.

HLHS is a condition whereby the left side of Jonathan’s heart was born too small to function effectively and was unable to pump his blood around his tiny body. To alleviate his condition, Jonathan underwent two open heart surgeries – the first of which was performed when he was only seven days old.

“Before he was taken away, we held him for what could have been the last time. It was not the beginning to his life that we had imagined. His chest remained open for three days post-operation to allow his swelling to go down, and I will never forget that sight,” remembered Jonathan’s mum, Jess.

Jonathan has since undergone two further open-heart surgeries, and his treatment is ongoing. He will require cardio appointments every few months to monitor his progress and another surgery in a few years. His family cite the Foundation’s support as invaluable during one of the most difficult periods for the family.

We chose to leave a gift in our Will to the Children’s Hospital Foundation for many reasons. It is one small way to help one last time when we eventually (hopefully many years in the future) pass away. While most of our possessions will pass to our children, we know we will leave a legacy in providing help for sick kids.

- Jess, Jonathan’s mum.

Due to the support that Jonathan received during his hospital journey, his family have decided to leave a gift in their Will to the Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Both Jonathan and his sister, Liesel, have spent time in hospital, so the family thought it was important to ensure that other families who find themselves in similar situations can be supported by the Foundation.

“As Jonathan will need at least one more open-heart surgery, we know that Children’s Hospital Foundation will be there to support us when his operation happens. The gift in our Will was easy to do when we wrote our Wills using Gathered Here, which took some of the stress out of creating this important document. It’s something we’ve encouraged our friends and family to do,” added Jess.

Gathered Here is a free and easy step-by-step online Will writing service which is supported by an in-house legal team.

To enquire about leaving a gift in your Will, please contact our Head of Philanthropy, Nadine Moore on 0400 007 504 or giftsinwills@childrens.org.au