WHAT S IN THE STARS
INSIDE THE HOSPITAL
Tom Steinfort shares his admiration for employees at Sydney’s hospitals. page 2
Want to know what the future holds? Francis A. Bevan has the answers you desire. page 12
TRUTH ABOUT SOY
Benefits vs the harmful effects of soy. Susan Garrad gives her view. page 13
APRIL 5 2012 ISSUE 82
PROUDLY INDEPENDENT
PH 9549 1190 FAX 9549 1122
False flyer: Council defends waste
Smiles at Easter
Little battlers bring much joy at special time of the year
Council denies reports it will outsource waste collection, despite a released flyer. page 5
BY LOUISE BOURKE
A Love of food: New play delves into desires A tale of two sisters will light up the Belvoir St Theatre this page 15 month.
Bouncing back: Newtown hammers Auckland Despite being mauled the week before, the Jets seem page 24 to be back in track.
bout 70 survivors of RPA’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and their families have donned their most creative hats for the hospital’s annual Easter Bonnet Parade. The NICU survivors, aged from four months to six-years-old, paraded their fi nery for prizes in front of a gathering of families and hospital staff . “The RPA Easter Bonnet Parade is such a celebratory, joyous and life-affi rming event for everyone – the young survivors, their families and our staff ,” said NICU Director, Dr David Osborn. A chance for many parents to return to RPA to bring closure to a traumatic time of their life, the Easter Bonnet Parade is also opportunity for the unit’s staff to see how far their charges have come. “Very rarely do families and children come back to the hospital for something positive – not to see a doctor and not for treatment,” said Dalia Brigham, a fundraising manager at RPA who began the event three years ago. Ms Brigham has a personal connection with the NICU, as her grandson Hugo was brought to the centre when he was a newborn. But now six years on and he is perfectly healthy. “I just feel so delighted to be a part of this celebration – to be honest, it brings tears to my eyes,” she said. The NICU looks after around 900 sick and premature babies each year from RPA.
NICU survivors excited for the Easter Bonnet Parade at RPA Hospital.
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