Harry Warren had a pretty rough start to life, his parents, Luke and Heidi, carving a regular path from Rochester to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne before he had even turned one.
His first operation was as a seven-month-old, when he underwent surgery to remove an extra finger. Not long after that, a hernia operation was required.
That operation became more complicated when it was discovered he actually had two hernias. Fast forward a couple of months and he was back at the hospital to have an eye issue diagnosed by specialists.
He is now a healthy six-year-old and will be by his parents’ side when the annual Good Friday Appeal is held on Friday, April 7 at Rochester Fire Brigade.
It is no coincidence that since 2019 Heidi has been the Rochester area manager for the Good Friday Appeal, the couple taking on lead roles with the appeal, as Luke is the captain of the Rochester Fire Brigade.
This year is the 92nd annual Good Friday Appeal and, again, it will take on a different look from ‘the norm’ in Rochester.
In non-COVID-19 years, the fire brigade volunteers are usually out door-knocking in Rochester, but with so many people not living in their homes that will again change in 2023.
Instead of the usual tin shakers, the appeal will be based in Mackay St at the fire station and a virtual tin shake will take place online.
Heidi said she had been happy to take over the appeal from the former organiser, who knew about Harry’s story and approached her to become involved in the Rochester appeal.
It wasn’t a hard sell, Heidi more than happy to support the hospital for what it had done for Harry as a baby.
While the virtual tin shake will be online, people will be able to call in at the fire station on Good Friday to make a donation.
Rochester has consistently hit the $9000 mark in recent years, but with the difficult nature of life for many people in the town this year, the organisers are not expecting “miracles’’.
Those interested in contributing to the appeal online can do so by going to the Rochester Fire Brigade Facebook site and find a link.
The hospital treats over 44,000 children in the wards and medical centre, 91,000 in the emergency department and sees over 470,000 through telehealth or as outpatients in the community each year.