More than 600 people gathered under the Jacaranda trees for a once-in-40-year celebration for The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation. Thanks to the generosity of our phenomenal community, more than $230,000 was raised to support remarkable research, exceptional equipment and compassionate patient care initiatives across The Prince Charles Hospital and Caboolture Hospital.
On 16 May, the Event Centre Ballroom at The Star Brisbane was transformed into an enchanting place for an evening of reflection, celebration and generosity.
As the clock struck 7, the ballroom doors opened, and guests were ushered inside, where the room glowed purple. Captivated by faux jacaranda trees adorned with fairy lights, there was plenty of mingling and taking photos under the branches before guests were seated.
The formalities began with the Acknowledgement of Country by board ambassador, Bonny Barry.
Her Excellency, the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, Governor of Queensland, delivered the evening’s opening address, talking of the impact of the Foundation’s first 40 years and the more than $78 million invested so far.
Guest speakers
Attendees were privileged to hear from distinguished guest speakers who are shaping the future of patient care through research, innovation and clinical excellence, Professor Dan Chambers and Professor John F Fraser AO.
Professor Chambers, one of Australia’s most respected thoracic transplant physicians, works at the frontline of lung transplantation and advanced lung disease.
The internationally recognised clinician-researcher wowed guests with his speech, where he explained a gene called TERT and how it controls telomeres, which are the tiny protective caps on the ends of chromosomes.
“They start out very long at birth. But every time one of your cells copies itself — to heal a wound, repair your lungs, renew your skin — a tiny fragment of those telomeres is lost. Meaning that inside every one of the trillions of cells in your body… sits a molecular clock, quietly counting down biological time,” he said.
Professor Chambers spoke about a discovery – a telomere threshold written into our DNA. Meaning that if the telomere passes that boundary, the cell simply cannot survive.
“At The Prince Charles Hospital, together with my colleagues John and Glen in Silicon Valley — and supported by The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation — we are now exploring something extraordinary: Whether ageing itself can be biologically reversed. Our approach involves something remarkable: synthetic messenger RNA carrying instructions for cellular repair.”
Professor John Fraser AO, our other distinguished speaker, also captivated our guests.
Professor Fraser AO is a world-leading expert in cardiac intensive care, mechanical circulatory support and biomedical engineering, who founded the Critical Care Research Group at The Prince Charles Hospital in 2004.
“When we change opportunity into reality, we change the patient’s life as we’ve done with transplant…To go from opportunity to reality takes something like the Foundation that works day and night to allow us to achieve those dreams. It’s this kind of dream and this kind of passion that’s allowed our group to take an idea from an animal lab into transplanted hearts, where we can normally only keep them alive for four, four and a half hours, and we can perfuse them, and we have now doubled the length of time a heart can be transplantable,” said Professor Fraser AO.
Professor Fraser AO remarked that patients aren’t thinking about where they’re being treated, and that they just want to get better, which drives his team and others to work together.
“Margie Morton’s dad said when he started the Foundation 40 years ago, ‘Our future depends on this,’ and he was right. But I’d also go further and say, it’s not just our future that depends on it. It’s our patients’ future. And it’s not just patients in Chermside, it’s not just patients in Brisbane, it’s not just patients in Australia, but it’s patients globally. And it’s not just this generation – but it’s generations that have yet to be born that we will change the lives of,” Professor Fraser AO said.
The Prince Charles Hospital’s 500th heart transplant recipient, Rhys Hoole, and his mother, Sharon, sat down with one of the MCs, Craig Zonca.
Rhys recalled the day he had had a cardiac arrest on the footy field and the journey to his transplant more than two years later.
The heart transplant recipient and his family spoke of their gratitude for medical advancements made possible by research that have kept him alive, and extended their thanks to the staff at the hospital, including those at The Café for The Common Good, for the wonderful care and empathy they received.
More than $230,000 raised on the night
Thanks to the generosity of many people, more than $230,000 was raised through the gala to support remarkable research, exceptional equipment, and compassionate patient care initiatives.
Among the fundraising efforts, there were two auctions: a silent auction in the lead-up to the event, which raised more than $18,000, and a live auction, which raised more than $49,000 on the night.
A huge thank you to our auctioneer, Mike Wheeler, to everyone who raised a paddle on the night, and to our incredibly generous prize donors for helping make the live auction such a success.
McKinney’s Jewellers generously donated an Australian South Sea pearl bracelet, valued at $10,000. This exquisite piece, which embodies craftsmanship and timeless elegance, was raffled off on the evening, with one lucky guest taking home the stunning piece. The raffle raised over $29,000 on the night.
Thank you to our incredible sponsors and partners
We are so grateful to our incredible sponsors and partners. Without them, this once-in-40-years celebration would not have been such a success.
Gold Sponsor
CPB Contractors: CPB Contractors is one of Australia’s largest infrastructure and construction companies and over the past two years, has played an important role in supporting the Tradie Health Institute initiative, helping advance research into occupational lung disease, namely, silicosis.
Silver Sponsors
West Village by Sekisui House Australia: The project team are behind the multi-award-winning community located in West End, including Callista On Park – the final opportunity to live within the vibrant West Village precinct, just 800m from the Brisbane CBD.
oOh!: Australia’s #1 Out of Home company, oOh!media has played an important role in helping to amplify the Foundation’s mission and 40 years of impact across Brisbane.
Perpetual NFP and Philanthropy: The Foundation has been fortunate to receive support through Perpetual’s philanthropic network and IMPACT Philanthropy Application Program, helping fund significant research initiatives that have the potential to improve lives and livelihoods across our community.
Austbrokers Comsure: With more than 50 years of experience providing tailored insurance programs, professional advice and risk management solutions, Austbrokers Comsure has built a strong reputation for care, trust and service across Queensland and beyond. Their people-first approach and commitment to supporting the community strongly align with our own values.
Bronze Sponsor
Matland Group Pty Ltd: Matland Group has seen the impact of the Foundation and our generous community firsthand, having been involved in the build of two world-first redesigned ICU spaces at The Prince Charles Hospital, created to help patients thrive, not just survive.
Event Partners
Red Stockholm: As an independent Brisbane-based creative agency delivering work across Australia, Red Stockholm have been long-standing partners of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, bringing not only creative excellence, but strategic insight, campaign development expertise and a genuine commitment to our purpose. The team captured the spirit and energy of the Jacaranda Gala through stunning photography and videography on the night
Lick Ice Cream: For many years, Lick Ice Cream proudly partnered with the Foundation to handcraft the velvety-smooth strawberry and ‘white’ ice cream for the Ekka Strawberry Sundaes.
This family-owned business kindly contributed an ultimate ice cream experience to the live auction – a 200L chest freezer from Harvey Norman packed with 400 individual 115g tubs of premium Lick Ice Cream.
On the evening, there was a sweet secret surprise from Lick, with delectable strawberry sundaes on offer – a nod to the Foundation’s past involvement with the Ekka Strawberry Sundae program.
Stone & Wood Brewing Company: For more than seven years, Stone & Wood partnered with the Foundation to create Strawberry Sundae Kisses – a limited-edition strawberry and cream sour, crafted using locally grown Queensland strawberries. The brew helped raise vital funds for life-changing medical research and patient-focused initiatives at The Prince Charles Hospital. While the final batch may have been poured, Stone & Wood honoured this partnership by donating an incredible live auction prize, along with a selection of their iconic beers which were enjoyed by guests on the night.
The evening’s entertainment
The evening’s stellar entertainment lineup created the perfect atmosphere for reflection and celebration.
Opera Queensland set the tone for an elegant evening during the pre-drinks reception.
Chris Cobb, whose style is a blend of country, rock and soaring ballads, delighted guests during entrees.
And the Baker Boys Band performed during dinner and again after the auction, enticing people to the dancefloor.
Thank you so much for your support
It truly was an enchanting evening, and it was such an honour to bring together researchers, clinicians, patients, supporters and community leaders to mark 40 years of impact.
Thank you to everyone who was part of this event, and we are excited about what can be achieved next, when we all come together for the common good.
A full list of our incredible Jacaranda Gala partners can be found here:
