children – Michmutters

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Sports

Concerns ‘the next national stars’ are being shut out of sporting clubs due to a lack of inclusivity for athletes with autism

Concerns 'the next national stars' are being shut out of sporting clubs due to a lack of inclusivity for athletes with autism

Six-year-old Ava Renwood is an aspiring athlete with big dreams of a career in sport.

But her mum Ashleigh Brook fears her options are limited by the lack of inclusivity and understanding of athletes with autism.

The Brisbane mum said her daughter “lives and dies” for her weekly gymnastics, cheerleading and dance classes.

“Ava wakes up in the morning [at] like 7am, and it is ‘what gym classes do I have today?'” Ms Brook said.

After approaching local sport clubs to take her daughter to the next level in sport, Ms Brook was advised to send her to disability-only groups.

“It is great that they have a division for these athletes, but again, [it’s] not inclusive,” she said.

“[It’s] very like putting them in their own bubble.”

Mum Ashleigh and Ava smile
Ava’s mum Ashleigh Brook says there needs to be more inclusive clubs for children with disability.(ABC News: Mark Leonardi)

With Ava eager to compete with her peers, Ms Brook is unsure she can find an inclusive club next season.

“It is kind of one of those situations where I am questioning is there going to be somewhere,” Ms Brook said.

Sporting events for students of all abilities

Charlotte Kanowski holds her medal
Charlotte Kanowski with her medal after she won the Queensland School Sports triathlon’s multi-class autism without an intellectual disability category.(ABC News: Marton Dobras)

Fourteen-year-old Charlotte Kanowski is an accomplished triathlon, marathon and aquathon athlete.

She was also the first and only student to compete in Queensland School Sports triathlon’s multi-class autism without an intellectual disability category.

“I was proud of myself when I got the medal and finished the race,” Charlotte said.

Charlotte Kanowski competing.
Charlotte Kanowski competing in the Noosa triathlon.(Supplied)

Multi-class events allow students with disabilities to participate in an inclusive environment.

The events are currently offered in triathlon, cross country, swimming and track and field events.

The Department of Education said this year for the first time, students with autism can also compete in multi-class events in the Queensland School Sport State Swimming Championships and State Triathlon.

Charlotte’s mum Jessica Kanowski said creating inclusive sport environments is about implementing “reasonable adjustments”.

“I think having that multi-class does provide an opportunity for them to have a go, but in a comfortable setting,” she said.

“Ultimately, you would want it to be fully inclusive and all the kids going together and having a go.

“We need to be inclusive and allow access to all of our children so that they can reach their dreams.”

The Brisbane mum said she had been fortunate in finding inclusive sports for her daughter, but it had not come without its challenges.

“It can be tricky to find an instructor who is educated and knows what reasonable adjustments to put in place,” she said.

Charlotte Kanowski with her parents and little sister
Charlotte Kanowski with her parents and little sister – who all support her during her competitions.(ABC News: Marton Dobras)

Ms Kanowski said it was important for coaches to understand all children on the spectrum have different “sensory profiles.”

“It is a spectrum for that reason, they are all different,” she said.

“When [Charlotte] does have a moment or may have a meltdown, that it is normal for her.

“That’s her emotions bubbling over and that is how she expresses them, and it is part of being autistic.”

Seeing her daughter shine in competitions, fills Ms Kanowski with pride.

“Makes me feel like she is out there giving it a go, and I’m really proud of her,” she said.

Sporting clubs ‘fearful of the unknown’

The Special Olympics’ Queensland coordinator Kim Lawley said many sports clubs were “fearful of the unknown” around athletes with autism.

“Once you get them out on a track or a field or a court, they are an athlete, and they want to participate and train,” she said.

“It’s just breaking down those barriers and those fears of the unknown.”

She said many athletes with disabilities struggle to be accepted into sporting groups, including her own brother.

“There was no opportunity for my brother to play sport, so we made that happen for him [at the Special Olympics],” Ms Lawley said.

Kim smiles on an athletics track.
Special Olympics’ Kim Lawley says many athletes with autism struggle to be accepted into sporting groups.(ABC News: Sarah Richards)

She said the Special Olympics has helped create inclusive sporting opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities and autism, with her brother going on to play basketball and golf nationally.

“It is about education of coaches, it is inclusion, and it’s just reminding coaches anywhere in Australia, in the world that they are athletes,” she said.

National athlete leadership coordinator for Special Olympics Australia, Susie Bennett-Yeo, said she hoped one day athletes with intellectual disabilities and autism could be accepted and welcomed by any sports team.

“I would love to just see some of the athletes I know, just to be able to go along to their local basketball competition and say, ‘I’d like to play basketball’ and they go, ‘that’s great’,” she said .

‘The next national stars’ falling through the cracks

Australian Sports Commission spokesperson said it believed everyone should be able to participate in sport.

“It is important that sporting bodies, from local clubs through to national sporting organisations, reflect the diversity in the communities they are a part of,” a spokesperson said.

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Australia

‘Hi Mum’: Scammers targeting parents by pretending to be children who need help

A close up of a woman's hands holding a mobile phone.

Scammers are pretending to be children in need of financial help as part of a new messaging scam targeting parents, authorities have warned.

At least 25 victims of the scam, which originated in Europe, have been detected in Victoria this year.

The victims typically receive a WhatsApp or text message from an unknown number impersonating their child.

According to police, messages often say something along the lines of “Hi mum, I’ve changed provider/lost/broken my phone – I’m temporarily using this number for now.”

The offenders eventually request money from the victim, usually using some kind of emergency as their justification for needing the funds.

Most of the offenders are based overseas and are not known to the victims.

a whatsapp message that says "Hi mum, my other phone crashed. but this is my temporary number"
An example of the scam messages.(Twitter: Scamwatch)

Detective Sergeant John Cheyne from the Cybercrime Squad said such scams pulled on the victim’s heartstrings.

“A child telling you they’ve lost or broken their phone and are in need of financial support is understandably a situation where parents would react without a second thought,” he said in a statement.

“If ever you receive a message from an unknown number asking for money, it’s always worth asking for some kind of verification.

“If they can’t prove who they are or aren’t willing to, don’t transfer the money.”

a message reads "i have a little problem i need to pay a bill but i cannot log into my online banking."
The conversations usually progress for a while before the offender requests money.(Twitter: Scamwatch)

A recent report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found scammers stole $1.8 billion from Australians in 2021 — more than double 2020’s total.

Factoring in the estimated number of unreported scams, that figure exceeds $2 billion.

“Often, matters of this nature are under-reported and that can be for a range of reasons, including fear or embarrassment, and sometimes feeling unsure if an offense has occurred,” Sergeant Cheyne said.

“We encourage anyone who has been subjected to a scam such as this to speak to police.”

Anyone who has been a victim of the scam should call their bank immediately and report the incident via ReportCyber.

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Categories
Australia

Police on the hunt for man who allegedly grabbed student at Glenelg Primary School

play equipment and sign of a school with greenery inside a fence that has print ads on it

SA Police say “significant” police resources have been deployed near a school in Adelaide’s west following an alleged incident where a student was grabbed by a man.

The incident at Glenelg Primary School was reported to police about 10am on Tuesday.

Police say a man approached a female student on the first floor of the school’s main building, grabbed her right wrist and pulled her down the stairs.

The girl was able to pull away from his grip before the man ran away.

The man is described as being about 180cm tall, bald and was wearing a knee-length light blue shirt, black pants, a black face mask and carrying a beanie.

The student told detectives the man had purple nail polish on one thumb and was wearing a distinctive black ring with bright dots.

The suspect was also wearing a black twisted bracelet on his wrist as well as two earrings on one of his ears.

A man in police uniform speaking into microphones at a reading
Assistant Police Commissioner Scott Duval has dismissed incorrect information shared about the incident.(ABC News: Ethan Rix)

Assistant Police Commissioner Scott Duval said detectives have spoken with staff and students and viewed security footage in the vicinity, but have not found any witnesses.

“So, someone who is not meant to be there, and in this case approaching a student, is really concerning,” he said.

“We have had significant police deployment in the area around the school. The amount of deployment to this investigation is really akin to the type of seriousness we put in it.

“The involvement of the police has not wanted and will not want until we get to a point [where] we’ve exhausted all our investigation, or hopefully arrested the person responsible for this incident.”

The student was not injured during the incident.

A protective security car outside school grounds
Security at Glenelg Primary School after a man allegedly trespassed and grabbed a girl.(ABC News: Chris McLoughlin)

Assistant Commissioner Duval said reports that the man was in the female toilets at the school and chased students were incorrect and “unhelpful.”

“There have been reports of this man going into the female student toilets — I can categorically say that is incorrect,” Assistant Commissioner Duval said.

“There have been other reports that this man chased the student, and again, I say that is not true.

“There were reports that other students, and perhaps staff, witnessed this incident and again I say those reports are untrue and in many respects are not helpful to this investigation.”

He urged anyone who witnessed the incident or may have seen a man matching this description in the area to contact Crime Stoppers.

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Categories
Australia

Victoria University study suggests children experience high rates of violence in community sport

Dr Mary Woessner and Dr Aurelie Pankowiak pose for a photo on one of the basketball courts at Victoria University

Eighty-two per cent of people sampled in a study conducted by Victoria University have reported experiencing at least one form of interpersonal violence when participating in community sport as a child.

The survey, which is the most comprehensive of its kind in Australia, asked 886 adults whether they had experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence, as well as neglect, from either coaches, peers or parents during childhood.

Seventy-six per cent said they had experienced psychological violence or neglect, 66 per cent reported physical violence and 38 per cent reported sexual violence.

One in three respondents, meanwhile, said they had experienced all four forms of violence.

The respondents had participated in a large variety of sports, with nearly 70 represented.

A graph showing key statistics including that 82% of respondents experienced at least one type of violence
Seventy per cent of respondents experienced physical and psychological violence from a peer. (Designed by The Infologist for Victoria University)

While such large numbers may come as a surprise to some, study co-author Mary Woessner said she was not shocked.

“From the literature, and knowing what’s happening internationally, I would say that’s right about what we were expecting,” Dr Woessner told the ABC.

“One of the first things you need to create change, positive change, is generate understanding that there’s a problem.

“We just want people to know it exists, so we can make evidence-based decisions to change it.”

Dr Woessner’s co-author, Aurélie Pankowiak, explained that the survey asked participants about explicit examples of violence they may have experienced in a sporting context.

Dr Aurélie Pankowiak poses for a photo on one of the basketball courts at Victoria University
Aurélie Pankowiak co-authored the study with Mary Woessner.(ABC News: Andie Noonan)

For neglect, for example, participants were asked if they had experienced being refused time off for medical injuries.

For psychological, participants were asked whether they had been insulted, threatened or humiliated (for example by being bullied, given an unwanted nickname violence or otherwise ostracised).

“We had very concrete examples of different types of violence, so we did not leave it up to the person’s interpretation of whether or not what they experienced was violent,” Dr Pankowiak said.

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Categories
Australia

Good Samaritans thanked by Melbourne mother after stepping in during roadside toddler seizure

Two woman smiling and looking at the camera, one holding a bunch of flowers, the other a toddler.

The mother who pulled her unconscious son from a car and cradled him on a busy north-west Melbourne roadside has been reunited with the good Samaritan couple who rushed to help her.

Madeleine Crawford, and 20-month-old Stirling, met Thi and Cindy Le of North Sunshine at an emotional weekend reunion.

It was the first time they had come together since Ms Crawford put out a call to find them so she could finally say thank you.

Suffering a fever, chesty cough and struggling to breathe, Stirling was being driven by Ms Crawford to the Royal Children’s Hospital emergency department on August 3 when he started having a seizure in the back seat.

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PlayAudio. Duration: 8 minutes 48 seconds

Melbourne mum searches for ‘good Samaritans’ who came to her aid when her son had a seizure

A clean bill of health

Desperate for help, Ms Crawford pulled over on the corner of Churchill Avenue and Ballarat Road in Maidstone, grabbed Stirling from the back seat, and stepped onto the median strip.

Ms Le and her husband had been driving only a few vehicles behind and did not hesitate after spotting Ms Crawford gesturing wildly at passing traffic.

“I immediately knew something was wrong,” she said.

“I didn’t know what else to do so I told Madeleine I’d hold baby Stirling while she drives to the closest hospital.

“Thankfully my husband was a quick thinker and drove in front with hazard lights on to escort us to the hospital safely.”

They made it to Footscray Hospital where Ms Crawford ran inside and Stirling was immediately triaged by the nurses.

Reunited via radio

There was no time to exchange details.

Ms Le said when the pair arrived home, she could not stop thinking about what had happened.

“As a mother myself, I knew how distressing it would’ve been to have experienced that,” she said.

“But I would never have thought Madeleine would try to find us. I just did what I could at the time to help.”

Both families were reunited on Sunday after Ms Crawford put out the call to find them via ABC Radio Melbourne.

“It was incredible to be able to express our gratitude in person,” Ms Crawford said.

“It was a very special afternoon — lots of hugs and smiles.”

Two woman hugging, smiling and looking at the camera.
Ms Crawford wanted to thank the couple who came to her aid.(Supplied: Madeleine Crawford)

A clean bill of health

Stirling was diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus but has since been issued a clean bill of health.

Ms Crawford said it was his seizure that had caught her off guard and urged other parents to learn how to respond to a similar situation.

In a twist, the Le family revealed their own granddaughter, Aria, had been through a similar experience only months ago.

Their daughter, Anita, had phoned them for help after her sick toddler started having a seizure.

According to the Victorian government, about one in every 20 children between six months and six years old will experience a febrile seizure while suffering a high fever. While alarming, it is not epilepsy and it does not cause brain damage.

“It is absolutely terrifying if it happens to your child,” Ms Crawford said.

“I would recommend parents read the guidance so they can be as prepared as they can if or when it happens.”

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Categories
Australia

New Adelaide accommodation for domestic violence victims expected to be full within weeks

Women standing around a bench top looking at each other

Eight new units have been set up in an undisclosed location in Adelaide to help women and children escape domestic violence.

South Australia is the first state to get new upgraded facilities, with other states set to follow suit.

It is a part of a $20 million federal government program to upgrade domestic violence services across the nation.

The Adelaide facility, operated by the Salvation Army, will accommodate approximately 40 people, with on average one adult and four children per property.

Salvation Army general manager of family violence Lorrinda Hamilton said the facility was in high demand.

“We are almost half full and we’ve only been open for two weeks,” she said.

A woman standing with a beige jacket and looking serious
Lorrinda Hamilton says the Salvation Army runs domestic violence refuge facilities across the nation. (abcnews )

“We are expected to be fully occupied within the next week.

“These facilities are critical. The demand for family violence responses outstrips the supply of refuge accommodation.

“It is one of the leading causes of homelessness.”

The site includes recreational facilities and outdoor play areas for children, but in a high-security setting.

DV Shelter Adelaide (1)
Bedroom and living areas have been designed to maximize privacy and safety for parents, while affording them the opportunity to easily supervise their children and ensure their safety. (abcnews )

Ms Hamilton said it was important the location was kept secret.

“It is imperative that we operate in non-disclosed locations, and that’s particularly important when we are working with high-risk family violence, particularly women who might be an imminent risk of death,” she said.

“The majority of people using this facility are from South Australia but there are some women who will be fleeing from interstate who will use this facility.”

A woman with brown curly hair and glasses mid-sentence with everything else around her blurred out
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth says no woman should have to choose between having a home or experiencing violence.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said the federal government fund was “about supporting women and children who are escaping family and domestic violence.”

“Every 10 days, one woman is killed by their former or current partner,” she said.

“This is a really big problem, family and domestic violence in this country.”

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Categories
Australia

As Victoria’s incarceration rate rises, children of jailed parents are ‘invisible victims’, report says

As Victoria's incarceration rate rises, children of jailed parents are 'invisible victims', report says

As Holly Nicholls grew up, her mother struggled to support the family while her father was in jail.

She was often forced to skip dinner or have toast as a substitute, and her family’s lack of money did not go unnoticed at school.

“Never having nice shoes, nice clothes, never getting your hair cut … and other young people notice that and then you cop the bullying,” she said.

Ms Nicholls’ father was incarcerated when she was young, meaning her family lived on a single income.

She said the stigma directed towards people who had been incarcerated was particularly confronting for children.

“They ask you questions like ‘is your dad a murderer or a rapist?'” she said.

“That’s really a full on thing to hear … because you still have that connection and love for that person and here people are in society demonizing them.”

Ms Nicholls shared her story as a report focusing on the way parental incarceration affects children was tabled in the Victorian Parliament.

A woman with dark hair speaking in front of microphones.
Holly Nicholls (right) says her father’s imprisonment marked her early life.(abcnews)

The report found the traumatic nature of parental incarceration could interrupt childhood development, a lack of support could contribute to intergenerational patterns of incarceration and that for Aboriginal families, separating children from their parents could perpetuate historical trauma.

It also highlighted that the number of parents being incarcerated in Victoria was likely to be rising in line with an overall increase in the number of people being jailed.

Children with parents in jail ‘invisible victims’

The committee behind the report recommended the Victorian government set up a dedicated unit to support those young people.

Crossbench MP Fiona Patten, who chaired the committee, said children with parents in jail were the “invisible victims of crime”.

“They serve a sentence alongside their parent, an experience which may affect them negatively for their whole lives,” she said.

Reason Party MP Fiona Patten
Committee chair Fiona Patten says it was a privilege to hear personal stories, including some from prison inmates.(Supplied)

The committee looked at policies and services for children affected by parental incarceration across the state.

The report outlined 29 recommendations, including reducing the number of parents serving time in prison, developing arrest practices among police that are more child-aware and improving consideration of children’s interests when sentencing parents.

Data is scarce, but it is estimated that about 7,000 children in Victoria have a parent in jail at any time and 45,000 will have a parent imprisoned during their childhood.

Aboriginal children are disproportionately affected by parental incarceration in Victoria, with about 20 per cent likely to experience parental incarceration compared with 5 per cent of non-Aboriginal children.

Inmates’ experiences considered by committee

Rachael Hambleton, whose father spent time in prison while she was growing up, said dedicated support for young people going through a similar experience was needed.

“There are lots of not-for-profits that are trying to gap-fill services that don’t really exist,” she said.

Ms Hambleton also said it was important to consider the greater issues at play in the justice system.

“We all want to see a reduction in crime,” she said.

“Incarceration increases recidivism, while many evidence-based holistic approaches have been proven to reduce it.

“It’s time we looked to what works and dared to dream bigger.”

Razor wire at a Brisbane prison
The committee heard from both inmates and prison officers.(AAP: Dave Hunt)

The report recommended setting up a designated government unit within the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing to “design ways to help support children’s interests through their parent’s journey in the criminal justice system.”

In the report’s foreword, Ms Patten thanked those who shared their experiences as part of the committee’s work, which included inmates in Victorian prisons whose own parents had been incarcerated.

“We were told by individuals that they have been silenced from speaking about their experiences for so long because of stigma that they could only face and describe their experiences in late adulthood and did so, in some cases, for the first time to the committee, she said.

“We felt privileged to hear their stories.”

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Categories
Australia

Spirit of SA art exhibition showcases state’s people, places and icons to support children with cancer

Spirit of SA art exhibition showcases state's people, places and icons to support children with cancer

Among the lovelier lyrics in Don McLean’s song about Vincent van Gogh are those that refer to “faces lined in pain” being “soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand.”

Something of that tender spirit is reflected at Mark Lobert’s Port Adelaide studio, where, for the past few months, an impressive act of artistic altruism has been taking shape.

“Hopefully we’ve done SA proud because we’re very proud of this collection,” Lobert said when describing the project.

Painting is a paintaking business, but these portraits and landscapes are about alleviating pain — specifically, the pain of very sick children.

Collectively, the 42 canvases will comprise the Spirit of SA exhibition, and they depict prominent South Australian faces, places and icons.

A painting of the Granite Island to Victor Harbor horse-drawn tram.
The Granite Island horse-drawn tram is popular with tourists at Victor Harbor.(Supplied: Phil Hodgson and Mark Lobert)

From Monday, they will be on display at Adelaide’s Westpac House, and will be auctioned online to raise at least $100,000 for the Childhood Cancer Association (CCA), to support children battling the illness.

Subjects include rock legend Jimmy Barnes, actress Theresa Palmer, the Hills Hoist, Kangaroo Island’s Remarkable Rocks, chef Maggie Beer, and pop singer Guy Sebastian.

There are also the ABC’s Collinswood building, AFLW star Chelsea Randall and former prime minister Julia Gillard.

A portrait of former Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
Born in the UK, former Prime Minister Julia Gillard moved to Adelaide at a young age.(Supplied: Phil Hodgson and Mark Lobert)

“As a female in politics, and in general, she’s an amazing person,” Lobert said of Gillard.

“The painting that has been done by Barnesy is linked in with the Largs Pier Hotel.

A portrait of Australian rock legend Jimmy Barnes with the Largs Pier Hotel.
Australian rock legend Jimmy Barnes with the Largs Pier Hotel.(Supplied: Phil Hodgson and Mark Lobert)

“That image would have to be one of my favourites.”

The project has evolved collaboratively — fellow artist Phil Hodgson has worked closely with Lobert, and it is testament to their commitment to the cause that both have volunteered their time.

Each has brought different and complementary skills.

Hodgson’s talents include the ability to capture the lineaments of a human face, while Lobert has focused on non-human subjects, as well as color schemes and other touches.

42 paintings in 30 weeks

In person, Lobert can look a little like a canvas himself—his arms are impressively inked, and his paint-stained shirt resembles a palette for mixing colors.

His studio is every bit the artist’s den.

Adelaide artist Mark Lobert stands in front of paintings.
Lobert’s shirt, like the floor of his studio, is suitably stained with paint.(ABC Radio Adelaide: Daniel Keane)

It is brimming with brushes, paint pots, blank canvases, and works in progress, and its floor is so densely covered with splashes of pigment that it resembles an example of Jackson Pollock’s abstract expressionism.

But the paintings themselves suggest other suitably eclectic influences.

A carton of Farmers Union Iced Coffee, a packet of FruChocs and a selection of frog cakes evoke Andy Warhol’s soup cans, while the blues and yellows of an image of Adelaide’s skyline bring to mind van Gogh’s Starry Night.

A painting of a packet of FruChos.
An Andy Warhol-esque painting of a packet of FruChocs.(Supplied: Phil Hodgson and Mark Lobert)

“I kind of love colour, I’m always trying to chase color — I need to have color all around me,” Lobert said.

Despite that passion, he admits the production of 42 sizeable works in about 30 weeks has been a challenge.

A painting of Kangaroo Island's Remarkable Rocks.
Kangaroo Island’s Remarkable Rocks were among Hodgson and Lobert’s subjects.(Supplied: Phil Hodgson and Mark Lobert)

But when he admitted, “I won’t lie — it’s been very stressful”, he spoke with the smile of someone who knows the finish line is in sight.

“They have taken a lot of time,” he said.

“Originally, we were going to start off with about 14 — then it went to 20, and 25 went to 30, then it bloomed out to 38 and shot out to 42.”

A painting of a Hills Hoist clothes line.
The Hills Hoist clothes line was produced in South Australia.(Supplied: Phil Hodgson and Mark Lobert)

‘The fight of his life’

The driving force behind the project has been media identity and CCA ambassador Mark Soderstrom.

Media identity and former SANFL footballer Mark Soderstrom.
By auctioning the paintings, Soderstrom hopes to raise $100,000.(ABC Radio Adelaide: Daniel Keane)

“I thought, we’ve got to be grateful for where we live, what can we do to raise $70,000 to $100,000?” he said.

“What if we try and showcase the best part of South Australia, and then auction them off for Childhood Cancer?

“They need something like $1.3 million a year to function and provide their services, so if we could put a dent in that, it’d be bloody brilliant.”

A painting of tuna fish.
Chosen subjects also included Port Lincoln’s tuna industry.(Supplied: Phil Hodgson and Mark Lobert)

Soderstrom admits he is not “arty” himself — but he is impressed by the power of art not only to raise funds but to provide respite.

Through CCA, he struck up a friendship with Lobert.

Their work has put them in contact with some harrowing stories.

A portrait of AFLW star Chelsea Randall.
Three-time AFLW premiership player and two-time premiership co-captain Chelsea Randall.(Supplied: Phil Hodgson and Mark Lobert)

Soderstrom recalled the case of Jaxon, “an unbelievably brave little boy” who was undergoing palliative care at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

“He was in the fight of his life, and his parents called him Iron Man because he was so strong,” Soderstrom said.

Soderstrom asked Lobert to paint a picture of the superhero for Jaxon, to go over his hospital bed.

“Every time he woke up, with the time he had left, all he could see was Iron Man.”

Easing the burden on children like Jaxon is at the heart of the Spirit of SA.

“Our father passed away with cancer,” Lobert said.

“So whenever I hear of any [fundraiser] that’s to do with cancer, it’s always going to be a ‘yes’.

“I love to be able to give.”

Adelaide artists Leandra McKay and Mark Lobert at Lobert's Port Adelaide studio.
Assistant Leandra McKay and artist Mark Lobert at Lobert’s studio, where he has been working on a painting of CCA mascot Elliot.(ABC Radio Adelaide: Daniel Keane)

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