Ronald McDonald House

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (16:47): I move:

That this council—

1. Recognises the outstanding role Ronald McDonald House in Melbourne St, North Adelaide, has played in South Australia for the past 25 years by providing a 'home away from home' for families with seriously ill or injured children who are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals;

2. Acknowledges the supportive, caring environment it offers where families dealing with significant trauma can stay together, close to the care their child needs;

3. Notes that each year Ronald McDonald House supports about 300 regional families with free, safe and friendly accommodation and support services, without any form of government funding;

4. Recognises the exceptional role volunteers play at Ronald McDonald House where they help create a warm, welcoming environment by cooking meals, maintaining the house, offering emotional support, and helping with daily operations, noting in the early years of the house, it was mostly run by volunteers, who generously gave their time and care to make it possible for families to focus on what matters most;

5. Acknowledges two very special volunteers who have been at Ronald McDonald House from the start, Mrs Jill Rowe and Mrs Colleen 'Nanna Cole' Billows; and

6. Calls on the state government to provide financial support to the wonderful charity as it prepares to relocate to a brand-new site closer to the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital at Thebarton.

I rise to speak on my motion to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a vital, yet somewhat unheralded, community service, Ronald McDonald House. I recently visited the premises on Melbourne Street at North Adelaide, meeting with board director Dr Shannon Schedlich and others, and I was most impressed by the level of care and community spirit there, as well as the live-in services it provides.

Many, like I, were surprised to learn that Ronald McDonald House receives no government support considering the extensive work it does to provide an affordable place for families and patients from mostly the regions to reside when they need to visit the Women's and Children's Hospital. I would hate to think what it all costs to keep this much-needed facility going and how much the volunteer organisation saves the government from providing a similar service.

They derive most of their operational funding from generous corporate donors in the community. Surprisingly, funding from the McDonald's fast-food chain is modest, even though it carries the name of the brand's promotional character. There is no branding advertising of McDonald's there. While I was there, ongoing building extensions to add more rooms were taking place. Accommodation is also provided in an apartment block on the opposite side of Melbourne Street.

Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for families with seriously ill or injured children who are receiving treatment at nearby hospitals. It offers a supportive, caring environment where families can stay together close to the care their child needs. The organisation's core objective is to keep families together during one of the most challenging times in their lives, ensuring they have access to comfort, stability and a supportive community when they need it most.

For the past 25 years, Ronald McDonald House has been a beacon of hope for regional families with sick or injured children. Over this time, it has supported thousands of families, some of whom are experiencing unimaginable challenges. Each year, Ronald McDonald House supports around 300 regional families with free and safe accommodation and support services. The average stay is 17 days, but families can stay for over a year. Last year, Ronald McDonald House had five families stay for over 300 days.

Ronald McDonald House officially opened 25 years ago, but the charity has a longer history in South Australia. Originally in the Allan Campbell Building of the Women's and Children's Hospital, the charity operated the Ronald McDonald Children's Clinic in the nineties. This oncology and haematology day unit provided a vital service, allowing children to receive treatment without being admitted to hospital. In 2000, Ronald McDonald House in Melbourne Street was officially opened, providing 10 families with sanctuary each night. As demand for the service grew, so did Ronald McDonald House, and in 2013 the charity opened 10 two-bedroom apartments across the road from the original house.

More than just a house, the charity also launched an education program for children who have missed schooling due to illness or injury and their siblings, supporting over 60 students each year. Prolonged hospital stays and ongoing treatments can significantly disrupt a child's education and confidence. The learning program bridges this gap by providing tailored one-on-one tutoring that helps children catch up academically and re-engage with learning at their own pace. The Ronald McDonald Learning Program is more than just tutoring; it is a lifeline back to routine, confidence and success. It helps children rediscover their potential and empowers families to move forward together.

In the past two years, the charity launched hospitality carts at the Women's and Children's Hospital and the Lyell McEwin Hospital. These carts are a mobile care station stocked with free essential items for families, offering comfort bedside. The hospitality carts are a powerful example of how Ronald McDonald House Charities adapts its mission to meet families where they are—physically, emotionally and practically. By turning even hospital hallways into spaces of care, compassion, comfort and connection, the carts help to ease the burden on families during some of their most difficult moments.

In 2024, the charity expanded its geographical footprint to include Alice Springs, renaming to Ronald McDonald House Charities South and Central Australia, and is currently exploring expansion into Alice Springs to support regional and remote families. In 2025, the charity is again expanding and is about to embark on a five-room expansion on Melbourne Street to support 25 families each night. After, sadly, turning away 193 families in 2024, the expansion will ensure Ronald McDonald House can be there for regional families when they need it most.

The South Australian community has been a vital support to Ronald McDonald House. Receiving no government funding, they rely primarily on fundraising to run not only their operations but the growth of their house. In 2000, and again in 2013, the South Australian community provided the capital funding needed to expand. In the 2025 expansion, the South Australian community will again rally to support regional families to stay together.

Volunteers are the heart of Ronald McDonald House. They help create a warm, welcoming environment by cooking meals, maintaining the house, offering emotional support and helping with daily operations. In the early years of the house, it was mostly run by volunteers who generously gave their time and care to make it possible for families to focus on what matters most. Two very special volunteers have been there from the very start.

Jill Rowe stayed at a Ronald McDonald House in Melbourne in 1999 when her daughter gave birth to her granddaughter. When she returned to Adelaide and found out that they were currently constructing the house in Adelaide, she signed up there as a volunteer. Over the past 25 years, Jill has been a constant warmth in the house, travelling to volunteer all the way from Tailem Bend.

Colleen Billows, another volunteer celebrating 25 years, is affectionately known to all at Ronald McDonald House as Nanna Cole and is famous for her sausage rolls. She has been a warm maternal figure for thousands of families and has been there for every event, fundraiser and milestone of the house. In 2019, at 83 years of age, Colleen abseiled down the 33-storey Westpac building to raise money for Ronald McDonald House. In 2022, she was honoured with an Order of Australia medal for her volunteering at Ronald McDonald House.

Jill and Colleen were recently awarded 25 years' of service at an event hosted by the Governor at Government House. I would also like to mention the contribution made to the ongoing success of Ronald McDonald House by a former executive officer there, the mother of the Hon. Heidi Girolamo, Julie Black, who worked there from 2018 to 2022.

Ronald McDonald House is outgrowing its current premises. With a new hospital being built at Thebarton next to the Royal Adelaide Hospital, the organisation is looking at moving to a new nearby location. I sincerely hope the state government lends its support to this much-needed and vital community project to ensure that it continues its great work and to meet the needs of less advantaged members of our community. I commend the motion to the chamber.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.