Graduates at the Wednesday 18 September, 2019, ceremony at the Cancer Centre for Children know how to celebrate. They grab the rope attached to the large brass bell in the clinic and with big swings set forth a loud clanging that rises above the cheers and clapping from boisterous families and staff.

The sound is beautiful music to everyone’s ears, telling the world that the gruelling treatment for cancer they’ve endured has ended, and what better way to do this than with the families and staff who’ve shared their uniquely difficult journey.

Certificates and balloon swords

Before this bell ringing though, our September graduates had an informal ceremony where the 15 children and teenagers, their families including mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and grandparents, and a sprinkling of staff, filled the large Oncology meeting room with an excited energy.

“It’s quite a journey to get through the treatment that we put on kids,” said Dr Luciano Dalla-Pozza beginning the ceremony.     

"The journey from start to finish can be long and arduous and you know how much time you spend in the clinic, how many times you come in for hospitalisation, how hard it is to tolerate the toxicities of therapy, and all of that you’ve managed to overcome. There’s a tremendous amount of courage and bravery in this room and you should all be extraordinarily proud of what you’ve achieved."

Captain Starlight helped Dr Dalla-Pozza with certificates, chocolates and mementoes, and knighted graduates with balloon swords, to help celebrate their achievements, raising giggles and laughs.   

Three cheers for our graduates!

Our graduates are:

Ayden, Omer, Swai, Kaiser, Guiyan, Mikayla, Liam, Ryder, Mary, Jesse, Georgia, Riley, Elias, Liam, Lawson and Martin.

Congratulations were given to each and every awe-inspiring graduate. They achieved so much through their courage and strength.

Ring and revel

After the ceremony it was time for the bell. Whether by portable steps, a parent’s arms, or having height on their side, the children and teenagers were up to the challenge of who could ring the bell the loudest and did such a good job it would have been hard to decide a winner.

With the formalities over, everyone chatted and relaxed in the clinic which was transformed by the decorations and food that the charity Gift a Smile had provided. The food went quickly with people piling up their plates with different types of pizza, vegetarian vine leaves, meat, tabouli and much more. Delicious cakes and deserts were decoratively placed on a stylish circular framework beside a table spread with different kinds of fruit platters in careful, colourful designs.

Ryder, who had rung the clinic bell enthusiastically earlier, happily posed for photos with a huge grin as he cut the first slice of a beautifully designed celebratory cake.

The Cancer Centre looks to the future

Future plans for the Cancer Centre were unveiled by Dr Dalla-Pozza during the night that included construction of a tall building to the back of the hospital that will contain the new Cancer Centre. Facilities will include a new clinic, ward and at least 50 beds. The building would solve some of the problems currently experienced by families, such as those of our September graduates, that include parents remaining close to their children; and is expected to provide single rooms, removing the shared habitation experience that currently exists, which elicited enthusiastic applause from the families in the room.

OPAC is helping families

Our Oncology Parents Advisory Group (OPAC) first thought of ringing a celebration bell for significant milestones, because what the children had acheived was prodigious, and parents felt there needed to be a meaningful form of recognition. Their work continues to help families and you are welcome to find out more or help as well.

Stay tuned for professional photos

Families met our photographer on the night, who has taken beautiful, high-quality professional photos of the graduation and we’ll let you know when these are available for you to enjoy and keep.

We’d like to thank Gift a Smile for helping to make the graduation night special with the care and effort they put into the stylish and fun décor, delicious food and with their helpful and friendly attendance on guests. They were assisted by Char Cha Catering, Fruitful Temptations and Balloons by Rana as well as other kind hearts and helping hands.

They helped our amazing Cancer Centre graduates have a very special night with their families to celebrate coming through the enormous challenge of treatment. There is so much to celebrate and look forward to!