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About

About Us

A brave kid with a pink scarf smiling
Cute curly baby girl holding an egg

Our story commenced
in 1993

The Sydney Kids Committee was formed by a group of volunteers who had a special and personal relationship with Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick, they or a sibling had been a patient as a child. Since then, Sydney Kids Committee has enjoyed the support of volunteers from a variety of backgrounds, each with their own story as to why they choose to so passionately dedicate their time to such a worthwhile cause. Some of our volunteers work at or with the hospital, some (like our Founder) have had a personal connection, and others recognise that needing the help that Sydney Kids Committee provides is indiscriminate. The next child that benefits from what we do could be someone you know. The Sydney Kids Committee raises funds through events and other activities to purchase equipment that will make a real difference to the lives and experiences of the children treated at the hospital. Ranging from our annual Gala Ball to art exhibitions, golf days and even wine tasting, Sydney Kids Committee events centre on fun and inclusion. Since inception Sydney Kids Committee has raised over $1.3M for the Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick and in 2017 they were recognised as a Gold Supporter at the hospital in their Hall of Champions. The Sydney Kids Committee welcomes new people to join and bring their expertise, energy and ideas to continue the proud work of the committee. We value people with enthusiasm, integrity, and a ‘can do’ approach to working on an all-volunteer fundraising committee. Our committee members all love helping improve the care of sick babies and children and we seek people who share the same values and energy.
Join Us

Our Current Patrons

Rodger Corser

Rodger Corser

2019 – Current
Dimity Clancey

Dimity Clancey

2019 – Current

Dimity Clancey is a Walkley Award winning investigative Reporter for the Nine Network.

After cutting her teeth in the New South Wales Central West, Dimity moved to Nine’s Sydney newsroom in 2010.

Thrown into the crime round, she rapidly won respect for her ability to break and chase stories, confront criminals, and empower the vulnerable.

From the epic pursuit of Malcolm Naden, to natural disasters, Dimity has been on the Nine Network’s front line for major news coverage both in Australia and around the world.

In 2016, she moved to A Current Affair, where her exclusive story on the heart-chilling confession of Malcolm Naden earned her a prestigious Walkley Award.

Clancey backed that up the following year, nominated for a second Walkley following her investigation into the misconduct of disgraced obstetrician, Dr Emil Gayed.

In 2020, Clancey was awarded the Kennedy for Outstanding Nightly Current Affairs Reporting for her investigation into prescription drug abuse.

Dimity’s work at A Current Affair has solved a long running police investigation, prompted the sacking of a school teacher who verbally abused her disabled students, generated law reform to better protect problem gamblers and has held countless people in power accountable to right the wrongs in our society.

Dimity prides herself on the voice she gives to the disempowered and downtrodden.

When she isn’t telling someone else’s story, Dimity is a mother to Angus, Millie and Harriet – what will always be her favourite tales to tell.

Dimity Clancey

Dimity Clancey

2019 – Current

Meet the
Sydney Kids Committee

Paul Gallagher

President and Founder

Paul Gallagher

Paul is a founding member and remains an active member of the Sydney Kids Committee which was formed in April 1993. Over the last 25 years Paul has served as President and is currently the Vice President. His interest to fundraise for the hospital is personal as Paul’s sister Fiona was born with brittle bones disease.
Fiona spent most of her childhood in and out of the children’s hospital at Randwick and consequently Paul spent a considerable amount of time visiting. He was inspired by the work and commitment of the nurses and this motivated him to become a paediatric nurse. Paul’s mother instilled in him drive and dedication to raise money for the hospital to purchase equipment. He has a deep sense of loyalty to the committee and remains passionate and proud about what has been achieved since 1993. There have been 2 major milestones for Paul in being part of such a vital fundraising organisation, firstly in 2014 the Sydney Kids Committee was inducted into the hospital’s Hall of Champions in recognition of raising over $1,000,000 and secondly when he was awarded an Order of Australia for contribution to services to children through charitable paediatric care organisations.
Christopher Webber

Vice President

Christopher Webber

A doctor, a pediatric emergency Consultant and head of the Emergency Department of Sydney Children’s Hospital. Chris has worked at the hospital since 1989. He wanted to give back to the hospital by working with the volunteer Committee members from the community. He joined the Committee 10 years ago.

The dedication and commitment of the members inspires him to continue fundraising. Chris’s medical career began in Queensland in 1982, working in both isolated small towns and major centres. His broad understanding of the health system includes front-line patient care as well as medical training and health education at many levels. The cost of exceptional health care is expensive and Chris recognises the need to fundraise to add that extra level to a world class health system.
Julie Gavrilovic

Treasurer

Julie Gavrilovic

Julie joined the committee as part of her desire to give back to the community and to support a cause important to her. She has been on the committee for over 10 years and derives great satisfaction know that being an all volunteer committee that the majority of the funds raised go directly to fund much needed equipment for
the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick. Julie has a successful career in Finance and Accounting and she brings a wealth of knowledge to the role of Treasurer to ensure the Committee meets all its legal obligations. She also loves getting involved in all aspects of the Committee’s raising efforts and enjoys her important role in keeping our Social Media channels up to date with important information about Committee events and achievements.
Sue Cunningham

Secretary and
Event Co-ordinator

Sue Cunningham

Sue joined the Sydney Kids Committee team in late 2017 having been a regular at the balls since 2009. Thankful of not having to have called on the services of the Sydney Children’s hospital for her own children, Sue is passionate about helping to preserve and build the wonderful facilities of the hospital for those who do.
Sue’s broad commercial background spanned the finance sector and government and culminated in commercial strategy for the Seven Network before she decided to set up her own consultancy company in 2002. Since then she has concentrated on small to medium business strategy with a particular interest in linking the human element.

Sue’s interest in helping others began in her youth with her first fundraising event being undertaken in support of the Lions Club of Kyle Bay whilst she was still at school. Since then she has helped a number of organisations including Telstra Child Flight, St Francis de Sales Catholic School, The Beauty Bank, and Yandua Village Fiji.
Andrea Kruller

General Member

Andrea Kruller

Andrea is a Doctor with over 16 years experience working at the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick Emergency Department. In her role she is enthusiastic that the staff of the hospital are provided with the best available equipment to ensure the highest quality of care for the benefit of sick children and their families.

Each year during the last decade Andrea has attended the Sydney Kids committee fundraising Ball and encouraged her family and friends to join her in helping to raise funds for this worthy cause. More recently, she has chosen to become even more involved by volunteering as a committee member.
Lisa Kellar

General Member
Social media and communications

Lisa Kellar

Lisa is pleased to be joining the Sydney Kids Committee this year, bringing her expertise in branding and design to help raise awareness of its important mission. Her passion for supporting children began over 30 years ago when her branding and design company,

L+L Design was in its early stages, and she, along with her team, volunteered for several years assisting the Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation with branding and communications projects. Now, all these years later, Lisa is honoured to be a member of the committee and to once again offer her expertise for such a valuable cause.

Beyond her work on the committee, Lisa is one of the founding partners of L+L Design and has over 30 years of industry experience. With formal qualifications in business, marketing, and design, she takes a strategic and creative approach to every project. She is also highly skilled in fostering client relationships and creating a positive, collaborative work environment. Her creative expertise and relentless pursuit of excellence have been instrumental in L+L Design’s ability to adapt to the rapidly changing media landscape, driving the company’s continued growth and success. Lisa remains hands-on in campaign and brand development, overseeing creative messaging and strategy to deliver impactful results.

Natasha Davey

General Member

Natasha Davey

I have been delivering solutions for homeowners and residential investors for over 25 years, working in the finance industry as a Home Finance Manager @ Westpac. I experienced firsthand the tremendous work that the medical community provides in the public health system following a serious car accident 10 years ago. 

During my hospitalisation I had numerous surgeries, during this time I gained a deep appreciation for the commitment of the medical staff but also became acutely aware of the need for broader community support required to maintain services.

Following my initial attendance at the 2024 Sydney Kids Committee ball I was impressed with the commitment of the Committee and decided that I too wanted to give back and say thank you for everything the public health system has given me.

Rebbell Barnes

General Member

Rebbell Barnes

With a remarkable 45-year career in NSW Local Government, Rebbell recently retired, having held prominent roles in records management, libraries and customer service. He served as Coordinator of Records Management at Bayside Council (NSW) and was also the Director and President of NSW Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia.

Rebbell’s passions include champagne, the Monarchy and the arts. He contributes actively to the cultural and philanthropic sectors as a member of the Events & Marketing Committee for the Friends of The Australian Ballet and as a committee member for the Sydney KIDS Committee at the Sydney Children’s Hospital.
 
Since retiring, Rebbell has dedicated his time to community projects, including coordinating a team of volunteers for a World Pride initiative to catalogue and digitise 30,000 photos from the Sydney Star Observer collection, bequeathed to the City of Sydney by Michael Glyn. Rebbell also serves as the social coordinator for First Mardi Gras Inc. and represents First Mardi Gras on the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Committee.
 
A committed supporter of Qtopia Sydney, Rebbell volunteers weekly on the public floor and is now proudly an Ambassador for Qtopia Sydney, continuing to advocate for LGBTQIA+ visibility, history and inclusion.
Wally Kluktewicz

General Member
Assistant Treasurer

Wally Kluktewicz

Extensive educational background, including various master’s degrees in subjects such as Business Law, Strategic Public Relations, Laws, Environmental Law, and Labour Law and Relations. He has also completed a Bachelor of Commerce with a focus on Industrial Relations.

With an array of professional experience, I have worked in positions such as ER/IR Consultant, Group Corporate Affairs & IR Manager, Group Human Resources Manager, General Manager of Human Resources, New South Wales Personnel Manager, and more. My career has involved managing employee relations, handling industrial relations for businesses, overseeing corporate affairs relations, participating in Fair Work Tribunals, and representing companies in various committees and panels.

Personal affiliations include membership in professional associations such as AHRI ER/IR Advisory Body, NSW ER/IR AHRI Group, Law Society NSW, and the National Press Club. My personal life has seen contributions to social and community organizations, such as the Sydney Kids’ Charity, Kogarah Rotary, and Toast Masters Cronulla. Additionally, I served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Technology from 1989 to 1992.

Our Past Patrons

Deborah Knight

Deborah Knight

2015 – 2018
Amanda Keller

Amanda Keller

2004–2014
Mike Whitney

Mike Whitney

1994–2003