150 years ago, a small group of determined South Australians dared to imagine something better for sick children and their families. This year, the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation (WCH Foundation) proudly celebrates that extraordinary legacy, marking 150 years of philanthropy, generosity and community spirit. What began as a grassroots fundraising effort has grown into one of South Australia’s most enduring and impactful movements of care.
A community that started with belief
On 5 September 1876, seven visionary women led by Lady Mary Colton joined Mary Ashley, a representative of the Church of Christ, and Dr Allan Campbell from the Board of Health to begin planning for the Adelaide Children’s Hospital. Together, they laid the foundations for a philanthropic movement that continues 150 years later.
Over the next two years, they led a community fundraising campaign to raise the £2,500 needed to build the first hospital building. Neighbour by neighbour, donation by donation, everyday South Australians answered the call.
The result was the Samuel Way Building, which opened with just 24 beds in 1879.
Over the decades that followed, the hospital grew steadily, always supported by a community that believed every child deserved the best possible care. In 1989, the Adelaide Children’s Hospital and the Queen Victoria Hospital amalgamated to become the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. The Foundation was reborn as the organisation we know today: the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation.
The mission set by those early visionaries still guides the WCH Foundation. And so does the philanthropy needed to support it.
150 years on
Over 150 years, community generosity has shaped this hospital in more ways than can be captured in a single story. Philanthropy has helped fund new buildings and life-saving equipment, supported families in crisis, advanced medical research, and brought programs and services to life that simply wouldn’t exist without donor support.
The impact of philanthropy can be seen throughout the hospital and beyond.
Children are supported not only through medical care, but through opportunities to play, learn, create and connect. Families receive support that extends beyond treatment through practical assistance, respite and wellbeing programs. Community generosity also fuels research and innovation, helping improve care today while building a healthier future for children and families across South Australia.
From hospital-wide bereavement care to creating a hospital built for children through play, literature and music, community generosity continues to create moments of comfort, connection and hope when they are needed most.
A year of impact
150 years on, the scale of collective generosity is extraordinary.
In the past year alone, the WCH Foundation community contributed almost $6 million to clinical care, patient experience, and medical research. Behind that figure are 11,431 donors and organisations who showed up for South Australia’s children and families this year.
That generosity shows up in tangible ways every day. Over the past year, more than 230 families received urgent financial assistance, covering costs that can be overwhelming in a moment of crisis. Over 130 Music Therapy sessions were supported, bringing comfort and healing through music for patients and their families. At the Laklinyeri Beach House, 150 families found rest, connection and the opportunity to make meaningful memories together.
Community support is also advancing important research in neonatal recovery, rare diseases, parent-infant bonding and infant mental health, helping create a healthier future for some of South Australia’s most vulnerable children.
Carrying 150 years forward
From seven visionary women raising £2,500 in 1876 to a community contributing almost $6 million in a single year, the story of the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation has always been a story of people who care, giving what they can so that every child and every family has every chance.
The programs have grown. The research has advanced. The hospital has expanded. But at the heart of it all, nothing has changed: a community working hand in hand to ensure that no family faces the hardest moments of their lives alone.
As the WCH Foundation marks 150 years of philanthropy, that shared purpose is as strong as it has ever been. And we won’t stop until we can give every child every chance.
Want to be part of the next 150 years? Help transform healthcare for South Australia’s children and families by making a donation, becoming a monthly giver, or leaving a gift in your Will.
