Annual Report

Introduction – Chairperson’s Report

In late 2018, I was honoured to have been appointed by the NCGG’s Board as its Chairperson after our predecessor, Mark Steinberg, retired from that role.

The NCCG is very familiar with the uncertainty and anxiety that often comes with change. However, for the NCCG’s Board and senior leaders, any
anxiety associated with this change quickly dissipated when Mark assured us that he would continue as a Director after his retirement as Chair. I speak for the whole Board in acknowledging the tireless effort, sound judgement, and good humour which Mark applied to the NCCG during his time as Chairperson. I would like to sincerely thank Mark for his dedication in that role and with the rest of the Board, I look forward to continuing to work with Mark as a fellow Director. I would also like to acknowledge Mark’s colleague, Jenn Pryor, who supported Mark and the Board in an
administration capacity during his time as Chairperson. Thankfully Jenn has agreed to continue in that voluntary role and has already provided me with an enormous amount of help, which we are all most grateful for.

As a Director who isn’t involved in the daily operations of ‘A Friend’s Place’, it can sometimes be hard for me to really appreciate how the NCCG helps bereaved children, and their families and communities. To fill that gap in a small way, at the beginning of each Board meeting, our Clinical Director, Dr. Elizabeth Mann, shares with us one or two stories about how ‘A Friend’s Place’ has had an impact on a child’s life. We don’t know the child’s name and we obviously can’t see their tears or their smiles, but Liz’s’ stories help us to understand the enormity of the challenge that this organisation faces every day, as well as the immense amount of love which our team shares with every family we encounter. The fact that we have been meeting that challenge, with the same degree of love and compassion, for 25 years, is extraordinary.

For each of those 25 years – congratulations go to our founders, Mal and Dianne McKissock and to the whole NCCG team (past and present) who continue to make ‘A Friend’s Place’ a world leader in addressing issues associated with childhood grief. To our volunteers and supporters, without your contribution in time and money, the NCCG would simply cease to be. So, as we look forward to the next 25 years, we thank you for being a part
of the story of each child who takes their first, tentative step through our front door

Robert McRobbie
Chair

2018 – 2019 Annual Report

2017 – 2018 Annual Report