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For the NCCG’s current tax-time appeal, current clients and supporters Robb and his daughter Scout have generously shared their story.

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Robb has recently sent this letter to supporters of the NCCG

“People ask me over and over why my mum died. I don’t like talking about that.”
– Scout, age 10

Dear friends of the NCCG,

My name is Robb and Scout is my eldest daughter. Aja, my wife and Scout’s mum, died when Scout was five years old and her little sister Willa was two.

Aja’s battle with cancer began in February 2019 and ended in July of the same year. We had shared a love of adventure. We had travelled, enjoyed running and cycling, and built businesses together. At the time of her diagnosis Aja had finished her MBA and had begun her next challenge – training as a psychotherapist. Aja radiated positive energy. She was boundlessly curious.

She was an incredible mother and wife. And then, she was gone.

Robb, Aja, Scout and Willa spending family time together. They loved the outdoors and travelling.

This journey has been extraordinarily tough, and I felt ill equipped to deal with the new reality. The National Centre for Childhood Grief (NCCG) provided a lifeline for my family. This specialised service not only provided essential counselling, it helps us connect with ‘people like us.’

It turns out that around Australia there are hundreds of children like Scout each year who are desperately in need of the guidance, friendships and support the NCCG offers. And they rely on community support to keep going.

Will you give a gift before 30 June so they can keep being there for families like mine when we need that help the most?
You can donate here today

We struggle with Aja’s death, and Scout feels her absence deeply. She has a caring nature and keen perception, but I worry that big heart of hers will be weighed down by everyone else’s challenges.

The thing I’ve noticed most about Scout, beyond her grief, is that her radar is ‘on’ all the time. She worries a lot about what might go wrong next. Kids that have had a parent die are shoved into a world where their sense of security is shattered, leaving them on high alert. My concern is that this heightened awareness could lead to insecurity, fear, and profound anxiety.

Scout’s sister Willa was very young when Aja died so she doesn’t have the same understanding as Scout. While she mourns her mother’s death, her questions and fears are not as developed as Scout’s – yet.

Scout told Willa that there were ‘kids just like them’ at the NCCG

Just two months after Aja’s death we enrolled at the NCCG. For Scout, it felt like finding a home, I couldn’t agree more. Everyone responds to death differently, and the NCCG tailors programs to meet the specific needs of every child.

I remember the first time Scout went to the centre. She said, “I felt like I was going to puke. I had butterflies in my tummy.”

But afterwards, she said she had a really good time. In fact, it’s become one of her favourite places. She loves having a place where there are kids like her and people who can help her understand she’s not the only one who has had her feelings.

Scout and Robb

Thanks to the NCCG’s amazing counsellors, Scout and the other kids are learning how to navigate and live with their grief.

When Scout gets what she calls “hairy questions” about why her mum died, she knows how to handle them.

When the sadness hits like a tonne of bricks, she has ways to cope with her pain. And she gets to be with children her age who completely get what she is going through.

Scout has found some great friends at Kids Group, who get what she is going through

They also help people like me. Attending parent group sessions has made me feel less alone.

Your support means the NCCG can continue to help people like Scout, Willa and me. Whether the journey is short or long, your donation this tax time will ensure families like ours are not left stranded.

A Friend’s Place at the NCCG is place where you can be your complete self, rather than having to hide the grief – which I think the kids feel they have to.

Scout enjoys all the activities in the group sessions, whether it’s cooking, art, or craft but what she’s loved most of all is the chance to meet friends like her. It makes her feel normal.

The girls and I feel the positive impact of the counselling and friendships we have made, every day. Our family’s experience continues to evolve, having welcomed my new partner Gemma into our lives. Together we are forming a new family where the girls feel loved and supported by Gemma, who is sensitive and nurturing.

My future hope for my daughters, is that they’ll build community around the kids they meet here, that they all turn 18 together and continue their friendships built from shared experience.

I’ve seen supporters’ donations in action – and I know that every dollar works hard, whether it’s through specialist counselling sessions in person or online around Australia, group programs or camps where children like Scout can find the words to express how they are feeling.

Sometimes I find it hard to express just how grateful I am for people like you, who support the NCCG. I’m not sure where we would be as a family without it. When our lives were shattered, your support has helped us all to heal.

But I also know the ongoing success of the NCCG depends on you.

Without your funding, this place would not be able to help kids like Scout and Willa navigate their grief, find hope and regain trust in the world. With your help, the NCCG will be here for the families like ours into the future.

Please give a gift of whatever you can afford this tax time.

The NCCG turns lives like mine, Scout’s and Willa’s around. We never underestimate the power of knowing we’re not alone.

I don’t think there’s a better place you could give your support to right now.

Thank you,

Robb,
Scout and Willa’s dad

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Contact

For additional information about our Tax-time Appeal or to discuss your personal interests, please contact:

Chris Waugh

Head of Development

1300 654 556

Email Chris