Good Friday Appeal representatives travelled to Echuca Regional Health to thank CFA volunteers and Echuca Lions Club members for their fundraising, which will now support ERH. Photos: Emily Donohoe.
The Good Friday Appeal team has acknowledged Echuca-Moama’s fundraising efforts, and announced funding to benefit the region.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
For the 2025 appeal, the twin towns raised $138,573, totalling $2,948,713 over their 45-year contribution.
GFA representatives, including executive director Rebecca Cowan, visited Echuca Regional Health on Tuesday, September 30 to thank local volunteers.
“When you think about it, you’re shaking tins, you’re doing raffles, you’re collecting in so many different ways,” she said.
“It’s about everyone giving what they can, whether it’s $5, $10; that adds up to a huge amount.”
Echuca Regional Health chief executive Carol-Anne Lever presented with a plaque by Good Friday Appeal executive director Rebecca Cowan.
Photo by
Emily Donohoe
The visit was also an opportunity for $120,000 in funding for ERH to be announced.
ERH midwifery unit manager Karen Taylor welcomed the contribution, which will be used to support newborn babies.
“We generally average around 400 births a year, and of those 400 births, we average around 12 neonatal transfers for babies that require specialised care,” she said.
“This generous donation will help us fund some equipment to strengthen the care that we provide here at Echuca Regional Health for newborn babies.
“It’ll also aid ERH in its efforts to increase our maternity and neonatal capability.”
Ms Taylor drew on the health service’s four-year strategic plan, launched in 2024.
She said the donation linked well to the key priority of providing care closer to home.
Echuca CFA provides significant support to the region’s GFA fundraising, and members brought their truck along to the acknowledgement and announcement.
Photo by
Emily Donohoe
Ms Cowan was proud to support ERH in the second year that the GFA has supported the regions.
Regional areas raised $5.4 million of the $23.8 million total for the GFA in 2025.
“We started last year with $2.5 million and this year it’s $3 million to 41 regional health services,” Ms Cowan said.
“At the start, it was, ‘What do we fund? What’s going to make a direct impact straight away?’, and it was noticed that equipment and training and education would really make a difference.
“Hearing how many births you have here and the difference it’s going to make, it’s not solving everything, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
21°C