The Mothers Milk Bank is the beneficiary of this year’s GCCS event and the invitation is out – come along for a great night of fun on August 1st and make a difference to the lives of sick and premature babies. Tickets and more information are available on the www.gccs.org.au website.

The Gold Coast Children’s Society is an incorporated fundraising committee who raise money for special children in need on the Gold Coast.

They have been helping children for the last ten years through one major fundraising Cocktail Party each year.

All Committee Members are volunteers and with the generous support from Corporate Sponsors and prize givers, they are able to achieve great things for these very Special Children in need. They are a non profit organisation with all funds raised from the evening going directly to aid the children in need.

This year we are thrilled to announce the Gold Coast Children’s Society has chosen the MothersMilkBank as their beneficiary. The Cocktail Party will be held on Saturday the 1st of August 2009 in Broadbeach.  Visit the GCCS website for more information.

George Doniger is probably best known as Queenslands Top Rugby League caller during the 1970’s – when he and Mick Veivers presented The Match of the Day every Saturday and Sunday night. George himself was a First Grade and Representative Rugby League fullback with the Past Brothers Club in Brisbane in the early 1960’s.

George is also very well know in Surf Lifesaving Circles through his continued involvement with the North Kirra Surf Club – gaining his Bronze Medallion there in 1958 and Life Membership in 1969.

His interest in the Australian Breastfeeding Association – and in particular the Mothers Milk Bank is through his daughter Carrie Brandon. Carrie has three (3) children aged 13 – 11 and 9 – who were all born at John Flynn Hospital, Tugun. Carrie has been heavily involved with ABA from the birth of her first child in 1995.

George is also very well know and respected in business circles – both in Brisbane and the Gold Coast – being instrumental in starting the Wendys Ice Cream and Supercheap Auto chains of stores.

George has been the owner of the IGA Supermarket at Currumbin Fair for the past eight (8) years – the store being under the management of Carrie’s husband Roger Brandon.

George is a very fit sixty eight (68) year old – who continues to exercise most days through the disciplines of Swimming – Cycling – Kayaking and Walking. He has completed fifty (50) full distance (42.2km) Marathons and numerous Triathlons up to the Iron Man distance.

In 2007 George was a member of a Supporters Group during the grueling Tour de France – at that time he had the opportunity to ride the three (3) Big Mountains -Alpe D’Huez – Col du Tourmalet and Mont Ventoux – conquering them at age sixty seven (67) is on of his proudest achievements.

George is very proud and honored to be involved with this Mothers Milk Bank Charity Cycle – one of his favorite sayings is “to give and expect nothing in return – is on of life’s greatest joys”

George hopes that by giving his time to this Charity Cycle Ride – that the Mothers Milk Bank at Tugun will flourish – and that in time be accepted in Australia – thus helping to save many infant babies lives.

The Mothers Milk Bank community will join in celebration of the International Year of Milk Banking, as 2009 is the centenary of International Milk Banking.

The mothers’ milk bank centenary logo will be recognized in 2009 and there after the year Australia joined the international milk banking community.

Following success in the Gold Coast Airport Marathon, 10k run Jenny Jones, mothersmilkbank Lactation Consultant, is competing in the Bridge to Brisbane 10k Fun Run on September 7th 2008. to raise funds for the mothersmilkbank.

Please Support Jenny and help Australian babies have life saving human milk available to them.

Target: $10,000

make a donation here

email us with your support

Where: Sheraton Mirage, Main Beach, 3 course Gala Ball for 500 people

When: 7th June 2008

Who: Kind hearted companies donate $5,000 each

Click here for Corporate sponsorship proposal information.

For further information or to nominate your company as a sponsor please contact mothersmilkbank volunteers Renee Illes on 0410-600-308, or Melinda Parkinson on 0405-055-703

Full Table Ticket – $1000.00

Single Ticket – $125.00

Congratulations to David Alley “Iron Man completes race in 13 hours”. David raised $3,000 towards the mothersmilkbank new home.

Thank you to all who sponsored David.

The mothersmilkbank will move into a new home on May 8th 2008.

David Alley is competing in Iron Man Australia to raise funds, as a thankyou to the mothersmilkbank for providing the donor human milk their preterm twins needed. Become a voice in support of our internal environmental health.

Target:- $85,500 will give mothersmilkbank a home for one year

download pdf here

view newspaper article

• The World Health Organisation and UNICEF support donor mothers’ milk as the first alternative where mother’s milk is not available.
• Breast milk is a perfectly balanced source of nutrition. It is a living substance, more complex than blood, and it contains a variety of nutrient and immunological factors that cannot be replicated.
• The most recent UNICEF statistics show that there is a 50% increase in the onset of juvenile diabetes in children that are artificially fed.
• Artificially fed children also displayed on average, 8-12 IQ points less than children who were breast fed, highlighting the important role breast milk plays in neurological development. 8-12 IQ points less will effect your child’s life potential.
• Australia is one of a few nations that do not have a donor human milk service.
• In 1999-2000, Brazil had a network of some 150 human milk banks that delivered 215,000 litres of human milk to 300,000 preterm and low birth weight infants. By 2006, Brazil’s national network of milk banks had expanded to approximately 300, Pasteurised donor milk is used around the world for infants with failure to thrive, Cardiac patients, Infants with malabsorption and short gut syndromes, infants with renal failure, Infants with inborn errors of metabolism, Paediatric burn patients, feeding intolerance, treatment of infectious diseases (diarrhoea, infantile botulism, sepsis) premature infants and Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC)
• Preterm infants at the King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth who receive mother’s milk have their recovery period shortened by approximately two weeks. The estimated cost saving for one preterm infant who is given mothers’ milk versus artificial substitutes is $18,200. In Queensland alone, 4300 preterm and 4000 term babies required donor milk during 2004.

• The TGA is the national regulator for therapeutic products in Australia and is responsible for the regulation of medicines, medical devices, blood and blood products. Human breast milk and banked human breast milk do not fall within the definition of a therapeutic good (section 3 of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989) and, therefore, fall outside the scope of the TGA’s activities.
• Human breast milk is a food and therefore regulated under the food regulatory framework, which is oversighted at a federal level by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand.(FSANZ).
• Government enquiry launched into breastfeeding and milkbanking.  Enquiry open until Feb 28th
• Standing Committee on Health and Ageing Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600. Inquiry into the health benefits of breastfeeding.  Read the Submission Compiled By Mothers Milk Bank mothers milk bank submission here
• House Of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing Reference: Health Benefits of Breastfeeding Wednesday, 18 April 2007 Queensland visit to the Mothers Milk Bank
• August 07Report tabled in parliament. The report is now with Tony Abbott. Federal Minister for Health

  “The health and economic benefits of breastfeeding Recommendation 8 “That the Department of Health and Ageing fund a feasibility study for a network of milk banks in Australia including the development of a national regulatory and quality framework within which a network of milk banks in Australia could operate. The feasibility study should include funding pilot programs at the Mothers Milk Bank at the John Flynn Private Hospital, Gold Coast and the King Edward Memorial Hospital milk bank in Perth.”

  The full report can be viewed here

The Federal Government Senate inquiry has recognized the value of supporting the mothers’ milk bank as a pilot project and recommended the mothersmilkbank receive health care dollar funding.

• July 07 The National Health and Medical Research Council have accepted the mothers milk bank request to review draft national milk banking guidelines submitted to the council.

• The mothers milk banking model will be developed further to include community based milk banks, as well as hospital based milk banks.

• The Australian mothers milk banking association will be launched in 2008

• The mothersmilkbank Information DVD to be released.