Foundation makes a difference: The Examiner's 180th feature

As the Clifford Craig Foundation acknowledges its 30-year anniversary, we were proud to partner with The Examiner newspaper recently in recognition of another significant milestone - the paper’s 180th anniversary.

The paper was one of the founding supporters of the Clifford Craig Foundation when it formed in 1992.

As an inaugural trustee it pledged support of $5000 a year for 10 years - with all funds going towards medical research projects to be conducted in Northern Tasmania.

The newspaper also played a pivotal role in garnering support for the Foundation in its early years, including an ambitious fundraising campaign $1 million to secure its future.

Read below an editorial from our CEO Peter Milne reflecting on how far the Foundation and the Northern Tasmanian community has come.

A look back at how we got here

Published in The Examiner, March 12, 2022

Medicine is often referred to as an ‘art’ and not an exact ‘science’. But in most cases it’s both.

For those of us who aren’t medically minded, we rely on the practice of bedside medicine to be nurtured by experience and everyday encounters.  

We might not always understand the science behind a procedure or treatment, but we put our trust in the art of medicine and the health professionals who craft it.  

Now if you were a fly on the wall of the Clifford Craig Foundation office, you might overhear the regular phone calls between our research nurses and a potential trial participant.

It will start with an introduction, some routine inquiries about their health or an upcoming procedure, and then the important question – would you be willing to take part in our research trial?

Clifford Craig Foundation Administration Assistant Dearne Pearce.

It might involve getting to the Launceston General Hospital an extra 15 minutes early for some extra blood works or a placebo treatment after an operation.

Whatever is required, in almost every case the patient will consent to being part of the trial.

Why? Not necessarily because they understand the research, but because they recognise how important their contribution could be.

No one is immune to illness. But every day we come closer to funding cures and better treatments for the illnesses that impact our community.

This is thanks largely to medical research, the health professionals behind them and the patients who take part in trials.  

It also takes time, and in most cases – additional funds that sit well outside the scope of most health departments.

Now, if someone asked you for a million dollars, you would probably have some choice words.

But if someone asked you to commit what you could, as part of a collective contribution for a million dollars, you might be more willing – if the cause was right.

Cast your mind back 30 years to a time before emails and social media.

A time when people posted letters, sent faxes and when all else failed – knocked on doors in order to get their message across.  

The year was 1992 and the Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust had just been established.

Named in honour of a former surgeon superintendent at Launceston General Hospital, the goal was simple: to improve the health of the community by funding medial research, education and medical equipment.

But it was going to take some work.

The LGH had already earned a reputation as one of the few regional hospitals in Australia in a league similar to the ‘big city’ hospitals. Clifford Craig was the first medical research foundation to be established outside of a capital city anywhere in Australia.    

In short, we were already punching above our weight.  

Pictured in The Examiner, June 15, 1992 are LGH Central Auxiliary president Margaret Moore (centre) with Clifford Craig Foundation’s Anne O’Byrne, Roelf Vos, Chairman Dr John Morris and executive officer Toni Maloney.

It was the vision of the Foundation to ensure innovative medical research being conducted in Northern Tasmania wasn’t hindered by financial insecurity.

Led by inaugural chief executive officer, the late Toni Maloney, the Trust used donated office equipment to establish a modest office on level five of the LGH.

They then got to work on an ambitious goal to raise $1 million by the year’s end to secure the Foundation’s future.

For founding supporters including Anne O’Byrne, Ros O’Connor, Roelf Vos and Dr John Morris, this involved driving around the region, knocking on doors and encouraging community members and businesses to commit a financial pledge.

And it worked.

Within the first three months of forming the Trust had raised more than $1.2 million. It has also awarded its first medical research grant to epidemiologist Dr Zahid Ansari who was brought to Launceston from the US.

 In the 30 years since, the Clifford Craig Foundation has awarded more than $7 million to more than 200 medical research grants across a broad range of health areas including motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiology, lung cancer, orthopaedic surgery, and most recently COVID-19 vaccines.

Among some of the first to support the cause was The Examiner Newspaper, who became an inaugural contributor to the Clifford Craig Trust, committing $5000 to the Foundation every year over the next decade.

Like many in the community, it recognised the significance of establishing a world-class research centre based at the LGH and the broader benefits for the community.

In an article published in The Examiner on June 15, 1992, inaugural Clifford Craig Chairman Dr John Morris spoke of how the Foundation would enhance the status of the hospital and help to attract good-quality clinicians to the region.

“Almost all of the Foundation’s funding came from individuals and companies,” Dr Morris said. “It’s an opportunity for the community to take some part in research.”

It is the community that has made the Clifford Craig Foundation what it is today, and who ultimately benefits from its work – hopefully for many more generations to come.

-      Peter Milne is the Chief Executive of the Clifford Craig Foundation.