Once again this year, the Victorian community responded generously to the Good Friday Appeal raising a record breaking $10,057,537.20 to the Royal Children’s Hospital.

On June 25th six year old Caeleigh Smales, the face of the 2004 appeal, presented the cheque to RCH executive director Dr Tony Cull at a celebration to thank donors for their support.

Dr Cull expressed the importance of the community support to the hospital.  ‘You make an enormous difference to our research, and enables us to purchase equipment that is vital to the health of the children we treat,” said Dr Cull.  ‘Your support makes the difference between competence and excellence.’

Of the funds donated to the hospital this year, $5m will be used to purchase a new clinical MRI machine, and the balance will be used to purchase other items of medical equipment and to fund research projects at the hospital.