On the 17th March years ago, Bear Cottage officially swung open its doors. Beautifully furnished with brightly coloured walls and overlooking the ocean, Bear Cottage became the first children’s hospice in NSW. More than that though, it became the first home-away-from-home for families of children with life-limiting illness.
Since its humble beginning, Bear Cottage has cared for more than 1000 children and their families, providing support, respite and end-of-life care in an environment far removed from that found in a hospital.
Over the years, 700 of the children who have visited Bear Cottage have since passed away, with around 250 spending their last days, weeks or months at Bear Cottage, surrounded by the people they love most.
There is often a perception a children’s hospice is a sad and depressing place. This was an even more common feeling among the community in Bear Cottage’s early days, but the children’s hospice was always designed to be quite the opposite. The aim of Bear Cottage was to create a place “where life is for living” and that is a goal that has been well and truly achieved.
“Bear Cottage is not a place of darkness and despair, but one of light, love, laughter and most importantly life,” Narelle Martin, Nurse Manager at Bear Cottage said.
“It is a place where each child and family member are encouraged and supported to live life to the full and make precious memories that last a lifetime.”
Narelle has been at Bear Cottage since day one and still vividly recalls the early patients and families that came for care.