Peter Cursley

The tragic loss of his new-born daughter inspired Peter Cursley to establish the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation, a charity that has raised millions of dollars to fund medical equipment, nurse education and research to help sick and premature newborn babies. The Foundation provides clinical staff with the medical equipment and nurse education to help sick babies go home sooner and healthier. By reducing the risk of brain damage, lung damage, cerebral palsy, blindness and other issues this support increases the chance of sick babies going on to lead normal healthy lives without the need for reliance on government support. The Foundation is focused on Canberra Hospital’s Neonatal and Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nursery. Professor Graham Reynolds, Consultant Paediatrician, ACT Health said the Foundation’s fundraising has enabled the neonatal intensive care service to lead the nation in many areas of clinical care and family support. As neonatal intensive care is often less than ideal for babies born in non-tertiary or rural hospitals a core aim of the Foundation is to improve equipment and skills at these local facilities, with community engagement an important factor. Within this model, administrative costs are non-existent and all donated funds are targeted to improving clinical outcomes. Peter’s goal of taking this model to other urban and rural communities inspired him to study similar charities in New Zealand, the Netherlands and the UK which have a decentralised model and minimal administrative overheads. Experiencing at first-hand how these organisations have flourished has been of vital assistance to the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation, which aims to be a national charity run locally by and for the communities where it works to better the health and well-being of babies born locally. Peter Cursley’s career has included aviation, media, advertising and marketing, and participating in ACT health advisory panels and the marketing committee for the Canberra Hospital Foundation. He now lives in Sale, Victoria from where he continues supporting ACT and Southern NSW hospitals, and expanding the Foundation’s support to hospitals in the Gippsland region. Peter Cursley was the 2016 Australian of the Year ACT. The Foundation has been awarded a National Australia Bank award and a Clubs ACT award. He undertook a Harvard Residential Program designed for Not For Profit organisations.