Rachael Clancy was at the hospital with a tiny newborn baby, ready to take on the role of foster mum. As staff readied paperwork, she was handed a hospital garbage bag.
“It was tied up and had one tiny little dirty outfit in it and off we toddled with the baby,” she tells The Weekly today of the moment that would kickstart an initiative that she hopes will change the future for foster children across the country. “It really hit me that day. Here is this innocent little child, weighing just four pounds. Surely we can do better for these kids?”
At 11 years old, Rachael had been introduced to the world of fostering as her parents brought the first of many children in care into their household.
“I remember they got a phone call and there was a little baby who needed somewhere to go,” she recalls. “He was sitting at the police station and got dropped off with us that night. All of a sudden, I had a little baby brother. He didn’t stay with us for long, but soon after, I had another little baby brother – who still lives with us, he’s 21 years old now – and then there were multiple children after that. Some long-term, lots of short-term quick respite ones, but I grew up with a lot of brothers and sisters. Probably about 30. And I just loved it.”
At 28, Rachael began fostering herself. She’d received a call that a two-and-a-half-year-old girl needed urgent care. Despite her tender age, the toddler had already been passed through 27 different homes and was incredibly traumatised.
This story is from the November 2021 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2021 edition of The Australian Women's Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Hitting a nerve
Regulating the vagus nerve with its links to depression, anxiety, arthritis and diabetes - could aid physical and mental wellbeing.
Take me to the river
With a slew of new schedules and excursions to explore, the latest river cruises promise to give you experiences and sights you won’t see on the ocean.
The last act
When family patriarch Tom Edwards passes away, his children must come together to build his coffin in four days, otherwise they will lose their inheritance. Can they put their sibling rivalry aside?
MEET RUSSIA'S BRAVEST WOMEN
When Alexei Navalny died in a brutal Arctic prison, Vladimir Putin thought he had triumphed over his most formidable opponent. Until three courageous women - Alexei's mother, wife and daughter - took up his fight for freedom.
The wines and lines mums
Once only associated with glamorous A-listers, cocaine is now prevalent with the soccer-mum set - as likely to be imbibed at a school fundraiser as a nightclub. The Weekly looks inside this illegal, addictive, rising trend.
Jenny Liddle-Bob.Lucy McDonald.Sasha Green - Why don't you know their names?
Indigenous women are being murdered at frightening rates, their deaths often left uninvestigated and widely unreported. Here The Weekly meets families who are battling grief and desperate for solutions.
Growing happiness
Through drought flood and heartbreak, Jenny Jennr's sunflowers bloom with hope, sunshine and joy
"Thank God we make each other laugh"
A shared sense of humour has seen Aussie comedy couple Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall conquer the world. But what does life look like when the cameras go down:
Winter baking with apples and pears
Celebrate the season of Australian apples and pears with these sweet bakes that will keep the midwinter blues away.
Budget dinner winners
Looking for some thrifty inspiration for weeknight dinners? Try our tasty line-up of low-cost recipes that are bound to please everyone at the table.
