The money raised in memory of Trevor Parker, who died of burns sustained in a farming accident last year, will enable The Alfred hospital to build on research and regional training.
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There was an outpouring of grief for the well-known stock agent after the March 2016 accident, followed by community donations to the Alfred burns unit, where Trevor received care for 49 days.
The Parker family donated Run Melbourne proceeds to the unit and a number of community members also chipped in, including Wodonga magistrate John Murphy who ordered court fines be redirected to the cause.
Trevor’s brother, Ken Parker, said there had been an overwhelming response in the past year.
“Sixty-five thousand was raised all up, going towards two projects,” he said.
“There are two projects The Alfred is putting the money towards – $40,000 will go to the Trevor Parker Regional Education project.
“A lot of their patients come from regional areas, so it’s going to be used for education materials for physiotherapists and occupational therapists outside the metropolitan area.
“The second project for $25,000 will contribute to data being collected through the burns unit – they have been doing a three-year cultured skin trial.
“It was a great surprise to find out how much had been raised.”
Adult Burns Service director Heather Cleland said half of The Alfred’s burns patients came from regional areas and the project would address a gap in the management of patients in these areas.
“Most clinicians working outside of our own service often don’t have a lot of experience managing these sorts of injuries,” she said.
“We are going to use the donation to provide e-learning modules and we will also be developing a program of burns education to run once or twice a year for clinicians in rural and regional Victoria.”
Ms Cleland said speaking with Trevor’s wife Bernadette and the Parker family, the potential use for the donation became clear.
“We got the picture of a man very much involved in his community; we focused on what we could do for his community with the money,” she said.
“It will ensure that they also can get the treatment they need without having to be coming to Melbourne.
“We’re very grateful and it will make a difference to get people back sooner into their communities and with their families.”