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 8,500+ 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 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Where to go in 2024
Who doesn't love fantasising about their next trip? We've gone for lesser-known locations, and whether you're seeking bright lights, striking natural scenery, serenity or excitement, here's where you're sure to find it.
Money matters with Effie
Didn’t reach your financial goals in 2023? While a new year won’t wipe away pressures like rising costs, there are a few things you can do now to refresh your money mojo in 2024.
Bright stars in a rugged land
The hot, dusty opal fields around Lightning Ridge in outback NSW have traditionally been a man's world. Now The Weekly meets the women who have been struck by opal fever.
The gift of life
Maureen Elliott had just months to live when she went on St Vincent's Hospital's transplant list. Thirty years on she's one of the longest living heart-lung transplant recipients in the world.
An uncaged heart
After more than two years in Iranian jails, Kylie Moore-Gilbert has forged a new life that's brimming with love, and a determination to help others who have been wrongfully imprisoned.
The woman behind The King
As Sofia Coppola's biopic Priscilla readies to hit screens, we look back at the early life and great love of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley.
Say hello to the Cockatoo cake
When we put a call-out to our readers for their best children's cakes we were inundated with recipes, and this clever cockatoo was ahead of the flock.
The French revolution
Dawn French quit her sketch show because she felt so ugly. Now the \"roly-poly comedian\" wants us all to stop fretting about our faults. She talks body image, surviving the 1980s and owning her mistakes.
Trump's women
Will it be the jailhouse or the White House for Donald Trump this year? The women in his life could make all the difference.
Can you buy a good night's sleep?
Forty per cent of Australians have trouble sleeping, and the market has responded with a mind-boggling array of sleep aids. But do any of them actually work? The Weekly goes in search of slumber.