Son of late rugby league star, James Ackerman, carries on his father’s legacy

The 12-year-old son of a late footy star is raising awareness of organ donations after his father saved or improved 70 lives.

Ollie Ackerman

The family of a Sunshine Coast rugby league star who tragically died in an on-field collision nine years ago has thrown their support behind a campaign for more organ donations.

Sunshine Coast rugby league player James Ackerman died in 2015 after he was tackled during the Intrust Super Cup game against the Norths Devils.

Following his unexpected death, James’ organs were donated saving and improving the lives of 70 people.

Now, James’ brother Andrew Ackerman and his wife Jade are hoping to raise more awareness about the lifesaving power of organ donation, alongside James’ 12-year-old son Ollie.

James Ackerman died during a football game in 2015.

Mrs Ackerman said running the cafe, La Maison du Patissier in Meridan Plains, had given the family the perfect opportunity to start meaningful conversations about the importance of organ donation.

“We recently purchased the cafe and it just seemed like a really good thing to be a part of,” Mrs Ackerman said.

“Having the cafe has given us the opportunity to speak with people about a lot of things, we have put a few posters up and we’ve noticed people are talking about becoming donors, which is good,” Ms Ackerman said.

“There are QR codes on the posters so they scan while waiting for their coffee because it only takes a couple of minutes to actually sign up to be a donor.”

Andrew and Jade Ackerman at their cafe in Meridan Plains.

Ms Ackerman said both James’ kids, Ollie and Milly, knew the impact behind their father’s donation and were keen to get more people talking about becoming donors themselves.

“James’ son Ollie works at the cafe now and he is on the posters as well so that is quite nice,” Ms Ackerman said.

“They know exactly what their dad did by donating.”