Brisbane foster carer Lis Gunton celebrates 60 years in foster caring

Hundreds of children in desperate need have been safely tucked into bed — warm, secure and loved — in the tender care of Australia’s longest-serving foster carer. This is how it all started.

Mrs Gunton said six decades was never a planned goal but she was “made for this”.

A Brisbane foster carer, who nurtured children in need for six decades making her the longest serving foster carer in the nation, has revealed the heartwarming highs and the most challenging moments of a life dedicated to her “bubs”.

Lis Gunton, 81, has been honoured for her spectacular career this month during an event hosted by the Ministry of Mercy Partners, from which she fostered.

Mrs Gunton took in her first foster child in January 1964 after her husband shared an office with the children’s welfare service.

“He found out there was a huge need for fostering and the second child we fostered was from a picture on the front page of the newspaper asking for someone to give a newborn baby a home,” Mrs Gunton said.

“We mainly had primary placement children who stayed with us for a long time, one child stayed with us from the age of two until he was 18.

Mrs Gunton said she cared for hundreds of children since she began fostering in 1964.

“I have lost count of how many children we fostered but after my husband died in 2000 I have noted down 78 children I have cared for,” she said.

Mrs Gunton has three biological children and at one time was caring for a total of 10 children, she called the responsibility of the children “rewarding”.

“The most rewarding part of fostering is seeing the changes and healing taking place, while seeing their self esteem develop and build,” Mrs Gunton said.

“Watching their lights come on and new paths connect is really something, especially after much of the children’s trauma stems from damage from drugs and alcohol when they were in the womb.

“Building resilience in children with shattered lives gives them back control and it is amazing to see them grow to their full potential while becoming free from the chip on their shoulder.

“Many become valuable members of the community who contribute to society,” she said.

Mrs Gunton said she has experienced her fair share of challenges in her 60 years, with some children heartbreakingly unable to break the patterns their trauma stemmed from.

“Damage done in their early formative years can be extremely hard to remedy, it takes a lot of patience, skill and understanding from their carer,” Mrs Gunton said.

“I have shown all my children different ways of doing things and giving them the choice to choose a different path and to show them that it is not too late for them to make those changes.

“Unfortunately you can show them but you can’t make those changes and that is the most upsetting part.

“As a carer you can’t feel guilty about the children you don’t save, I’ve done all I can do,” she said.

Mrs Gunton said one child who she took into her care 33-years-ago suffered from autism, ADHD and sensory issues, now has a family of his own and a successful business.

Mrs Gunton with her granddaughter, Segana Gunton.

“This particular little boy was severely intellectually impaired and he screamed nearly every hour of the day for years,” Mrs Gunton said.

“By the time he was eight we were able to bring his academic age up to where it should have been and he grew into a very social and outgoing man.

“He is now a pillar of society and has the most driven work ethic anyone in his family has ever had, the things we did to get him there is phenomenal,” she said.

Mercy Community’s Regional Director Kylie Fairhurst said Lis was an inspiration at a time when the need for foster carers had never been greater.

“She is a shining light at a time when the number of foster carers is declining, and she takes everything in her stride with an optimistic spirit and much laughter,” Ms Fairhurst said.

“For Lis, not taking on a child in need of a home when she had the capacity to do so was never an option – she is truly an inspiration,” she said.

Mrs Gunton said six decades was never a planned goal but she was “made for this”.