‘They would pretty much drill a hole in his head’

AFTER a setback which has delayed their son's surgery in America, this Ballina family has decided to help others.

Ballina mum Fiona Siviour with four year old son Oliver.

OLIVER Siviour was born with just one ear at birth, making him part of the one in six Australians impacted by hearing loss.

At just three-months-old, Oliver underwent bone conduction device insertion surgery which opened up a world of hearing, with the support of Queensland charity Hear and Say.

It has been a hard year for the Siviours after the coronavirus pandemic halted Oliver's combined Atresia and Microtia surgery which was meant to occur in the United States.

"We were going to take him over to America, where they would pretty much drill a hole in his head and make an ear canal so sound can get through and make an outer prosthetic ear so it would look like he had an ear," Oliver's mum, Fiona Siviour said.

Undeterred by that interruption, the Siviour family has organised an event at Cherry St Sports Club to fundraise for the charity and help others instead.

"We got involved in Loud Shirt day last year, it was our first year that we've started fundraising for it ourselves.

"This year I am lucky I work at Cherry St Sports (Club) and have a great boss who just said 'go with it' and really supported us by letting us host the event at Cherry St, getting all the customers involved."

This year will be the charity's 14th annual Loud Shirt Day and Ms Siviour was asking all of the Northern Rivers to get involved.

"Everyone just wears their loudest and brightest shirt to the club on the day or they can host their own loud shirt day … it's just a donation of a gold coin or any donation will help.

"They should get involved because they'll be helping children that are deaf and hard of hearing listen and speak and reach their full potential."

The Ballina event will be held at the Cherry St Sports Club on October 23 featuring a comedy night in the evening.

For more information, to make a donation or register an event, see www.hearandsay.com.au.