Rebekka Battista: Our Kids fundraising co-ordinator celebrates 20 years working with beloved North Cost charity

Over two decades, an inspiring North Coast woman has raised millions of dollars for much-needed hospital pediatric equipment. Her message to the community is simple: “thank you”. Here’s her story.

Rebekka Battista and her son Isaak.

Rebekka Battista’s involvement with one of the northern NSW’s most treasured charities was born out of every parent's worst nightmare.

Her oldest son Isaak was taken to a Brisbane hospital as a newborn baby after an astute pediatric nurse at Lismore Base Hospital realised something was wrong.

The bub was suffering from renal failure.

“When we went to Brisbane we saw what the hospital had at that time (compared to) what the Lismore Base Hospital had,” Ms Battista said.

“It was just different — regional (healthcare) and the city’s.”

Gianpiero, Isaak and Rebekka Battista in 2020.

As luck would have it, while she was spending a lot of time in doctor’s offices, Ms Battista got to know Dr Chris Ingall, the founder of Our Kids.

Our Kids is a charity which improves health services for children in the Northern Rivers by purchasing pediatric equipment.

“I’m a chef by trade and I just wanted a break from the kitchen a couple of days a week and I thought ‘what a wonderful way to help the people who saved our child’,” Ms Battista said.

Flash forward and she has now been Our Kids’ fundraising co-ordinator for 20 years, raising millions of dollars and helping to save thousands of kids.

Rebekka Battista with the general manager of Mary G's, Cath Simes.

One of her most special memories involves two other local identities – Sam Gilmore and his business partner Ron Lang, who ran Sunnybrand chickens just outside Byron Bay.

After Mr Gilmore’s grandchild was ill, he found out about Lismore Base Hospital’s need for more oximeters and co-ordinated with Our Kids to have them purchased.

But his generosity didn’t stop there.

Ms Battista recalled taking Mr Gilmore on a tour of the special care nursery when he turned to her and asked: “What do you need?”.

She told him a new ventilator was at the top of the list but it would cost $55,000.

“The next day he rang me and said ‘Rebekka we’ve had a board meeting … and if you’re willing to purchase (a ventilator) we will send a cheque for that immediately’,” she recalled.

Sam Gilmore and Ron Lang with nurse Ruth after Lismore Base Hospital received its new ventilator.

Ms Battista said the traumatic 2022 floods helped her to realise what a special place the Northern Rivers is.

At the time, she was working with an international disaster response organisation.

A woman from the organisation told her that even after travelling all over the world she had never been in a community as generous as northern NSW.

Looking forward Rebekka Battista hopes to expand Our Kids’ footprint in other North Coast hospitals. Photo: Marc Stapelberg

“I feel very privileged to see what I see in my role because I see that goodwill,” Ms Battista said.

“I see the generosity – I see people saying ‘how can I help’.

“I see people who love our area and want to make it better.”

Ms Battista said her work would not be possible without everyone she works with, everyone who volunteers – the community as a whole.

“So I just want to say thank you,” she said.

“We couldn’t do what we do without … the generosity of the community (and) all the people I work with”.