Tassie bearmaker boy goes global as his heartwarming generosity touches international audience

YOUNG bearmaker Campbell Remess is fast building an international reputation. WATCH THE VIDEO

Campbell Remess 12 of Acton is fast gaining an international reputation for his generosity. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

YOUNG bearmaker Campbell Remess is fast building an international reputation.

The 12-year-old from Acton in Tasmania, the brains and heart behind Project 365, which creates bears for sick children in hospitals across Australia, was featured in a video on SBS television’s Facebook page earlier this week.

Since then he has been inundated with donations and messages of support from across Australia and the world.

The video has been watched more than 10 million times. It has been liked by 90,000 people and shared 200,000 times, including to Ellen Nation — a fan website of US television personality Ellen DeGeneres.

Among Campbell’s new supporters is New York fashion designer Malan Breton, who posted a message of support to the Project 365 Facebook page on Tuesday.

“I’ve never seen anything so incredible, your gift to humanity, even my driver was in tears listening to your story on my iPhone,” Mr Breton’s message said.

The designer donated 100m of faux fur to Campbell’s project, invited him to New York for a visit and put in a word with sewing machine company Brother for more support.

Campbell was inspired to create the bears after he asked his parents if he could buy Christmas presents for kids in hospital, but was told it would cost too much money.

Despite his growing fame, Campbell has been hard at work sewing his bears.

“He’s decided to make two bears for the two children who lost their parents at Dreamworld,” Campbell’s mum Sonya Whittaker said.

Campbell was posting the bears to the Gold Coast theme park to offer comfort following the tragic accident there.

Mrs Whittaker said the response to the SBS video had been totally overwhelming but had not affected her son.

“He’s sat at his little desk for the last three years and it’s just been what our Campbell does,” she said.

“He’s so humble, he keeps telling me ‘Mum don’t worry it’s just Facebook’.”

Earlier this month, the Remess family was surprised by Channel Nine’s Today show when presented with a family holiday to Queensland as apart of the “Australia’s Little Heroes” competition.

Originally published as Tassie bearmaker boy goes global as his heartwarming generosity touches international audience