Grace Larson’s The Sisterhood Project nominated in New Corp’s inaugural Bush Champions awards

When Grace Larson’s baby daughter suddenly became sick it could have ended in tragedy. Instead it fired a project that has touched the lives of hundreds of rural Victorians.

Grace Lawson with husband Steve, son Jonti and daughters Mieke and Freya. Picture: Rob Leeson

When Grace Larson started to notice her baby daughter was listless, she knew she needed to get her to an emergency room, and fast.

It was May 2020, and the pediatric intensive care nurse lived a 45-minute drive from the nearest hospital in Bendigo.

Complicating matters, Victoria was under a blanket of Covid-19 lockdowns.

Thanks to Grace’s quick action, six-week-old Freya made a full recovery, but the young mum of three couldn’t help ponder what might’ve been had she not had medical training.

“The statistics are damning, children from rural and remote, low-sociographic, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are three-four times more likely to die from preventable illnesses and injuries,” says Grace.

“It really made me think about what I could do with my skill-set to reduce the inequity. I rang my sister and said, ‘there is a problem here, there’s nothing out there to tackle this, I want to set up a charity, will you help?’ And she was all in.”

Grace Lawson has been nominated for News Corp’s inaugural Bush Champion awards. Picture: Rob Leeson.

In 2023, Grace and her sister Skye, who works in PR and project management, launched The Sisterhood Project, offering free infant and child First Aid courses to vulnerable and low-income families, especially those in rural and remote communities.

The classes teach CPR and basic skills and knowledge about what to do, and how to respond, in an emergency.

“If your child is injured or in an accident, knowing First Aid could save their life,” says Grace, who has been nominated for News Corp’s inaugural Bush Champions awards.

In the 18 months since The Sisterhood Project began, more than 600 people have attended classes across Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia and there is a growing waitlist.

“That’s 600 people who would not have had access to First Aid otherwise, when you think about the ripple effect, that’s 600 more people in the community who are willing to step up in an emergency and lend a hand,” Grace says.

“It’s not a one-size-fits-all course, we tailor it for the local community and the circumstances and unique barriers people face, such as language or cultural safety, or timing our classes around harvest for example, or when dads and grandparents can come too. Often, we have three generations – grandparents, parents and kids – coming along which is a beautiful thing.”

Grace and her family live a 45-minute drive from Bendigo. Picture: Rob Leeson

The daughters of a nurse, Grace, and Skye, both still juggle full time jobs and five children between them, while running The Sisterhood Project in their “spare” time.

They are totally dependent on grants, donations and fundraising to conduct the classes.

“We have a really dedicated group of health professionals helping us because we can’t deliver all the classes ourselves, and we work with local communities and providers to determine how we can get the courses into hard-to-reach places, in an affordable way,” Grace says.

“We try to empower parents and carers, who are often the first responders in an emergency situation, to make a difference, because we know every second, every minute matters and can make a huge difference to the outcome for a child.”

Originally published as Grace Larson’s The Sisterhood Project nominated in New Corp’s inaugural Bush Champions awards