In Honour, In Reflection, In Hope: Voices Rise for Change at Head to the Hill 2025

Amid the chill of a grey spring day, stories of courage, love and remembrance echoed through Parliament House, uniting families and advocates in a shared plea for greater brain cancer awareness, funding and support.

It was a dark, dismal and cold spring day in Canberra, yet within the dignified walls of Parliament House, warmth radiated from the compassion, courage and shared purpose of all who gathered for Head to the Hill 2025. This national day of remembrance, advocacy and unity stood as a profound testament to lives touched by brain cancer, a disease that devastates too many families and remains one of the least improved of all cancers.

As we listened to the inspiring words of remarkable guest speakers, including the esteemed Professor Richard Scolyer, Australian of the Year 2024, we were reminded of the extraordinary resilience of those who face the unimaginable with strength, purpose and hope. His words, and those of every speaker, echoed through the room with sincerity and conviction. Each voice carried the weight of lived experience and the light of optimism, reminding us that through unity and awareness, change is possible.

With every story shared, we were drawn into a tapestry woven from courage, love and loss. Within each account, we heard reflections of our own journey with our beloved Dainere, whose radiant light continues to guide and inspire us. Her extraordinary spirit lives on through every act of kindness, every moment of awareness and every collective step toward a future free from the pain of childhood brain cancer. Though she now lives beyond our sight, her legacy breathes hope into the hearts of all who walk this path after her.

The message that echoed throughout the halls of Parliament was both urgent and deeply moving. Brain cancer demands action. It does not discriminate. It takes babies, children, adolescents, young adults, adults in their prime and the elderly. It is cruel, it is unjust and it is devastating. It steals futures, transforms families and leaves an ache that words can scarcely describe. Yet within this heartbreaking reality exists a community bound by empathy, resilience and an unyielding determination to create change.

Outside, in the stillness of the courtyard, pairs of shoes were laid along the pathways. Each one symbolised a life, a journey and a story forever changed. To stand among them was to feel the weight of shared grief and the strength of shared purpose. The sight was both humbling and powerful, a visual reminder that behind every statistic lies a name, a face and a love that endures.

As we departed Parliament House, the sky still grey and heavy with rain, we carried with us renewed determination and a steadfast resolve to continue speaking, advocating and acting. We call upon all who hold the power to bring change to commit to increased and sustained funding for life-saving research, to raise awareness and understanding, and to provide holistic and ongoing support for families whose lives are forever altered by this devastating disease.

For Dainere, and for every cherished child whose legacy continues to shine a light from the depths of sorrow, we will never cease to honour, to remember and to hope. Together, we move forward in unity, in remembrance and in love, striving for a future where no family must endure the heartbreak of brain cancer.