It’s beginning to look a lot like GIVEMAS at Express Truck Service as the team of helpers loads up toys and gifts for a very special delivery to support Canberra Hospitals Foundation’s annual Christmas Giving campaign. Photo: Thomas Lucraft.
Stephen Gello was piling toys and gifts into four overloaded shopping trolleys in Kmart last year when a curious woman stopped him.
“She saw all the trolley loads and said, ‘You must have a lot of kids’,” says the 38-year-old owner of Queanbeyan-based building company FED Consulting.
But when this complete stranger heard the real story behind Stephen’s turbo-charged shopping spree, she was quick to offer her own contribution to the trolley for Canberra Hospitals Foundation (CHF) annual Christmas giving appeal.
In 2024, Stephen approached Leesa French at Express Truck Service with the idea of co-ordinating a truckload of toys to donate to CHF’s GIVEMAS campaign, which aims to bring festive joy and comfort to patients and families spending the holidays in hospital.
Leesa, the accounts manager at the local truck repair business (which services Stephen’s fleet of vehicles and machinery), was on board immediately and the pair put in a herculean effort to source and shop for thousands of toys that were delivered to Centenary Hospital for Women and Children in time for Christmas.
There wasn’t a dry eye among the CHF team and volunteers when Leesa, Stephen and his daughter Mia arrived to the dock with that delivery, and they knew this was going to become an annual event for CHF.
“Being our first year, we didn’t have a lot of time, but we still got a lot out there,” Leesa says.
On Friday, 12 December, Leesa and Stephen will do it all again, set to arrive at the front entrance to Canberra Hospital at 10 am in a huge truck brimming with toys and gifts.
Now while this magical delivery is more horse-powered than reindeer-powered, rumour has it Santa, his elves and even the Grinch will be on board – along with a few of Canberra’s favourite sporting mascots – and will visit children in the hospital.
Leesa admits it’s a wonderful feeling knowing their efforts might bring a smile to the face of a sick child, someone who has been in hospital for a long time, or who can’t be with their loved ones during this festive period.
“Regardless of your age, being in hospital sucks at the best of times but at Christmas it’s worse,” the 47-year-old says.
“Knowing our donations stay local and are distributed around the Canberra hospitals to brighten someone’s day does tug at the heartstrings, and we do get very emotional.”
CHF’s annual GIVEMAS campaign invites the community to give back during the festive season either through donations of thoughtful (new) presents, by fundraising, or even banding together (at work or through a community group) to run a gift drive for a specific ward.
Initially established in 2008 as the Our Wellness Foundation, the CHF has grown and expanded over the years to ensure it is best placed to support patients in the ACT and surrounding region attending any public hospital or health centre across Canberra.
Its stated mission is to raise funds to improve patient care and health outcomes, and support medical technology, research, and therapeutic programs, with more than $1 million in donations allocated to support patient care across 2024 – 2025.
This last year has been a busy one with CHF supporting the acquisition of 36 pieces of advanced medical equipment and refurbishment of nine patient-focused spaces, as well as 38 therapeutic programs and so much more – all helping to enhance patient wellbeing.
For busy father-of-three Stephen, finding more time in an 80-hour week to support a local charity like the CHF is actually a no-brainer.
“I like donating and giving back to our community,” says the man who also helped co-ordinate the delivery of about 20 truckloads of food, water and clothing to evacuation centres during the 2020 bushfires.
Meanwhile Leesa – who admits she “hates shopping with a passion – has been busy drumming up support from customers and suppliers to get involved in this year’s effort. A shipping container filled with boxes of toys is ready to be loaded by 10 of Santa’s helpers come Thursday night.
“We want to thank everyone who has already donated and let anyone know that we will be taking donations up until 9 am on 12 December – or even if you see us out there on the road, throw a toy in the back,” she laughs.
“It really doesn’t matter if you donate $5 worth of toys or $5000 worth of toys, every contribution is helping an amazing charity, it stays local and you just never know who you may be helping.
“The more of us who get together and do this means no child who is in hospital at Christmas will miss out on receiving a gift.”
Donations of toys can be dropped to Express Truck Service, 15-27 Bayldon Road, Queanbeyan, or contact Leesa on (02) 6232 9993 to arrange a pick up before 12 December.
To organise a donation to the GIVEMAS appeal email Holly.Warner@chfoundation.org.au or call 0466 823 308. To find out more visit Canberra Hospitals Foundation
