Bears and bubs are set to take over the Buderim Private Hospital when the annual Teddy Bear Fair is hosted on campus from 9am – 1pm on Sunday 20 May 2018.
The free event is an opportunity to celebrate young families and will feature a range of exciting activities, displays, prizes, entertainment and tours.
Local mum, Sally Gamlin, has attended the event for the past two years and is planning on attending again with her 3 year-old daughter, Millie, who was born at the hospital in 2014.
“I have so many memories here and walking through the doors again just brings them all flooding back. It seems like only yesterday we walked through these same doors, bleary eyed, drunk in love, with our little bundle in our arms,” Mrs Gamlin said.
“Now the same little Millie walks in holding my hand! It is just so wonderful to come back and share this special place with her at the Teddy Bear Fair - it is a place that holds so many amazing memories for us and now we have the opportunity to create even more,” she said.
The day’s festivities will include the Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors, performances by children’s entertainers Brett Campbell and David Hamilton, and local children’s author Emma Middleton will be there to read a popular children’s story.
For community members thinking about having a baby, the Teddy Bear Fair is their day to find out more about the hospital’s comprehensive range of maternity services. There will be opportunities to speak with midwives and obstetricians, and tours through the maternity ward will depart every 30 minutes. People can book their maternity tour here.
For the first time, CPR Kids will present two free First Aid for Choking workshops for parents where they will demonstrate how to help children when choking, which is a fantastic opportunity to learn a lifesaving skill from experts.
There will also be a fully equipped Teddy Bear Hospital ready to patch up a favourite loved toy, as well as a petting zoo, jumping castle, pony rides, face painting, and a picnic and colouring-in area.
The Teddy Bear Fair’s mascots are two Buderim bears, Elsa and Wilson, who were named after Mrs Elsa Wilson, a local GP’s wife who dreamed of building the hospital in the 1970s. The street where the hospital is situated, Elsa Wilson Drive, is also named in her honour.
Wallis Westbrook, General Manager of the Buderim Private Hospital, encouraged the community to come along and support the event.
“We are excited to hold this community event and would like to welcome old, new and future members of our Buderim baby family along for a great day,” he said.
“Our passionate team of experienced doctors and midwives have helped deliver more than 13,000 babies and we are proud to continue this long tradition of providing expert care during this momentous time in people’s lives,” he said.
The event will be held on the Buderim Private Hospital’s campus at 12 Elsa Wilson Drive, Buderim. Car parking is free. For more information about the event, visit buderimprivatehospital.com.au/teddy