Thelma Hudson was a generous woman who loved to give of her time and energy to help others, especially in order to help children at the RCH.

Thelma was introduced to giving to the hospital at 17 years of age by her mother, who was a founding member of the Lord Somers Auxiliary. Thelma later became President of the Auxiliary herself and was personally responsible for raising over $100,000.

Thelma volunteered in the gift shop at the hospital after she retired, working five days a month and ran numerous Auxiliary stalls around Melbourne with 100 per cent of proceeds going back to the hospital. Thelma’s steadfast dedication to her favourite cause increased her ability to overcome challenges in the name of fundraising – she was known to persevere through Melbourne’s changeable and often inclement weather in order to make her stalls a success.

Her love for the RCH and her passion for fundraising was a highlight of Thelma’s life, and her prodigious generosity lives on beyond her passing in 2007. Having supported the RCH for most of her adult life, Thelma knew there was always more to do and more children that need help, and she left her estate to the RCH Foundation in her Will.

Amongst many ways that her giving influenced the hospital for the better, the funds Thelma raised throughout her life allowed the hospital to purchase much-needed equipment for the Radiology Department.

Thelma’s extraordinary bequest will help improve the lives of some of Victoria’s sickest children now and for many years to come – an outcome Thelma would be proud of.