Press Release

Nicole Kidman brought it into the news. So did Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Now, a Hindmarsh man is canoeing 2000 kilometres down the River Murray to do the same thing.

Raise awareness about the grief of pregnancy loss, and money for the Stillbirth And Neonatal Death Support group - SANDS SA.

Steve Duggan is taking time off work as a graphic reproducer, forgone Christmas and New Year celebrations and spending 12-14 hours a day in a canoe, raising money for SANDS. He first became involved with the support group “luckily, not through anything personal,” but as a fundraiser in 1997.

“I did a walk from Melbourne to Adelaide, and I was looking for a small organisation to raise money for,” he said. “I thought SANDS was a good cause.”

SANDS are a support group formed for parents who have experienced the death of a baby from conception, to around 28 days after birth. They have about 30 volunteers who give support and assistance to bereaved parents and their families.

Mr Duggan said SANDS provide a much needed service for bereaved parents. “People are reluctant to talk about it, but a death is a death,” he said.

So, he is paddling to ensure SANDS work can continue. “I want to raise awareness, and raise money because they don’t receive much government funding, and aren’t in a position to raise money themselves,” he said. “I’ve covered all the funding for the trip myself, so anything that’s raised goes direct to SANDS.”

Mr Duggan hopes to paddle into Goolwa on February 1^st. To make a donation to SANDS, or to sponsor Mr Duggan’s fundraising paddle, contact SANDS. For more information about SANDS, phone 8277 0304, visit the website www.geocities.com/sandssouth, or email [email protected]