Mr Speaker, I take this opportunity to congratulate two very special constituents in my electorate of Bradfield – Turramurra residents Carolyn and Dave Stedman – on an extraordinary milestone.
Carolyn and Dave are foster parents.
2026 marks 50 years since they first welcomed a child into their home, and they are now fostering their 75th foster child.
They have dedicated their lives to helping children of all ages by offering them a safe and loving place to call home.
The couple currently fosters the children through the Wesley Mission’s foster care program.
Jim O’Rourke, who reported on the milestone in the Manly Daily, quoted Mr Stedman as saying “we are both Christian people … who have a good home, good health and a good family and we’re just giving back to these people who have nothing.”
According to Carers for Kids NSW, in NSW alone, there are around 14,720 children and young people living in foster care or kinship care – around 45% of those children are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
And in November last year, the NSW government launched a statewide campaign urging people across NSW to change a child’s life by becoming a foster carer.
If there is anyone out there has ever had an inkling that they might like to become carers for kids in need, I offer as inspiration, the incredible example of Carolyn and Dave Stedman.