Radio Lollipop Service Challenge

Centenary Service Challenge for Radio Lollipop

Radio Lollipop is an in-house radio station functioning within Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH) with satellite stations at Joondalup, Fremantle, Kalgoorlie, and

Armadale. Girl Guides WA was a driving force in the establishment of Radio Lollipop in the 1980s and we have been proud to be associated with the initiative ever since.

PMH is a centre for paediatric research and care.  It is the state’s only specialist children’s hospital.  Princess Margaret Hospital has approximately 220 beds and serves 300,000 patients per year.

As part of the 75th anniversary celebrations of Girl Guides WA, in 1985, members raised funds to set up Radio Lollipop at PMH. This project was selected since GGWA 75th anniversary coincided with the 75th anniversary of the opening of PMH, and when Guides approached PMH to ask what equipment they could help purchase, the reply was Radio Lollipop.

The estimated cost to establish Radio Lollipop was $25,000 and Guides all over the state helped raise funds by washing cars, holding fancy dress parades, running lamington drives and holding many other events. The State Commissioner at the time, Mrs Pat Goodheart OBE, was delighted when the final cheque she handed over to the board of PMH was for $36,825, well above the amount requested by the hospital.

The station airs for several hours a day and is run by volunteers. The radio station is located at PMH on the 7th floor (Megazone Area) and provides fun and entertainment through music, stories, games and competitions and makes a positive difference in the lives of sick children. Children can listen to the station and enter a competition or request their favourite song or go and see the Radio Lollipop studio during studio hours.

Centenary Project

To celebrate our Centenary of Guiding in WA, we would like to again support Radio Lollipop by providing 1000 Stationary/Activity Packs.  Packs will be delivered to Radio Lollipop monthly for the 12 months of our Centenary year.

Units are asked to deliver Stationary/Activity packs* to Guide House.  The pack can be packaged in an A4 sized document wallet, cloth or drawstring bag suitable to give to a child. Suggested items to be contained in packs are:  pencils, pens, textas, crayons, colouring in and activity books, story books, stationary items such as rulers, sharpener, rubber etc, puzzles, craft packs, stickers etc.

Items should all be new and please try to keep all items in one pack suitable for girl or boy aged:

• Under 5 years
• 5-7 years
• 7-9 years
• 9-12 years
• over 12 years

Start planning now – is your unit going to fundraise and then all go shopping together or are your girls going to bring in an item each?  Are you going to sew your own bags or do you have a trefoil guild or parent that could help?  Is it going to be a patrol or unit activity?  Remember this may also be able to be credited towards a challenge – encourage girls to look in their Aim High, Look Wide or Handbooks.

Guide House is ready and waiting for your packs to arrive! Contact us if you have any questions.

*No food or lolly items to be placed in packs please.