The Hunter River Times

BY ALEX TIGANI

When you celebrate Christmas and your birthday within three weeks of each other there’s every chance you’ll be receiving plenty of gifts.

Muswellbrook’s Brooklyn Chaina finds herself in this position each year.

Yet she has an alternative way of celebrating the occasions.

The seven-year-old will continue her tradition this year of collecting toys to gift to patients at Newcastle’s John Hunter Children’s Hospital this Christmas.

“Christmas is about giving not getting,” Brooklyn told The Hunter River Times.

Brooklyn’s aim for more kindness in the world dates back to her third birthday in 2017 according to her father Mathew.

“I asked ‘what do you want for your birthday?’ and she said she wanted to meet Wonder Woman,” he recalled.

“I said we have to do something kind in return, she said ‘can I give my presents to the kids at the hospital?’ and I said of course.”

What became a birthday fixture was expanded to Easter and Christmas over time for the children of Sydney’s Royal Children’s Hospital and then Newcastle’s John Hunter Children’s Hospital since 2019.

The family has been given the tick by the Charlie Theo foundation while Brooklyn has even crossed paths with many of her grateful recipients as a student at Scone Grammar School.

She also hopes to be a paediatrician one day.

It is not to donate gifts with drop off stations set up at Double Picc, Asser House, Café on Main, Beauty Co and Pacific Furniture.

“You can also drop them off to the hospital themselves and say this is for Brooklyn’s cause.”