Ambassadors
We are very proud to have our ambassadors who play a crucial role in helping us raise awareness of our organisation throughout Australia. With their amazing support, we are able to generate greater awareness in the community of the issues that these babies and their families face.
Tracey Spicer
2UE broadcaster, News Ltd columnist, Sky News anchor & travel writer for Holidays with Kids magazine.
Tracey Spicer is one of the most experienced and respected female news presenters on Australian television, with a career spanning 20 years, encompassing news reading, documentary making, reporting, and radio broadcasting. Renowned for her integrity, sharp mind and calm manner, Tracey is currently an international anchor with Sky News.
“I am delighted to be able to support the Life’s Little Treasures Foundation. My son Taj was premature, suffering Hyaline Membrane Disease and extremely low birth weight. He spent the first three weeks of his life in neonatal intensive care, battling for every breath. Now, he’s a rambunctious young man!. My heart goes out to other parents who are thrown into the maelstrom of having a premature baby. Some families spend months by the bedside of their tiny offspring, wishing and praying they will make it through. Please, support the Life’s Little Treasures Foundation as they provide friendship, information, support & assistance to the many families in need.”
Read Tracey’s story here.
Gorgi Coghlan
Co-host Channel 10, The Circle
Gorgi Coghlan is a co-host on Channel Ten’s Logie award winning morning program – The Circle, which has had critical acclaim. With a background in news, current affairs, travel, entertainment, science, education and professional singing, Gorgi Coghlan is one of the most well-rounded television presenters in Australian media.
“I feel very honoured to be an ambassador for the Life’s little Treasures Foundation. Following the premature birth of our precious Molly-Rose, my husband and I understand the importance of having someone to turn to during such an emotional and challenging time. It’s really important to be able to access information that reassures you that you’re not alone, to remind you that so many parents have gone through what you’re experiencing. It is an essential and fabulous organisation that I hope will grow into a national initiative to continue to help families of little treasures born across this great country we live in.”
Clare Bowditch,
Singer and Songwriter
Clare Bowditch’s gutsy lyrics, fascinating instrumentation and left-field humour have enraptured her fans Australia wide. She’s made three amazing albums, won many awards, including Best Female ARIA 2006, was crowned Rolling Stone Magazine’s ‘Woman of the Year 2010. She was also handpicked by the legendary Leonard Cohen to open shows on his 2010 Australian tour. She frequently co-hosts the Channel 10 morning show – The Circle. Most importantly, she is absolutely cherished by her fans, who are involved in just about every step of her creative process.
“Thank goodness for the Life’s Little Treasures Foundation, who offer practical loving support and advice where it’s dearly needed. LLT have gained the respect and loyalty of all they work with – families and health-care professionals alike – yet they currently receive no government funding. If you or your family have been touched by the life of a “Little Treasure”, please give where you can”.
BROOKE HANSON O.A.M.
Olympic gold and silver medallist Brooke Hanson made her debut for the Australian Swimming Team in 1994.
Representing Australia over 20 times at major international championships, Brooke 
claimed several podium finishes along the way including the 2004 World Short Course Championships where she made history, winning a record six gold medals.
Brooke’s work on the TV Week Logie winning show “What’s Good for You” earned her a nomination for best new female talent. Continuing with the lifestyle programs she’s now the female presenter on Discover Downunder and enjoys exploring the best camping and caravanning holiday destinations around the country.
Since her retirement from competitive swimming Brooke released her autobiography ‘When Silver Is Gold’, became a mother to son’s Cooper and Jack and has gone on to make a successful career for herself as a television personality and product ambassador. She loves to share her stories and her successes in boardrooms, classrooms and clubrooms all over Australia.
Brooke now continues to balance her blooming professional media career with, motherhood, sponsor appearances, motivational speaking, charity events, swim clinics and her commitment to promoting a healthy and active lifestyle for all Australians.
Youth Ambassadors
Audrey and Grace Styman-Lane
Audrey and Grace Lane are identical twins, born at 26 and a half weeks on the 30th November 1994 at the Royal Womanʼs Hospital Paddington Sydney, where they spent 3 and a half months.
It was a difficult time but their struggle to survive as premature babies has made them strong independent young woman who are fun, kind and loving. Their goal is to become professional surfers on the World Tour. Their passion for surfing & to succeed reflects on how strong they had to be, to survive.
They are also passionate about giving back and are thrilled to 
become the Foundations’s first youth Ambassadors, they are a testiment to how amazing our Little Treasures really are. They aim to help the Foundation raise the profile of prematurity in the community & show the world that premature babies can have such successful outcomes.
Health Ambassadors
We are delighted to have three very prominent professionals in the health industry come on board as our health ambassadors. Their support is vital to us in ensuring that the advice we provide to families is accurate, up to date and evidence based.
Peter Anderson,
Director, Victorian Infant Brain Study (VIBes), Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Royal Children’s Hospital
Dr Peter Anderson is a CR Roper Fellow in the School of Behavioural Science at The University of Melbourne and Senior Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. In addition to being Director of the Victorian Infant Brain Studies (VIBeS) team, he is co-director of the Australian Centre for Child Neuropsychological Studies (ACCNS), which is the leading centre for paediatric neuropsychological research in Australia. Dr Anderson’s research over the past 10 years has been primarily based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying cognitive and learning problems in children born very premature. He is involved in observational outcome studies, longitudinal neuroimaging studies, and numerous randomised controlled trials assessing the long-term benefits and consequences of a range of obstetric, perinatal and developmental interventions.
“My association with Life’s Little Treasures (LLT) dates back 3 to 4 years. As a researcher who specialises in understanding and minimising the long term consequences of prematurity, it has been incredibly valuable to meet with and learn from members of the foundation who have a unique insight into the problems faced by children born preterm and their families.
I strongly support the LLT Foundation because it offers families of preterm children important resources that are difficult to access in the community, in particular support and information. I recently accepted an offer to become a “health ambassador” for LLT, and in this role I hope to provide advice and guidance in relation to the programmes offered and the information distributed to families from the foundation.
I am very proud to be associated with LLT as it a very well managed organisation that supports many high risk families and individuals”
Dr Peter Anderson
Director
Victorian Infant Brain Study (VIBeS)
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Gehan Roberts,
Developmental-Behavioural Paediatrician, RCH
Dr Gehan Roberts is a Developmental-Behavioural paediatrician, based at the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, and a NHMRC post-doctoral fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. He completed his clinical fellowship in child development at the Boston Children’s Hospital. He has a Masters in Public Health from Harvard University and a PhD in the field of child development from the University of Melbourne. Gehan coordinates the Victorian training program in Community Child Health and his research interests include the long term outcomes of preterm birth, intervention trials for children at risk of learning and developmental difficulties and health services research in the secondary care sector.
“I am very happy to support the important work that LLT carries on behalf of the families of preterm and high risk infants and children. It is my pleasure to be invited to be a health ambassador for LLT and I look forward to continuing to be involved over time.”
David Hoffman
Psychologist & Psychotherapist
BA, BA (Hons.) (Clin.Psych.), MBA (Health Services Management), MIMM, MIPM
David understands the journey these families find themselves on and is willing to offer his services to any registered LLT families who may feel they are not coping with daily life as well as they want to. He is commitment to making their journey easier. For further information on how David can assist click here.
