A new specialist institute dedicated to paediatric trauma care will be established at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, honouring the legacy of young Matilda, who lost her life during the Bondi Beach terror attack. The New South Wales Institute for Paediatric Trauma will bring together surgeons, nurses and other specialists to share their expertise with medical professionals across the country.
Surgeons speak out after devastating night
For the first time, members of the paediatric surgical team who fought to save Matilda's life have spoken publicly about that harrowing December night. Paediatric surgeon Guy Henry described the experience as deeply difficult for all staff involved, but paid tribute to the extraordinary dedication shown by colleagues.
"What was incredibly special were the staff who came in who were not on duty," Henry said.
Henry emphasised that the lessons his team learned must now be passed on. "Children are not small adults," he said. "They have different physiology, they have different anatomy and so that has to be taken into account." He is set to play a central role in delivering training through the new institute.
What the NSW Institute for Paediatric Trauma will do
The institute will run mass casualty simulations and expert training sessions designed to improve responses and treatment for children caught up in major trauma events, regardless of where in New South Wales they are located. The goal is to ensure specialist knowledge — currently concentrated among a small group of practitioners — reaches medical teams right across the state.
Its creation was also shaped by the response to the Bondi Junction stabbing attack the year prior, when medical teams treated the nine-month-old daughter of victim Ashlee Good for serious stab wounds. That incident similarly exposed both the strengths and gaps in Australia's capacity to respond to child casualties in mass casualty situations.
Funding and timeline
The institute will be funded jointly by the NSW state government and donations from the Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation, and is expected to be operational within the next six months.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the institute would deliver benefits not only for children across New South Wales but for paediatric trauma care nationally.
A lasting legacy
The establishment of the institute represents a tangible and lasting response to the grief and hard-won knowledge that emerged from one of Australia's most distressing recent mass casualty events. By embedding those lessons into formal training and simulation programs, clinicians hope to transform how the country responds when children are among the victims of large-scale incidents.
