The Common Good Au

The Common Good Au Proudly supporting The Prince Charles Hospital and Caboolture Hospital. Our research areas are health issues that touch nearly everyone in some way.
(1)

The Common Good, an initiative of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, exists to help people live healthier, for longer. Through the power of the collective, we support and facilitate the work of incredible researchers who are dedicated to making breakthroughs in the areas of heart disease, lung disease, mental health and dementia. Whether it be a friend, a family member, or a colleague, we all know someone who is impacted by at least one of these conditions. In turn, that means we all know someone who can benefit from funding research in these areas. By funding research, we can provide hope to those suffering today, and for future generations to come. The impacts of our research ripple right across the nation and the world. We're on a mission to sustain the work of our brilliant researchers so that they can continue to make life-saving and life-changing medical breakthroughs. And we want you to join us. Research is a long game, so we need to support and fund as many hours as possible to ensure no stone is left unturned in any of our research areas. Every hour of research gets us one step closer to a medical breakthrough. We are also incredibly proud to support hospital innovation and patient care initiatives at both The Prince Charles Hospital and Caboolture Hospital.

We were honoured this week when The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation’s CEO, Steve Francia, addressed councillors in th...
26/02/2026

We were honoured this week when The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation’s CEO, Steve Francia, addressed councillors in the chambers of Brisbane City Council at Brisbane City Hall to mark our 40-year milestone. 💜

Steve, who was accompanied by Community Ambassador Jon Twartz, highlighted some of the Foundation’s impacts over the past four decades, including more than $78 million invested into medical research, vital equipment, and patient care initiatives.

As he said, “Crucially, this impact is only made possible by the community.”

He also reflected, “Every day, Brisbane residents, schools, clubs, volunteers, local businesses and corporate partners choose to support their local hospital. That sense of civic pride and generosity is one of Brisbane’s greatest strengths — and it underpins everything the Foundation does.”

Jon — admitted to the hospital more than 480 times and discharged just the day before attending — was a living reminder of why this work matters. His courage, resilience, and determination to “pay back” for the care he received inspired everyone in the room.

We are deeply grateful to the councillors and Brisbane City Council for giving us this platform — and to every Brisbane local whose generosity has helped the Foundation support patients like Jon to live healthier for longer. 💜

A special thanks to Cr Parry from our Marchant Ward for suggesting this address.

📷 Pictured at City Hall: CEO Steve Francia and Community Ambassador Jon Twartz

Brisbane City Council

Councillor Danita Parry

Metro North Health

Introducing Story No. 5 in our 40 Stories for 40 Years seriesFrom Coffee to Care:How a cafe became one of the Foundation...
26/02/2026

Introducing Story No. 5 in our 40 Stories for 40 Years series

From Coffee to Care:
How a cafe became one of the Foundation’s most powerful forces for good☕

For most of us, a cup of coffee is a small, everyday ritual.

At The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, those familiar moments have helped fund decades of medical research, improve patient experiences, and create a more sustainable future for healthcare.

It all began in November 1994, when the Foundation entered into an agreement with The Prince Charles Hospital to take over the operation and management of the hospital canteen.

The goal was twofold: improve the experience for staff, patients and visitors — and create a reliable source of income to support ongoing medical research.

What emerged was something ahead of its time: a social enterprise built on purpose as much as performance.💜

That early social enterprise has grown into an expansive and considered cafe portfolio, including a main cafe, a kiosk at the hospital entrance, and a coffee caravan outside the Children’s and Emergency Department.

Read the full story to see how something as simple as a cup of coffee has been quietly creating impact for decades.

🔗tcg.org.au/fromcoffeetocare

North Health

From a state-of-the-art paediatric ultrasound to an expanded Child Life Therapy program, children and families at The Pr...
24/02/2026

From a state-of-the-art paediatric ultrasound to an expanded Child Life Therapy program, children and families at The Prince Charles Hospital have directly benefited from funds raised by Brisbane Chain Reaction Challenge Foundation riders over the past two years.

These are practical investments in care that are made possible through riders choosing to take on an exceptionally demanding challenge in the name of helping kids.

In four weeks, the Limitless Developments x The Common Good Team will join a peloton of 35 riders, tackling 1,000km across New Zealand’s North Island to raise funds for children supported by The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation and AEIOU Foundation for Children with Autism.

With a $150,000 fundraising target and the ride fast approaching, there’s still time to donate and give these riders a boost as they take on their last few weeks of training.

Donate to the Limitless x The Common Good team here
👉 www.tcg.org.au/crc26

24/02/2026

Your Support Can Help Change Lives

Every breakthrough starts with an idea — and ideas grow with support.

Since 2010, The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation’s New Investigator Grants have helped early-career researchers take their first steps, funding over 280 projects and investing $2.66M+ in building research capability and improving patient outcomes.

You can help an emerging researcher on their quest for a breakthrough.
👉 Donate: tcg.org.au/donate

Metro North Health

Be part of our 40-year milestone event 💜🥂Early-bird tickets close soon. Secure your place today.🎟️ tcg.org.au/jacarandag...
23/02/2026

Be part of our 40-year milestone event 💜🥂
Early-bird tickets close soon.
Secure your place today.
🎟️ tcg.org.au/jacarandagala

Join us at the Jacaranda Gala — a premium black-tie evening at The Star Brisbane on Saturday, 16 May 2026.One iconic night. One powerful cause.

Together, we’ll recognise four decades of supporting life-changing research, essential equipment and compassionate care at The Prince Charles Hospital and Caboolture Hospital — and help power the next 40 years of impact.

Enjoy a gourmet three-course dinner, five-hour beverage package, live entertainment and exclusive auctions.

Meet the researchers, clinicians, ambassadors, patients and their families whose stories your support has helped shape. All proceeds from the event will go towards the next 40 years of impact — powering today and reinventing tomorrow.

Find out more .org.au/jacarandagala

Metro North Health

💜Introducing Community Ambassador Jon TwartzAs part of our 40-year milestone, The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation is ...
23/02/2026

💜Introducing Community Ambassador Jon Twartz

As part of our 40-year milestone, The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation is proud to shine a light on our Community Ambassadors - champions giving back for the common good of The Prince Charles Hospital and Caboolture Hospital.

"Big Jon" Twartz is one of those champions who inspires us with courage and generosity.

Jon has been living with chronic illness for over 14 years.

During that time, he’s experienced sepsis more than 20 times, been hospitalised over 350 times, and managed multi-organ failure, diabetes, and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP).

He receives plasma infusions every two weeks at The Prince Charles Hospital and, last year, had a left below-knee amputation due to chronic infection.

As a Community Ambassador, Jon shares his story to raise awareness of chronic infection and sepsis, while giving back to the hospital that he says has been like a second home to him.

Jon’s dedication to his community was recently recognised with a 2026 Lord Mayor’s Australia Day Award, celebrating his outstanding service, leadership and commitment to supporting others. 🏆

We’re honoured to have him on board as a Community Ambassador.

Meet Jon and our other Ambassadors, who remind us how powerful community can be when people come together for the common good.🙌

🔗tcg.org.au/ambassadors

Metro North Health

Introducing Story No. 4 in our 40 Stories for 40 Years seriesNew Investigator Grants:The first step in the Foundation’s ...
19/02/2026

Introducing Story No. 4 in our 40 Stories for 40 Years series

New Investigator Grants:
The first step in the Foundation’s researcher pathway

Every breakthrough starts somewhere.

For a researcher, it begins with a strong idea and a desire to improve patient outcomes. But turning that idea into meaningful impact requires funding and support.

That’s why The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation established the New Investigator Grants in 2010 — to support researchers at the very beginning of their careers and help bring promising projects to life.

“Typically, new investigators haven't done any research before, so this program is designed to support them and guide them through those initial steps of getting into research,” says the Foundation’s Research Manager, Dr Rebekah Engel.

Since 2010, more than 280 New Investigator grants have been awarded, totalling over $2.66 million — building research capability and improving patient outcomes now and into the future.

💜Read the full story and watch the video via the link
tcg.org.au/newinvestigator

Metro North Health

17/02/2026

Seven days.

1,000 kilometres.
A serious commitment.

The Brisbane Chain Reaction Challenge isn’t just a cycling event - it’s a demanding, week-long ride taken on by people willing to push themselves to help improve outcomes for children.

In March 2026, our Limitless x The Common Good Team will ride across New Zealand’s North Island, raising funds to support children through The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation and AEIOU Foundation for Children.

With a target of $150,000, and more than $53,000 already raised, the team is already a third of the way there in making an impact for kids and families.

👉 Support the team: www.tcg.org.au/crc26

🎥 Throw back to the 2024 team taking on South Australia

Thinking of joining Brisbane’s only fully closed-road bike ride? 🚴‍♀️Early Bird entries for Tour de Brisbane close tonig...
15/02/2026

Thinking of joining Brisbane’s only fully closed-road bike ride? 🚴‍♀️
Early Bird entries for Tour de Brisbane close tonight.

Join hundreds of other riders who are going further by riding with purpose and raising funds to support life-saving heart and lung transplant research through The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation.

Secure your spot, save on entry, and make every kilometre count.
👉 www.tourdebrisbane.org

We’re proud to welcome Yaralla Cricket Club as the very first club to join our 40 Schools & 40 Clubs for 40 Years initi...
13/02/2026

We’re proud to welcome Yaralla Cricket Club as the very first club to join our 40 Schools & 40 Clubs for 40 Years initiative, celebrating The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation’s 40-year milestone.

This partnership is especially meaningful, created in honour of Tracey Slatter — a lung transplant recipient at The Prince Charles Hospital, who survived an additional 10 years after her transplant and sadly passed away in 2024.

Tracey's legacy lives on, continuing to inspire generosity and community action within Yaralla Cricket Club.

Their final shield match of the season is today, 14 February, and will see the club selling their iconic pink baggy caps to players and supporters, with proceeds supporting The Common Good.

We wish them every success and thank them for their ongoing support.

As we mark 40 years of impact, we invite other local clubs, schools and community groups to join us. Get in touch to find out how your group can make a difference.

🔗tcg.org.au/40schools40clubs

This week, The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation hosted its third annual Women in Science high tea at the Brisbane Conv...
13/02/2026

This week, The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation hosted its third annual Women in Science high tea at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, to coincide with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February).

The event brings together outstanding female researchers supported by the Foundation to share their work, their career journeys and their commitment to improving patient outcomes — both now and into the future.

It is an important opportunity to celebrate leadership in research and highlight the impact of the Foundation's sustained investment in women in STEM.

We extend our sincere thanks to Dr Faye Jordan, Helen Edwards and Dr Lisa Franks for generously sharing their expertise and experiences, and for continuing to advocate for greater representation and opportunity in research.

Guests also heard from Sharon Hoole, mother of Rhys Hoole, the 500th heart transplant recipient at The Prince Charles Hospital. Sharon reflected on how decades of research shaped the care her son received, and the vital importance of continuing to pursue new and better treatment options.

Thank you also to Shannon Willoughby for expertly guiding the morning, and to our partners and guests for their ongoing support of research excellence.

The research highlighted at this event is only possible because of the sustained support of our incredible community.

If you would like to help power life-changing and life-saving research that powers today and reinvents tomorrow, you can make a donation here
🔗tcg.org.au/donate

To explore funding opportunities, research impact, or tailored giving opportunities aligned with your area of interest, connect with our Philanthropy Team via email
✉️info@thecommongood.org.au

Metro North Health

Introducing Story No. 3 in our 40 Stories for 40 Years seriesThuy Frakking: Listening for the smallest signsAt The Princ...
11/02/2026

Introducing Story No. 3 in our 40 Stories for 40 Years series
Thuy Frakking: Listening for the smallest signs

At The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation, we are proud to support dozens of incredible female researchers and, on this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re excited to spotlight the work of one of them.

Adjunct Associate Professor Thuy Frakking has dedicated years of her career to supporting families whose children struggle silently with swallowing impairment. In premature babies and infants, even a slight disruption of the swallowing process can lead to aspiration, which can have serious consequences.

Supported in part through a Caboolture, Kilcoy, Woodford research grant from The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation in 2022, Thuy led the Swallowing Sounds in Premature Babies (SUPERB) Study.

The project set out to answer a deceptively simple question: could we detect swallowing impairment in a non-invasive, repeatable and more accessible way — simply by analysing sound?

Her research has the potential to transform how swallowing difficulties are identified and monitored in some of the most vulnerable patients.

On this International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we celebrate Thuy and the many women in research whose work is changing lives every day.💜

Read more about Thuy’s work here
🔗https://tcg.org.au/Thuy

Metro North Health

Address

The Prince Charles Hospital, 627 Rode Road
Brisbane, QLD
4032

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Common Good Au posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to The Common Good Au:

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Our Story

The Common Good is people powering medical discoveries.

The Common Good is an initiative of The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation established in 1986 under the patronage of His Royal Highness, Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, to inspire a generous community to fund life-saving and life-changing health research that tackles Australia’s most significant chronic diseases.

Last year we provided over $5 million in grants for innovative and sustainable medical research, helping devoted researchers to pursue smart research without having to spend the majority of their time writing annual research grants or worry that their work won't be followed through. Our aim is to continue to provide more than $5 million every year to stoke innovation, with the help of people like you.

When you join The Common Good, you’re joining a movement; and when you support a particular area of research, you’re joining a team of researchers, donors, volunteers, partners and everyday people who all care about finding a breakthrough just as much as you do.