Almost 12 months on from her sudden death, the legacy of former Maribyrnong mayor Sarah Carter continues on, not just in the inner west but also in the South Pacific.
Along with serving 16 years on Maribyrnong council, Ms Carter was also a long-time employee of Save the Children and had just returned from a work trip to Vanuatu when she died in August 2024.
Ms Carter had been in Vanuatu as part of the Australian Regional Leadership Initiative, a Save the Children program that gives Australian politicians a first-hand experience of the country’s aid programs.
Following her death, Ms Carter’s family and friends encouraged donations to Save the Children in her honour so that her work on the island nation could continue.
Late last month those fundraising efforts culminated in two portable cardiovascular ultrasound system devices being delivered to the children’s ward at Vila Central Hospital in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila.
Purchased with the donations made in Ms Carter’s honour, the two devices, are designed to provide high-resolution imaging of cardiac functions, making it easier for doctors to detect and diagnose heart conditions in newborns and children.
“I would like to thank Save the Children through the donation made by Sarah Carter for its continuing support to children’s health in Vanuatu,” said Vila Central’s head of paediatrics, Dr Orelly Thyna.
“The portable cardiovascular ultrasound machines will be handy for my team to not just to use in our Vila based children’s ward but can take out to the communities in the rural areas as well,” Dr Thyna said.
Ms Carter’s mother Gaynor Morris said encouraging donations to Save the Children in her daughter’s honour felt like the most natural way to carry forward her life’s work.
“We wanted her legacy to live on and couldn’t think of a more fitting tribute than funding life-saving equipment for the Children’s Ward at Port Vila Central Hospital in Vanuatu,” Ms Morris said.
“We miss Sarah deeply every day, but there is some comfort in knowing that Sarah’s mission lives on in the children whose lives will be saved because of this gift.”
