Wayne’s Run raises awareness of foster care challenges Port POPUP - DAupdate Port Stephens by News Of The Area - Modern Media - July 3, 2024 Pat Farmer and Wayne Curran with local community members at the welcome hosted by Rivergum Grandparents. IN A daring bid to raise awareness of the plight of children in foster care, Kempsey’s Wayne Curran embarked on a 494-kilometre run from Kempsey Court House to the Sydney Opera House. He was joined on his journey by ultra-marathon runner and former politician Pat Farmer AM. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au The pair’s aim is to drive positive change within the foster system. Wayne has personal experience of the system, suffering childhood abuse before and after entering foster care. Their endurance journey took them through Raymond Terrace last week, where they were welcomed by the Rivergum Grandparents group, who offer support for kinship carers in the Port Stephens region. Many Rivergum members are raising their children’s children in an effort to keep them out of the foster care system. “Wayne’s story isn’t an isolated one,” Merilyn O’Neill of Rivergum Grandparents told News Of The Area. “He suffered abuse in different foster homes and even in a group home. “He struggled with the trauma all of his life and turned to alcohol as his hiding place. “[During] his last stint in jail he found that running helped clear his mind and he has gone on to use that in his healing. “He is doing this to highlight the problems of children in the out-of-home [care] system. “He is asking grandparents, including those who have informal care, foster carers and the public to speak up and voice what is happening to children in care. “It’s time to find solutions for a system that is failing badly.” By Marian SAMPSON
