| Two families, whose children were dying from Leukaemia, come together to support each other through the trauma of their children’s illnesses and deaths.
| The families hold the inaugural meeting of Very Special Kids on 28 November 1984 at the St Mark’s Anglican Church in Camberwell.
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| Very Special Kids is established when the Sydney Myer Trust provides the families with a grant of $10,000 allowing them to employ Sister Margaret Noone as their first employee. Sister Margaret immediately begins assessing the needs of families in her offices, which are provided by the OST Friendly Society, and begins to recruit for volunteers to help support families of children with life-threatening illnesses. Bob Nicoll accepts the position as President of Very Special Kids.
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| Very Special Kids holds its first-ever volunteer training program.
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| Very Special Kids has 51 trained volunteers and supports 56 families of children with life-threatening illnesses.
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| Sister Margaret attends the Cruise Conference in London and whilst in the UK, visits the only two hospices for children in the world – Helen House in Oxford and Martin House in York – sowing the seeds for Sister Margaret’s dream to build the first children’s hospice in Australia.
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| Sister Margaret is granted a Churchill Fellowship and spends a month each in the UK, the USA and Canada, furthering her knowledge of the needs of families of children with life-threatening illnesses.
Christopher Milne is appointed President of Very Special Kids.
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| Judith Parker is appointed President of Very Special Kids.
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| Very Special Kids supports 202 families of children with life-threatening illnesses, and John Burns is appointed President of Very Special Kids.
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| Glenn Bowes is appointed President of Very Special Kids.
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| During the International Year of the Family, the then Premier Jeff Kennett leases the property at 321 Glenferrie Road to Very Special Kids.
David Jones of Tattersall’s pledges $5 million to Very Special Kids over a period of five years, to be given to Very Special Kids in $1 million instalments.
Very Special Kids supports 395 families of children with life-threatening illnesses and opens an office in Ballarat to further support families living in the region.
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| Very Special Kids holds its first volunteer training program in Ballarat, qualifying nine volunteers, and Very Special Kids receives new support from the business community when the advisory group known as the Foundation is established under the chairmanship of David Jones of Tattersall’s.
Premier Jeff Kennett turns the first sod for the Tattersall’s Very Special Kids Centre. On the same day, David Jones of Tattersall’s presents Sister Margaret with the second $1 million, and Bill Ashby is appointed to oversee the development of the hospice, later becoming the organisation’s first Chief Executive Officer.
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| Very Special Kids’ House, Australia’s first hospice for children, opens.
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| Very Special Kids begins its sibling program for both bereaved and non-bereaved siblings, and Jane Fenton is appointed President of Very Special Kids.
Very Special Kids’ training program is accredited by the Victorian Qualifications Authority, and the organisation becomes a Registered Training Organisation.
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| Rod Bennett of BADJAR Advertising develops the concept for the Piggy Bank Appeal, now Very Special Kids’ major fundraising appeal, and the very first Piggy Bank Appeal is held.
The first family camp is held.
Very Special Kids supports 407 families of children with life-threatening illnesses and has 137 trained volunteers.
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| Very Special Kids supports 478 families of children with life-threatening illnesses.
Roger Nicholson is appointed of Chair of the Foundation.
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| Sister Margaret is honoured with the Order of Australia for her work with families of children with life-threatening illnesses, and Very Special Kids achieves accreditation with the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards.
Cliff Breeze is appointed Chair of the Foundation, and Wendy Swift is appointed the President of Very Special Kids.
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| Very Special Kids supports 568 families of children with life-threatening illnesses and has 170 trained volunteers. The organisation opens a Frankston office to further support families living in that area.
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| Sister Margaret is named the Patron of Very Special Kids, and the organisation opens offices in Geelong, Traralgon, Shepparton, Coburg and Footscray.
Very Special Kids begins its Mothers’ Group program and Fathers’ Activity Days, and Chris Gillman is appointed the President of Very Special Kids.
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| Paul Bird is appointed as Very Special Kids’ second Chief Executive Officer, and the first regional volunteer training programs are held in Ballarat and Geelong.
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| Sister Margaret is honoured as the Herald Sun’s Victorian of the Year for her work in growing Very Special Kids into the organisation that it is today.
Very Special Kids supports more than 720 families of children with life-threatening illnesses and holds its 72nd accredited volunteer training program to augment the existing more than 200 trained volunteers.
Very Special Kids updates its purpose, vision and values and produces a strategic plan, and Paul Rizzo is appointed the new Chair of the Foundation.
Andy Penn is appointed the new Chairman of Very Special Kids.
| Very Special Kids celebrates 20 years of operation. A gala dinner is held at the Regent Theatre to commemorate this milestone.
Very Special Kids embarks on a review of its model of care provided to families.
| Very Special Kids House celebrates ten years of operation!
| Very Special Kids begins the Implementation phase of the Model of Care Review. The Piggy Bank Appeal turns ten years old!
| Very Special Kids is reaccredited by The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards through to 2012. More than 820 families are being supported. There are 161 trained family support volunteers.
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