Proud to be appointed the inaugural Philanthropy Ambassador for The Royal Women's Hospital.

I am proud to be appointed the inaugural Philanthropy Ambassador for The Royal Women's Hospital .

The RWH has a long and proud history as Australia’s first and most respected specialist hospital for women and newborns – it holds a special place in the hearts of Melburnians.

I was fortunate enough to be given a guided tour of the RWH and some of its key facilities.

The Women's Newborn Intensive Care Unit, funded by the Barr Family Foundation, is a very special place - not only are premature babies and their families given the best of care but the parents are also supported in what is one of the scariest, most confronting times of their lives.

The Women’s Fertility Preservation service, funded by the Sony Foundation, specialises in providing care for patients who have cancer or another health issue that puts their fertility at risk. They've had 18 successful babies, with three more on the way. To see this process at a microscopic – literally – level was truly fascinating.

Finally, I was shown the Pauline Gandel Women's Imaging Centre, which provides radiology and ultrasound services to diagnose and treat maternity and gynaecological issues in women and assist in the diagnosis of fetal and newborn disorders. Again, important and amazing work.

I urge everyone to get behind our RWH and become a philanthropic partner – this facility really is changing lives.

Thank you to Cath Bowtell, Sue Matthews, Jason Smith and all the staff at the RWH.