Bear Cottage

19/03/2026

Thank you to the families who so generously shared their stories as part of our 25-year milestone. Your courage and strength are at the heart of this. 💕

Bear Cottage, is a place where families facing the unimaginable can find care, comfort and most importantly precious time together. This week, the children's...

17/03/2026

25 YEARS OF LOVE, CARE AND COURAGE | Today, we celebrate Bear Cottage – a home away from home, where every moment counts.

For a quarter of a century, we’ve had the privilege of walking alongside children and families during life’s most challenging moments. Their courage, strength and love shines brightly.

We honour our passionate staff and tireless volunteers, whose compassion and dedication help turn ordinary days into extraordinary memories.

We recognise all the precious children and families who have been supported by Bear Cottage and remember those no longer with us – their lives have left an indelible mark on our hearts and will never be forgotten.

And we celebrate the vision and commitment of those who dreamed of a home-away-from-home, where families could find comfort, care and hope. Your courage and commitment laid the foundation for everything that has followed.

Finally, thank you to the community who continue to stand beside us and ensure our doors remain open for every child and family who needs us. Your kindness, generosity and belief in our mission make this possible.

Happy 25th birthday, Bear Cottage – a sanctuary filled with love, laughter, and life. 💕

16/03/2026

THE QUIET STRENGTH BEHIND THE CARE | This World Social Work Day, we celebrate our Bear Cottage Social Workers Liz and Lynda. They are the listeners, the problem-solvers, and the keepers of stories.

Whether they are helping a child create a legacy, helping a sibling understand a prognosis, helping a parent navigate the complex emotions of the journey, or supporting the Bear Cottage team – their impact is immeasurable. They don't just provide answers; they provide the steady presence needed to face the unknown.

Social work isn't just a profession . . . it’s a commitment to humanity. Thank you for being a pillar of strength at Bear Cottage.

With heartfelt thanks to the Kids With Cancer Foundation Australia for funding this vital role. 💕

12/03/2026

At Bear Cottage, we are fortunate to experience beautiful moments of connection with our children and families.

One of the ideas we often share is how people who love each other are always connected by a very special string made of love - inspired by The Invisible String by Patrice Karst. It’s a gentle, powerful way to help children understand that love keeps us connected, no matter what. This was the inspiration for our recent themed art wall.

Using thick, textured paint, the children explored the tactile experience of feeling the paint between their fingers. They created hearts and added their own special touches. We then wound red wool between the handprints, symbolising the invisible strings that connect us all.

Together, we wrote meaningful messages to loved ones and reflected on the many ways we are all connected.

It was a truly collaborative effort - full of colour and creativity - and a beautiful reminder that even when we can’t see it, our invisible strings are always there, holding us close to one another. 💕

09/03/2026

Please join us in welcoming Niamh O’Neill, the newest member of the Bear Cottage team.

Niamh has recently joined Bear Cottage as our pharmacist, bringing with her many years of experience working in end-of-life care.

“As a pharmacist my role is to support the safe and effective use of medicines in line with patient and their families’ goals of care and their individual needs,” Niamh shares.

“Transition of care can be an emotionally challenging time and being able to provide confidence to families and staff that medication will be carefully and safely managed is a small contribution to alleviating this.”

Niamh says Bear Cottage stood out as a special place to work. “I have been working in end-of-life care for most of my career and wanted to use my experience to contribute to supporting children and their families with life-limiting illnesses. Bear Cottage delivers a service that is unique and special and in line with the values that I have come to understand are fundamental to families.”

Since starting, she has been particularly struck by the team culture. “What has surprised me most is how the team works together to meet the needs of everyone who walks through the door.”

A fun fact about Niamh: “I was born in Ireland and grew up with nine siblings!” She also says she loves the ocean and how it makes her feel, which makes our seaside location the perfect place to work.

Niamh is looking forward to getting to know the children and families who visit Bear Cottage. “I’m looking forward to meeting families and getting to know what contributions I can bring to their experience here. If there are ever questions about medication, I’m always happy to help. And if I don’t know the answer, we can work together to find it.”

Welcome to the team, Niamh!

03/03/2026

✨ Congratulations to these incredible champions! ✨

Our sincere thanks to the wonderful residents who bring the magic of the Borgnis Street Christmas Lights to life each year. What they have created is truly extraordinary. 🎄

It was a privilege to meet these generous residents and accept a cheque for $58,500 – a record-breaking result!

Since Bear Cottage opened its doors, this dazzling display has raised vital funds to support our children and their families. Over time, it has become a much-loved Northern Beaches tradition, welcoming visitors from across Sydney. More than a spectacular light display, it represents a community united in generosity and compassion.

This remarkable event is made possible with the support of the tireless Belrose Rotary Club and Rotary Club of Balgowlah, along with students from The Forest High School and Davidson High School Interact Clubs. Rain, hail or shine, night after night, they generously gave up their time and energy to ensure its success – and we are deeply grateful. 👏

At Bear Cottage, we witness extraordinary kindness and compassion every day. It is truly moving to see that same spirit shining so brightly within this incredible community.

From the bottom of our hearts – thank you. 💕

19/02/2026

🐾 No words needed — just the gentle companionship of the best furry friend in the world. 💕

04/02/2026

At Bear Cottage, we’re incredibly fortunate to have a caring and compassionate nursing team. Today, we’re proud to shine a light on one of our wonderful nurses, whose dedication and passion make Bear Cottage such a special place. 🙌🏻

Meet Caroline: “I’m originally from the UK and I’ve been in Sydney just over a year now and have loved every second of it. I’ve been a nurse for nearly six years, and before moving to Australia, I worked on a cardiac ward at Great Ormond Street children’s hospital in London. After visiting Australia, I knew it was somewhere I needed to live.

“My role at Bear Cottage means so much to me on both a professional and personal level. It’s very different to acute hospital nursing – the focus isn’t on fixing or curing, but on comfort, quality of life and fun! I’m given the time and space to slow down, truly get to know families and care for the entire family unit, not just the child. It feels unbelievably special and something I was always meant to do.

“BC feels so special because it doesn’t feel clinical, it feels like home. It’s a place filled with warmth, love and compassion. The team, the families, and the environment all come together to create something so unique.

“Some of the most impactful moments are the quiet ones - sitting with families, sharing stories, laughter, tears, or simply being present. Being trusted during such vulnerable times is incredibly humbling and something I’ll never take for granted.

“There are sad days, but there is so much joy here. We celebrate, create memories, and have fun! It is emotional work, but it is filled with so much love and laughter.

“The children and families have taught me to slow down, live in the moment and appreciate the small wins. Their strength, resilience and unconditional love have changed my outlook on everything.”

Thank you, Caroline and all our nurses, for your incredible kindness and compassion. 💕

28/01/2026

It’s the last week of the school holidays, so we decided to let our hair down – and put it up, colour it and decorate it in the wildest, craziest ways! 🪶🖌️

From feathers and flowers, to sparkles and sprinkles – the hairstyles showed off everyone’s unique creativity. Even Beau – ever the patient participant – loved being part of the fun. 🐾

After much deliberation and a very rigorous scoring process, the judges agreed there could be only one winner for her “simple yet really crazy” style. 📋✔️

🏆 Congratulations to our housekeeper Annmaree – our 2026 Crazy Hair Day champion! 👏🏻

23/01/2026

Christmas may feel like a distant memory, but we’d love to take a moment to thank our incredible volunteers who helped wrap presents at Warringah Mall in the lead-up to Christmas! 🎁

We’re thrilled to share that with their help, we broke our fundraising record – raising an amazing $𝟯𝟮,𝟴𝟳𝟳.𝟳𝟲! 👏

This much-loved event brought together 162 individual volunteers and 15 corporate teams, with kilometres of paper and ribbon, hundreds of presents, plenty of laughter, and an incredible energy that truly spread Christmas cheer. Many of our volunteers have been part of this event for 15 years or more, and their ongoing dedication and enthusiasm are what make this event so special year after year.

Sending a heartfelt thank you to Westfield Warringah Mall for providing this wonderful opportunity to host the event, and for so generously donating the space, wrapping paper and ribbon – along with their much-appreciated support throughout.

And to our local community – your kindness and generosity truly shine at this special time of year, and we are so grateful. 💕

21/01/2026

BAKING ADVENTURES | There’s something special about baking together – measuring, mixing, and turning simple ingredients into sweet treats made to share. This week, the children got stuck into chocolate chip cookies, the much-loved Mars Bar slice (a big hit – so good that even families enjoyed it for breakfast!) and they baked more than 30 cupcakes from scratch. 👩‍🍳

Little hands were busy every step of the way – weighing ingredients, cracking eggs, mixing, and carefully filling cupcake patties – building confidence, teamwork, and a great sense of “we did it!” 🥣

Decorating fun followed, with cupcakes transformed into colourful creations – pretty gardens, and even a cricket pitch. With two birthdays to celebrate, cupcakes were shared, smiles were everywhere, and memories were made. 🧁

Baking continues to be a joyful way to bring people together, share comfort through sweet food, give back to others, and enjoy that well-earned sense of achievement. 💕

12/01/2026

School holidays are in full swing at Bear Cottage, and this week we blasted off into Space Week! 🚀✨

Working together and using a special marbling painting technique, we created a Space Wall filled with fireworks, planets, shooting stars and a glittering galaxy.

The creativity didn’t stop there – we also designed “magic carpets” to help us fly to the stars and crafted our very own space robot costumes. Using paper cups, feathers and pipe cleaners and whatever materials we could find around the house, it was a great reminder that items destined for the rubbish bin can be transformed into something magical – and create so much fun along the way. 🤖🌌

Our activities are designed to be inclusive and accessible – everyone gets to join in, create together and share the joy.

School holidays are a special time for families to visit, spend quality time together and let those creative juices swirl.

The sky really is the limit! 🌠