Twenty-five years ago, I lost my great friend, Gidget, to suicide. She had been living with post and perinatal depression and anxiety, and like so many parents before and since, she suffered in silence.
At the time, we didn’t have the language for what she was going through, or a clear place to send someone for help. We just had our grief, and a feeling of helplessness that so many people who start foundations will recognise. So, we did what we could: we started fundraising in her name. That was the beginning of Gidget Foundation Australia.
The friend we lost, and the mission she inspired
I could not have imagined, back then, that a quarter of a century later we would be an Australia-wide organisation with over 45 Gidget Houses open across the country. It is an extraordinary thing to sit with: something that began in tragedy has grown into a lifeline for thousands of families.
Our major service today is simple in concept but life-changing in practice: free perinatal mental health psychological therapy for families, from pre-conception through to early infancy, delivered either face to face or through tele-health. We also run perinatal mental health training programs and screening initiatives for healthcare professionals, but at our core, we exist to make sure parents can access proper mental health care during one of the most vulnerable periods of their lives.
And it is vulnerable. The period before a baby is born, and the first year after, carries real risk. Sleep deprivation alone can have a way of exacerbating anything else that might already be simmering beneath the surface. Add in the physical, hormonal and identity shifts that come with new parenthood, and it’s little wonder so many people struggle.
The good news, and it is genuinely good news, is that perinatal depression and anxiety is recoverable. People do not have to live with it indefinitely, and they do not have to face it alone. All it takes to start is a conversation with a GP, who can put together a mental health treatment plan and refer someone to one of our Gidget Houses around the country.
From grassroot origins
For the first ten years, Gidget Foundation Australia ran entirely on the efforts of volunteers. It was only once we appointed a CEO that we were able to take things to the next level and grow into the organisation we are today. That growth still amazes me. Twenty-five years is a long time to carry someone’s memory forward, and to watch it turn into something that reaches so many families across Australia.
One thing I think people still get wrong is picturing this as an issue that only affects mothers. It doesn’t. Roughly one in five women experience perinatal depression or anxiety, but so do around one in ten fathers. That is a significant number of men quietly doing it tough as well, often with even less awareness that support exists for them.
A lasting legacy of hope
The upcoming Gidget Gala, our Silver Anniversary Celebration, will celebrate the impact Gidget Foundation Australia has made over the past 25 years, while also honouring Gidget’s legacy and the inspiration behind the organisation’s founding. The event takes place on Saturday, 12 September, which would have been Gidget’s 59th birthday.
We will be joined by Gidget’s family and friends, as well as a number of families whose lives have been touched by Gidget Foundation Australia’s services over the past 25 years. Together, they represent the more than 18,000 families Gidget Foundation Australia has proudly supported throughout its history, highlighting the lasting impact of our work and the ongoing need for perinatal mental health care.
Gidget’s story ended in tragedy. But twenty-five years on, her name is attached to something that helps parents write a different ending for themselves and their families. That, to me, is the most fitting tribute we could have built in her memory.
Gidget Gala 2026 Silver Celebration
For tickets to the Gidget Gala 2026 Silver Celebration – gidgetgala.org.au
7:00pm, Saturday 12 September
Grand Ballroom, ICC, Sydney
About Gidget Foundation Australia
2026 marks Gidget Foundation Australia’s 25-year anniversary. Gidget Foundation Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to support the mental health of families, from pre-conception through to early infancy, to ensure they receive accessible, timely and specialised care.
As the leading national provider of perinatal mental health services, Gidget Foundation Australia provides year-long, free individual and group perinatal mental health psychological therapy services delivered in-person and via telehealth. Gidget Foundation Australia invests in its 200+ clinicians through innovative training, mentoring and supervision to meet growing demand.
To access perinatal mental health support – those affected need to speak to a GP about a referral and a Mental Health Treatment Plan or contact Gidget Foundation Australia’s Client Experience Team on 1300 GIDGET to discuss support options specific to their needs.
Although there have been incredible advances in perinatal mental health awareness, education and support since 2001, there is still so much more to do. Gidget Foundation Australia’s key focus for the next 25 years is to transform perinatal mental health for the next generation.
For further information and helpful resources visit gidgetfoundation.org.au.
